Venus, Deconstructed

1. Salvador Dalí Tête Otorhinologique De Vénus, 1964/1970
2. René Magritte Les Menottes De Cuivre, 1931
3. René Magritte Tête, 1960
4. Erwin Blumenfeld Portrait of Houdon's Diane, 1944

While the 'egg' as a motif equals 'David', we still have to figure out the symbolic equivalent to 'Venus'. Until then, I'd like to invite you to ponder on the mutations of the female archetype and maybe come up with an icon of its objectification.
/HORST

Chronology

1. Erwin Blumenfeld Vogue, January 1950
2. Daniel Sannwald Pop Magazine, Spring/Summer 2012
3. Steven Meisel Vogue Italia, February 2012

Continuing Man Ray's photographic legacy and experiments with solarization and overexposure, Erwin Blumenfeld created some of the most iconic Vogue covers. In a tribute to Richard Hamilton's 1969 'Fashion Plate' series, Ashley Heath of POP adds make-up to a photographic collage and Steven Meisel stages a fetishized peek-a-boo mask for Vogue Italia. While each approach is so different, the results feel so associated. The collective accoutrement: lips and eyes.
/HORST