Artists - Part 70

Hans von Marées

Hans von Marées (1837-1887) was a German painter.  Above, Selbstbildnis mit gelben Hut (Self-Portrait with Yellow Hat), 1874.

After studying art in Germany, he moved to Italy in 1864, where he would spend the rest of his life.  He is best known for a set of large frescoes painted in 1873 in the Stazione Zoologica, a biological research institute in Naples.  Several of these frescoes depicted male nudes.  Above, the fresco Departure of the Fishermen.

Another fresco: Orange Grove: Three Stages of Life.  We'll see later that depicting nude men in orange groves became a recurring subject.

While he was working in Italy, von Marées met Adolf Hildebrand, a young German sculptor and architect, and the two men became lovers.  A third fresco at the Stazione Zoologica shows men drinking at a table.  Von Marées and Hildebrand are the two at the right end of the table.

After the fresco project, von Marées and Hildebrand moved to Florence for two years, but their romantic relationship ended when Hildebrand, who was bi, fell in love with and married Irene Schäuffelen and moved back to Germany.  The 1875 painting above, Die Frau zwischen die beiden Männer (The Woman Between the Two Men), depicts von Marées' view of things, showing the woman coming between von Marées (at left) and Hildebrand (at right).

I mentioned earlier that nude men in orange groves was a favorite subject.  Above, Drei Jünglinge unter Orangenbäumen (Three Youths under Orange Trees), 1875-1880.

Drei Jünglinge in einem Orangenhain (Three Youths in an Orange Grove), 1878-1883.

We end with Die Lebensalter (The Age of Love), 1877-1878, also known as Orangenbild (Orange Picture).  We see not only the age of love (youth) but all the ages of man from baby to old man, and some of them are going after oranges.

Hans von Marées himself did not live to reach old age.  He died of a fever in Rome in 1887 at age 49.  It was possibly malaria, which was rampant in the countryside around Rome at the time.

Beach Bums - Part 64

Kehena Beach, Hawaii

I wrote about Kehena Beach four years ago, but it's worth another look.  This is a beach on the south shore of the Big Island of Hawaii, where I live.

Although nude beaches are not legal in Hawaii, this is a secluded beach where nudity is ignored by authorities.  In 2021, during the COVID epidemic, police raided the beach to ticket scofflaws who were not following social distancing and face mask rules, and while they were at it, ticket them for public nudity.  But since then, authorities have gone back to ignoring the beach.

Above, the somewhat steep and rocky trail that leads down to the beach.

This is one of Hawaii's beautiful black sand beaches.  Above, the late Kirill Tokarev, one of my favorite unashamed males, visited the beach in 2014.

Kirill got some black sand on his bottom (it washed off).

At the back of the beach are trees providing welcome shade from the tropical sun.  Kirill took advantage of a tree branch to get some exercise.

Another beach-goer.  Although the beach looks deserted in these photos, there are usually quite a few people there.

More beach-goers looking out to sea.  Dolphins are known to play in the waters off this beach.

Wading in shallow water is fine, but swimming is not really recommended here ...

because the waves can be fierce, and there are treacherous rip currents and undertow. 

So most visitors just keep to the beautiful black sand.

Green sea turtles also love the warm black sand.  If you see one, don't disturb it.  It's an endangered species, and remember, they were here first!

Gods, Myths and Heroes - Part 61

 Zeus

According to ancient Greek mythology, Zeus led the gods of Mount Olympus in a battle with a bunch of earlier gods called Titans.  The Titans were defeated and fell into the underworld where they were banished.  Above, The Fall of the Titans by Cornelis van Haarlem c.1588 depicts the Titans falling, and interestingly, they're all naked males.

Zeus then became the king of the gods.  He was also the god of thunder.  The bronze statue above, c. 460 BC, depicts either Zeus wielding a thunderbolt or the god Poseidon wielding a trident – nobody is sure which.

This statuette from the 5th century BC shows Zeus wielding a thunderbolt.  Note that this ancient Greek representation of a thunderbolt is spindle-shaped, not a jagged line like a bolt of lightning.

A Roman statue of Jupiter with a thunderbolt, 2nd-3rd century AD.  The Romans identified their god Jupiter with the Greek god Zeus.

A statue of Jupiter c. 150 AD, in the Louvre, Paris, holding a thunderbolt in his right hand.  His upraised left hand probably held a scepter, now broken off, to show his kingship.  Zeus/Jupiter was also identified with the eagle.  Any time you see a Greek or Roman statue with an eagle, it's Zeus or Jupiter.

Jupiter Tonans (Jupiter the Thunderer), 1st century AD, in the National Museum in Warsaw.  The thing that looks like a sponge in his right hand is probably a thunderbolt.

Zeus, a Roman (175-200 AD) copy of a Greek original (350-300 BC).  Again, his right hand holds a thunderbolt, and the thing in his left hand that looks like an ice cream cone is probably part of a royal scepter.

A Roman statue of Jupiter/Zeus copied from a Greek original, in the Musei Capitolini in Rome.  The eagle shows that it's Zeus, and what looks like a bar of soap in his right hand might be part of a thunderbolt.

There are many, many myths involving Zeus.  Previously, we looked at the myth of Zeus and Ganymede, shown on this Greek dish from 460 BC.  Ganymede, at right, was a beautiful mortal youth whom Zeus brought to Mount Olympus to serve forever as his cupbearer and his toy boy.  Yes, Zeus was bisexual.

We end with this modern painting of Zeus with an organ in a state not seen in the ancient artworks but implied by all the stories of Zeus fathering children by a bevy of women as well as being Ganymede's sugar daddy.

To quote the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes: "Open your mouth and shut your eyes and see what Zeus will send you."

World Naked Bike Ride - Part 70

 Portland, Oregon 2018

My friend Rick (see his blog Sicko Ricko's Crap) recently made a comment on my blog mentioning the World Naked Bike Ride in Portland, where Rick lives.  I realized that I've never featured the Portland WNBR.  So today, we're entering Portland.

These photos are from the 2018 WNBR in Portland.  Riders gathered in Cathedral Park under the impressive St Johns Bridge that spans the Willamette River.

More riders gathering in the park.

Another rider in the park.  Rick, I know you appreciate rear views, so I've included some for you.

Then the ride began.

The route went uphill, slowing the riders down.

Some local youths at the side of the road taking in the event.

Still going uphill.  Riding the bikes ...

became walking the bikes ...

which became a traffic jam going up the hill.  But they all made it.

We end with some good advice: keep calm and love a dog (note the doggy passenger on the bike).

Testicular Self-Check

 Testicular Cancer Awareness Month

April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month.  Testicular cancer is the most common type of cancer for men age 15 to 35, but the cure rate is excellent (98%) if it is detected early, which is the reason to do a monthly self-check.

On the 15th of every month, my friend Pat reminds the readers of his blog Big Whack Attack to check their balls. (And you'll find lots of other good stuff on his blog, too.)  Thanks, Pat!

But how exactly should you check your balls?

Unfortunately, the U.S. is so prudish about the naked body that public information on this subject doesn't actually show testicles.  For example, the illustration above is from the website of the Rio Grande Cancer Foundation, substituting a different kind of nuts in their photos.

Luckily, the British are not so prudish.  Above is part of a British YouTube video showing exactly how to do the self-check (it's easy, as you'll see).

April Fool's Day

April Fool's Day

In San Francisco, April 1 is the date of the annual St. Stupid's Day parade, sponsored by the First Church of the Last Laugh.  The event celebrates everything stupid.  People wear stupid costumes and carry stupid signs.  Being San Francisco, there are always a few naked guys.

Above, one of the naked participants in the 2009 parade, wearing a birthday cake hat, waits in Embarcadero Plaza where people gather for the parade to start.

Another 2009 participant is wearing body paint but nothing else.

This one has a pig nose.

This one is putting on a performance, swinging weights around.

The parade stops at six Stations of Stupid, a parody of the Catholic Stations of the Cross.  The first Station of Stupid is the Federal Reserve building, where parade goers bless the Fed by throwing away their losing lottery tickets (above).

Then parade-goers head for the next station (above).  The naked guy wearing a bowler hat is a regular, appearing in each annual St. Stupid's Day parade.

The second Station of Stupid, above, is the Tomb of Saint Stupid.  It's actually a utility door at an office building at 101 California Street.  Above, we see Bishop Joey (real name Ed Holmes) who founded the First Church of the Last Laugh.  He's at center, wearing his bishop's hat and banging on a drum.  Someone knocks on the door of the Tomb (the utility door below the bishop) to see if St. Stupid is there.  Of course nobody ever answers.  The bishop then says "I guess we missed him; he must be out to lunch."

The third Station of Stupid is the Mechanics Monument, above, which the bishop calls the Statue of the Bare Butt Mechanics (which it is).

Above, a bare butt parade participant seems to be wiping the ass of one of the bare butt mechanics.

At this station, the bishop asks the parade-goers to take a "leap of faith", i.e. everybody jumps up in the air a few inches.

The fourth Station of Stupid is the Sunken Plaza of Slack, a.k.a. One Bush Plaza, where parade-goers get to sit down and rest.

The fifth Station of Stupid is the former Pacific Stock Exchange building.  Parade-goers bring socks and throw them up in the air (above) – that's their sock exchange.

The last Station of Stupid is this modern sculpture in front of the former Bank of America building, which the bishop calls the Banker's Black Heart.  Parade-goers toss pennies at the Banker's Black Heart.

Then the parade is over until next year.