Gods, Myths and Heroes - Part 16

 Narcissus

Narcissus, in Greek and Roman myth, was a hunter known for his beauty who rejected all romantic advances.  According to Ovid's version of the myth, a nymph named Echo fell in love with him.  When he spurned her, she faded away until nothing remained but the echo of her voice.

(Above: Narcissus calling Echo by Joaquin Abella, 2014)

In a version by Ovid's contemporary Conon, a young man named Ameinias fell in love with Narcissus.  Narcissus spurned him and give him a sword, whereupon Ameinias committed suicide.

(Narcissus and Ameinias by Manolo Yanes, 2017-2018)

In all versions of the myth, Narcissus sees his reflection in a pool of water and falls in love with himself.  He pines away and eventually turns into a narcissus flower (a daffodil).

(Narcissus by Duane Michaels, 1932)

Artists have used the Narcissus myth as an opportunity to portray a beautiful naked young man.

(Narcissus by Christoffer Eilhelm Eckersberg, 1815)

Narcissus by John Gibson, 1838, at the Royal Academy, London.

Narcissus has not been ignored by contemporary artists.  This is Chattahoochee Narcissus by Robert Sherer, 1989-1996.

Narcisse (the French version of the name) by Pierre et Gilles, 2014.  In case we didn't know who this is, the daffodils give us a clue.

Photographers have also been attracted to the theme.  This is Urbex Narcissus by JGArtphoto.

Of course, these days a mirror is a more likely place to see your reflection than a pool of water.  This self portrait by Vladimir is titled Narcissus 103.

And Narcissus by Jeff Kasser clearly shows Narcissus in love with his reflection.

Narcissus by Patrick Lentz, 2016, mixes the pool of water and mirror motifs for a confused result, in my opinion.

We end with Bruce as Narcissus by Don Gentle, 2010, in which the reflection acts not just as a mirror but as a magic mirror that makes him look young and beautiful again.  Perhaps it's an observation that we see what we want to see.

College Streaking - Part 25

 Washington

We continue our un-coverage of the 1974 college streaking craze in alphabetical order by state.

Above, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, from the 1974 yearbook Chinook.

Washington State University, from the 1974 yearbook Chinook.

Bicycle streaking at Central Washington State College, Ellensburg, WA, March, 1974.

Central Washington State College, March, 1974.

A frontal view at Central Washington State College, March, 1974.

University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA, March, 1974.  Most newspapers and yearbooks published only rear views of streakers, so these frontal views are rare.

University of Washington, Seattle, WA, March 5, 1974.

Eastern Washington State College, Cheney, WA, March 1974.

Eastern Washington State College, March 14, 1974.  Another frontal view.  Who knew the press in Washington was so tolerant about publishing frontal nudity?

Eastern Washington State College, March 14, 1974.

Artists - Part 24

 Kurt Kauper

Yesterday we saw a couple of paintings by Kurt Kauper of hockey player Bobby Orr.  Kauper, born in 1966, has taught at Yale and Princeton and currently teaches art at Queens College, City University of New York.  Above is a self portrait a few years ago (he looks a bit older now).

Here's a photo of Kauper in his studio in 2004.  He's painting a portrait of Boston Bruins player Jacques Plante, and on the wall is his (unauthorized) nude portrait of Bruins player Derek Sanderson.  Neither player sat for a portrait.  Kauper works from photos, hockey cards, and his imagination.

He seems to have a thing for Boston Bruins players.  He says, "I’m not a hockey fan ... but when I was 6, I — like many other boys in Boston — idolized Bobby Orr. Looking back, it was as if I was in love with him.”

Although Kauper's paintings of Bobby Orr's nudity were based on his imagination, Derek Sanderson was not shy about exposing himself. Above is one of several nude photos of Sanderson taken by LIFE photographer Arthur Rickersby in 1979. Sanderson's father is at left. You can see the other photos of Sanderson here: https://unashamedmale.blogspot.com/2021/03/athletes-part-5-derek-sanderson-derek.html.

Neither Bobby Orr nor Derek Sanderson posed for Kauper's nude portraits or authorized them. Brad Park, who played briefly alongside Sanderson and Orr and looked at Kauper's works online, said, "I definitely would think Bobby would be uncomfortable with it. Derek, in his heyday, would have posed for it."

Bobby Orr and Derek Sanderson are not the only celebrities that Kauper has made unauthorized nude paintings of.  He also did several of Cary Grant.   Above is Cary Grant #1.

This is Cary Grant #3.  Kauper says that people always assume he's gay (presumably because of his nude male paintings), when in fact he's not.  He lives with his wife and kids in New York.  He has also done a large number of paintings of women, some nude, most not.

Having said that, he does seem to like naked men.  This is Fantasy #1 - Bus Stop, 2019.

This is Fantasy #2, 2019.

We end with this recent painting that he was asked to do for an exhibition of works inspired by Manet's famous painting Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe, which depicts a naked woman and two clothed men having a picnic in a park.  In Kauper's version, Men in the Park, 2022, there's one clothed man, two naked men, some empty beer bottles, and no women.

Vintage Athletes - Part 24

 Gump Worsley, Andy Bathgate, Bobby Orr

Today's post is about three vintage hockey players.  Lorne 'Gump' Worsley (1929-2007) was a goalie for the New York Rangers.  He was the last NHL goalie to play without a face mask.  "My face is my mask," he would say.  Above, the Gumper, as he was known, was knocked out cold in 1972 after taking a puck to the head.  Even after that, he didn't wear a mask.  Finally he wore a mask for six games in 1974.  "I don't like it," he said, and promptly retired.

Gump, at left above, was also a favorite of sportswriters for his quips.  In the 1950s, his team, the New York Rangers, was pretty hapless.  After being pelted by forty to fifty shots a night, he was asked by the press, "Which team in the league gives you the most trouble?"  He replied, "The New York Rangers."  Later, playing for the Minnesota North Stars, he was asked about a claim that he did most of his training in St. Paul bars.  He responded, "That's not true.  I've switched to Minneapolis now."

This photo and the previous one show Gump Worsley in 1962 in the shower with fellow New York Rangers player Andy Bathgate (1932-2016), at right.  Though not as colorful as Gump Worsley, Andy Bathgate was named one of the 100 greatest NHL players.  It certainly looks like the two guys got along.

Our other vintage hockey player today is Bobby Orr, born in 1948 and considered one of the greatest hockey players of all time.  The 1970 photo above is an iconic sports photo.  Orr has just made the goal in overtime that meant that his team, the Boston Bruins, won the Stanley Cup.  "I saw it go in, so I jumped," said Orr.  As he jumped, raising his hands in victory, opposing team member Noel Picard tripped him with his hockey stick.  Newspaper photographer Ray Lussier caught him at just the right instant.  It looks like Bobby Orr is flying, like Superman.

There don't seem to be any naked photos of Bobby Orr, though some of you might appreciate this photo of him in a jockstrap.

Artist Kurt Kauper says, "I’m not a hockey fan ... but when I was 6, I — like many other boys in Boston — idolized Bobby Orr. Looking back, it was as if I was in love with him.” Kauper has created some (unauthorized) portraits of Bobby Orr nude, which he painted based on photos and hockey card images.  This is Bobby #3.

This is Bobby #2.  I should say, based on photos, hockey card images, and his imagination.

You'll see more of Kurt Kauper's artwork tomorrow.

Calendars - Part 21

 Mathieu Lapierre Winery 2014

Mathieu Lapierre's father Marcel Lapierre was described as the "pope of natural wine" in Beaujolais, France.  After Marcel died, Mathieu took over the winery and its tradition of natural winemaking.  Above, the calendar photo for May shows Mathieu in an old wine press.  And no, natural winemaking isn't making wine au naturel.  It's making wine without additives.

Each year at harvest time, the winery does some kind of project to memorialize the vintage, like a documentary photo shoot of the harvesters.

In 2013, the idea for the naked calendar "came to us one night over some drinks," said Mathieu.  It was suggested by one of the harvesters, who was also a photographer.

As the project progressed, more and more of the harvesters volunteered to be in the calendar.

Only 100 copies of the calendar were made.  They were given as gifts to friends, not sold publicly.  But the recipients posted the calendar on the walls of their public establishments, so word of the calendar got out.

The calendar quite fittingly celebrates the winery's practice of natural winemaking.  Maybe they should be making wine au naturel.

Protests - Part 21

Olympic Torch Protest
San Francisco, 2008

In 2008, the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, China generated protests over China's human rights policies.  One such protest occurred in San Francisco, which was on the route that the Olympic flame took from Greece to Beijing.

In 1936, a tradition began of carrying the Olympic flame from Olympia, Greece, site of the ancient Olympics, to the current Olympic site, passing through other cities on the way.  The Olympic flame was scheduled to pass through San Francisco on April 9, 2008.

Being San Francisco, three of the protesters were naked.  Above is actor/director/screenwriter Bret Carr stripping for the protest.

The second protester is George Davis.

He's holding a large simulated torch marked "Human Rights."

And here's the third protester, Rusty Mills, holding a "torch" made from a toilet plunger.

Here are the three of them together.

Other protesters in the background are holding signs protesting China's support of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.

And other protesters held signs protesting China's conduct in Tibet.  In March 2008, peaceful protests in Tibet against Chinese treatment of Tibetans were brutally suppressed by the Chinese government, resulting in at least 400 deaths.  The Chinese government blamed the violence on the Dalai Lama in exile, which was transparently false, as the Dalai Lama always preached pacifism.  One of the signs in the background here says, "China: listen to the Dalai Lama."

Previous protests against China had occurred when the Olympic flame was carried through Paris and London.  So, without telling anyone, Olympic organizers changed the route of the flame in San Francisco to bypass the protesters altogether.  One security guard said, "Looks like we all got punked."