Artist that have an affinity for the male form, and who paint men with abandon, have a special place in my heart. See more of J. Michael McCracken’s work on his website.
“Sometimes you have to sew that silver lining in yourself!” J. Michael McCracken.
“Being an artist is somewhat a miserable experience, but not nearly as miserable as not!”
“May we all strive to be that which we seek in others”
“For me painting not only calms the best within, but rather he is the artiste.”
FEMALE SEXUALITY
From To Err is Human (Articles on human health and sexuality)
Women also relieve their sexual frustrations by masturbating, just as men do. But in women, the mechanism of masturbation is more complex than in men. While men can achieve their orgasm just by applying a steady and strong pressure on the penis, women require a mental framework along with physical contact to reach their climax. In women, the touch is not the important part of the masturbation; the thought in their mind is. Also, male masturbation is a largely external process; but in women, masturbation is done by stimulating the internal genitals like the vaginal tract.
As already mentioned, there are various techniques of female masturbation. One of the most popular techniques women use is to arouse the clitoris. Women may begin with caressing their vulva and labia first; but gradually they will work their way to the little pea-sized pink organ known as the clitoris which lies between the folds of the labia. Women respond a lot to a rubbing kind of movement on the clitoris, which is generally done by the women with her first two fingers. The pressure and the rapidity of the strokes differ from women to women.
Since masturbation in women is an internal process, they can afford to be more adventurous than men. Though a woman produces enough lubricating fluids when fully aroused, some women would still apply lubricants such as KY Jelly or Vaseline. An external object in the vagina leads to an enhanced stimulation in most women. For this reason, women also experiment by inserting several objects shaped like the penis into the vagina. The list includes fruits and vegetables like cucumbers, gourds, bananas, radishes, etc. While putting any foreign objects such as these, it is necessary to lubricate the vagina more than its natural lubrication.
There are many sexual toys available to help women in masturbate. The most popular one is the dildo, which is a device shaped just like the human penis. This device could be mechanical or it could be battery operated. The idea is to insert the dildo into the vaginal tract to get a similar feeling as during penetrative sex. Advancements in the dildos have provided vibrators to them, due to which the pleasure it provides is greatly enhanced. Women use dildos even to stimulate their anuses. Thus, it can be said that the dildo is a versatile masturbatory device designed for women. Continue reading
It’s not about being gay or straight or bisexual. It’s about being a man and a man’s natural desire to be with those like him. The nudity simply makes the experience more prophetic. It’s about being a thoughtful man, uninhibited by the shackles imposed by homophobic mores and society’s misguided strictures of shame. Thanks to Per Erez, male body acceptance is alive and well in Chicago.
An Interview with Per Erez . . .
From chicagoist.com
Despite their initial reservations, men in Chicago are turning the other cheek and joining all-male nude yoga classes, an exercise the Associated Press calls “a form of sensualized yoga practiced nude.” Per (pronounced “Pear”) Erez, who teaches the classes in his private Rogers Park studio, limits the number of men who attend the sessions in order to “establish clarity of intention” and to provide a more “individualized approach to teaching.” Erez, 43, a well-established yoga instructor who has taught traditional “clothed” yoga for over 20 years (Oprah Winfrey is a former client), believes practicing nude yoga offers men a chance to be less concerned about “how they show up physically on their mat,” and gradually reduces “their own inner critical voice about what the male form should look like in others.”
Chicagoist: What is the number one question you get asked by beginners?
Per Erez: Oddly enough, it is probably not what most people would think. When I first began teaching these classes, I got much of what I called the “Big E” question from men who were concerned about bodily responses during classes. You will find frank discussions of erections commonly labored over on almost all the nude yoga Web sites across the country—including mine. The most common question I get these days, however, revolves around men who want to join, but who happen to hold positions of authority or esteem in their local communities. On several occasions, rabbis, pastors, teachers, doctors, and even a few politicians have asked what happens if a patient, congregant, student, etc. comes to the same session they plan on attending.
C: And how do you calm these fears, Per?
PE: I don’t, in particular, have one answer, because I think students concerns about disclosure and revelation of nude yoga practice don’t all come from the same place. Some realize they won’t have to worry about losing their jobs for example, but social ostracism is more the issue. Some prospective students are more concerned with how co-workers or friends might think them unconventional or downright silly for even considering yoga like this.
Ultimately, I encourage members not to share anything more about themselves than their first name (or a name they would like to use) if they are uncomfortable; like all transformations, at some point, one has to be willing to step to the edge of current self-knowledge in order to explore the unknown self on the other side. Practicing this way is about taking that first step with lots of support and safety.
C: What were your initial concerns related to teaching an all-male nude yoga class?
And WOW again . . .
“Although I employ an arsenal of visual tools to create illusion, the classical language of form is the most vital. Classicism is vastly superior to other forms of realism for the creation of illusion, as it is based on human perception. Every stroke has the purpose of communicating form and space to the viewer. While stylistic references may tie a work to the 1400’s, Renaissance, or Baroque, illusionism brings it into the present by creating an optical and geometrical link to the contemporary surroundings.”
Visit his fascinating website here.
…and be careful, don’t fall in.
Kurt Wenner has combined traditional street painting techniques along with classical training, illusion, and performance to invent an art form all his own. This has come to be known as anamorphic, illusionistic, or 3D street painting.
Wenner’s development of this technique is featured in the National Geographic documentary Masterpieces in Chalk. Artists using this technique today can trace it back to Wenner’s invention in the early 1980’s. His three-dimensional images have inspired festivals and public events throughout the world, as well as others to continue the practice of bringing images of icons and popular culture to an ever changing public. While the art form continues to develop one thing has remained unchanged, madonnari and their paintings continue to vanish after a festival, or with the first rains.
German Symbolist Painter
February 24th 1863 – August 30th 1928.
Franz Von Stuck was am influential German Symbolist/Art Nouveau painter, sculptor, engraver, and architect born at Tettenweis near Griesbach in Lower Bavaria, Germany, the son of a miller. He was noted for his treatment of erotic and comic aspects of mythological themes.
The Kiss of the Sphinx
As a child he quickly became a gifted caricaturist. From 1878 to 1881 he attended the Kunstgewerbeschule in Munich, where he received particular encouragement from Ferdinand Barth (1842–92).
Salome
Von Stuck attended the Munich School for the Applied Arts after secondary school, transferring in 1881 to the “Königliche Akademie der bildenden Künste” (Royal Academy for the Fine Arts). The drawings he did for the portfolio ‘Allegorien und Embleme’ (‘Allegories and Emblems’), published by Gerlach and Schenk in Vienna, made his reputation as an outstanding draughtsman as early as 1882.
Fighting for a Woman
Awarded the gold medal for the painting “Die Wächter des Paradieses” (“The Guardians of Paradise) at the Annual Exhibition at the Munich Glass Palace in 1889, Von Stuck devoted himself entirely to painting, becoming a portraitist who was much in demand. His sitters’ regal poses elevate them above the mundane, making them sublime and timeless. In addition to some early landscapes and numerous portraits, the painter’s oeuvre is notable primarily for mythological and symbolic themes.
Dying Amazon
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Susanna Bathing
Two men, haunted by their past, cross paths where the desert meets the sky in Big Bend National Park …
He turned and watched Michael pull the sleeping bag from behind the chair and fumble with the knot that held it rolled tight. He wanted to invite Michael to share his bed, which he had been thinking about most of the day. The proposal caught in his throat as the ramifications of sleeping with another man took hold of him. Make the suggestion, or keep going, get in bed alone, then likely face a night of regret, wondering what it would be like. He drew a breath … “It’s warmer in the bedroom.” Then a dry swallow: “I mean … well, the electric heater in there doesn’t do much good all the way out here.”
Michael looked up from the knotted string.
“There’s plenty of room for both of us.”
“You want me to sleep with you?”
“That’s not how I put it. Share the bed is what I had in mind.”
“Yeah. That’s what I meant. I just wasn’t expecting …”
Justin felt like a man about to cross a rickety bridge. “You won’t get so cold in there.”
“Okay.” Somewhat astonished, Michael tossed the sleeping bag on the couch.
They walked together into the bedroom. Justin turned on the small table lamp next to the bed, then the small electric heater. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched Michael pull off his jeans. “I remember you saying you don’t like wearing underwear.”
“No. Too confining,” Michael said, standing nude in the soft light.
Justin stood and stepped out of his jeans, leaving on the cotton briefs. “I usually sleep nude.”
“Me, too,” Michael replied.
Justin looked down at his briefs, debating, wondering what difference it would make since they had been naked together all day, hooking his thumbs in the waistband.
Michael watched him slide the briefs down his legs, then step out of them and walk to the other side of the bed, intrigued by his companion’s conflicts.
Lifting the crumpled sheet, Justin got in the bed and pulled the sheet up to his belly. Michael reclined on the other side of the bed. They laid on their backs staring at the aged wooden ceiling. The electric heater provided just enough heat to take the chill out of the room.
“Beats the couch, doesn’t it?”
Few photographers capture human emotion in a way that captivates us. Francois Benveniste from France is one of them. You feel you know his women by looking at his work.
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