Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Truth, Lies and Berlusconi: Italy's playboy premier accused of nudity cover-up


Before


After

Slap in the middle of the painting is a neat, round female breast. During press conferences, as a commentator writing for the daily La Stampa noted, the breast floats above the prime minister's head "like a halo". This, it was felt, was too much for the sensibilities of a nation that - long before Berlusconi came along - had been feasting its eyes on half-naked Magdalenes and Minervas, not to mention the blatantly erotic statuary of Antonio Canova. Tiepolo's breast, with attendant nipple, had to go.

Photos taken of the most recent press conference at Palazzo Chigi show the central figure has been retouched. An extra fold of clothing has appeared that covers the offending breast.

Read the article.

Angel head bust (Roberto Fabelo)

Source. More paintings here.

Roberto Fabelo (b. Camagüey, Cuba, 1950)

Roberto Fabelo studied painting first at the Escuela Nacional de Arte and later at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana. Fabelo's most recent works in drawing, watercolor, oil, and installation pieces comment on the human condition, incorporating distorted human and animal figures into portraits and fantastic scenery. He employs elements of Expressionism and Surrealism in his work, while at the same time grounding the images in an almost academic and historical setting in order to question the division between fantasy and reality. Besides painting, Fabelo teaches art in Cuba and has also worked as an illustrator for novels by the Columbian author, Gabriel García Márquez. His work has been shown in more than forty personal exhibitions and over 500 group exhibitions worldwide, including Cuba, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the United States. He has received numerous awards for his work, including first prize at the Primera Bienal Iberoamericana de la Acuarela, Viña del Mar, Chile (1996) and a UNESCO prize for the promotion of fine art (1996). Fabelo lives and works in Havana, Cuba. (source)