[Tidbits] Face of a Female

Face of a Female

I do believe that through time…for the most part…portraits aside
…that it was the female face and figure that was most duplicated
by artists. Ren=E9 Lalique…one of the great artists of the Art
Nouveau era…was no exception.

Who knows why? Who can figure these mysteries as to choice of female
over male over the eons? This is not to say male figures were never
used. Michelangelo’s David would easily belie this statement.
But…the female predominated in all forms of art…especially in
jewelry. Who would wear a cameo or a brooch with the figure of a man?

Hey…Mary Ann…look at that cute Guy-Cameo that gentleman is
wearing on his silk shirt. Nay nay folks. Methinks not. So then
why? I know you are all awake at nights asking yourselves that very
same question. Maybe it’s because most artists of olden days were
men… and the preferred looking at women. Or maybe it was the themes
of the Femmes Fatales that drew men magnetically which caused the
artists to delve into the arcane regions of the female
mystique…trying through art to understand that which they could
not understand through intellect.

Who knows? Goddess or mortal…swan-maiden or siren or Lorelei
luring sailors to their deaths…or the likes of Mata Hari…wanton
femininity seeking its way with men for its own purpose…or
Salome…daughter of Herod who demanded and got the head of John the
Baptist on a plate…or even Cleopatra --queen of the Nile–seizing
the throne by seducing the likes of Julius Caesar and Mark
Anthony…women have always and will always grip the minds of men
with a tenacity that can not even be equaled by the forces of
gravity.

Did you folks know there is a book out there entitled The Woman’s
Bible…first released in 1895 which presents a feminist commentary
on the old and new testament? Interesting views…beginning with
Eve.

And then there’s motherhood. In early human evolutionary times,
motherhood was the only recognized bond in family life. It was the
female that kept the tribe together. There was never a reason back
then for anyone to believe that men had anything to do with births.
Even today…there are primitive tribes that do not connect sex with
childbearing.

And of course…there is the one final and irrefutable reason why
women are so much depicted in the world of art and jewelry. To tell
you the reason–I digress for a moment. It is said that a test was
once given at a University in order to measure creativity. The test
had one question: “Why?” The answer had to be as short as possible.
Most students–it seemed–answered, “Because.” A few students
however…excelled. They answered: “Why not?” So why is the female
form and face so much depicted in the world of art and jewelry? Why
not? For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may
I direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that says
Tidbits…and then click on the link that says: Female…where you
will see a graphic of our Art Nouveau brooch of a female face by
Ren=E9 Lalique.

And there ya have it. That’s it for this week folks. Catch you all
next week. Benjamin Mark

TYLER-ADAM CORP.–Jewelry Manufacturers
Tel: 1-800-20-TYLER
E-Mail to: webmaster@tyler-adam.com