Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Frank Frazetta




Today we have three very sensual images from Frank Frazetta. In all three, women interact with tiny elves, although in each work their demeanors are different, and despite the similarity of them, each gives a distinctly different impression. In the first, the woman is seemingly unaware, and she holds herself properly, if not somewhat uncomfortably. Perhaps she really is aware of the peeping toms?

In the second, the woman coyly turns to her friendly neighbor, baring her backside, and yet looking shy a the same time. Seeing her so splayed, we might come to think that she was laying naturally, unaware of her small friend's presence until just this moment, though her nimble play of fingers may dictate otherwise.

In the third, a woman, naturally holding her weight, and far more comfortable with her body than the first two, openly teases a little man with a cherry. Hand on hip, foot on toe, and chest thrust forward, she is very aware of her features' effects on the little man, and she makes him beg for it.

Frank Frazetta is famous for his fantasy work, his comic work, his pinup work, and his erotic work, and he does all of which with stunning skill. This is done not only from the brush stroke, but also from the attention to the details of subtext through body language. Given the breadth of his work, the natural skill which he employs, as well as the mass amount of influence he has had on fantasy art as a whole (often being cited as the most emulated artist in the field), one might say, in the alleged words of his childhood teacher: "Mama Mia, Mama Mia! We have a genius here!"

Although he unfortunately passed away this previous May, and we lose a wonderful artist, I can say for certain that this is not the last of his work that will appear on this site.

You can find more of Frazetta's work here and here.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Unknown Title, Jason Levesque

In our first example of truly contemporaneous art, we find a giant woman, looking more dead than alive, shuffling through a city street. The few people at the intersection are split, as two acknowledge her presence, and two (three?) seem to be oblivious. The giantess herself seems almost unaware of what is happening, only looking to the observer with a piercing, unsettling stare. The light colors used give an ethereal presence to the entire work, as if it were some phantasmagoric haunting in a quickly fading dream.

Jason Levesque's unique illustrative abilities really show clearly in this image. Constantly pairing the beautiful with the grotesque, with a style reminiscent of art nouveau, and truly unpredictable coloration, he creates striking, sexually charged imagery, while always calling into question our aesthetic sense. Is a beautiful woman still so as a monster, or in the case of his other works, when covered in monsters? Although I feel Levesque's own answer to this question may be obvious, it is still wonderfully engaging to the observer.

You can find more of Levesque's work here.
If you appreciate this sort of work, I would highly suggest picking up a copy of his book Pretty Gross.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Fenja and Menja, Carl Larsson


From the Old Norse poem Grottasongr (cave song), this piece by Larsson depicts the two giantesses, Fenja and Menja, grinding while in the service of King Fróði. As the story goes, the King recieved a mill with two grindstones so large, no man was strong enough to work them. If they were to be worked, however, they could produce anything that was wished. Having received the two giantesses as slaves, the King put them to work creating gold, peace, and happiness for him. Bound to the mill, with little rest given, and no way to escape, the two giant women began to sing the Song of Grótti (the poem itself), and conjured up a sea king named Mysing, who killed Fróði while he slept.

Giants, also known as jötunn, are common within Norse mythology. Originally thought to personify the chaotic, destructive forces of nature, these creatures eventually became a somewhat ambivalent group of figures nestled into the broad cosmology of Scandinavia. As we will see in the coming months, giant men and women are well used in religious imagery all over the world.

Carl Larsson, a Swedish artist known for his water colors and interior design, created this work as part of a set of images illustrating the Poetic Edda, the definitive collection of Old Norse poems. Though he was the original artist, what is being viewed is a woodcut, produced from the original art by xylographer Gunnar Forssel.

You can read the Poetic Edda, including Grottasongr, here.
You can view more of Larsson's work here and here.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

The Giantess, Rene Magritte




I can think of no other painting that could be more appropriate for this site's maiden post than Rene Magritte's The Giantess (La Géante). Inspired by the Baudelaire poem of the same name (a work we'll look at another time), this piece displays Magritte's unequivocal play of perspective, while taking it to a heightened level of sensuality, something which normally seems lost within the unsettlingly bizarre or dryly geometric worlds of surrealism. The viewer is opened up to the cavernous space of a simple room, dictated by the looming woman, unaware and comfortable, yet easily powerful in appearance. I wonder, however, if she appears this way because of her relative size, or because her comfort itself.


Working from the early to mid 20th century, and famous for works such as The Son of Man, and The Human Condition, among many fantastic others, Magritte's style is defining of representational surrealism, with a focus on creating poetic imagery which works itself into a cohesive, satisfying whole, despite the dissonance in relation between objects. Contrasted with the schizophrenic, haphazard works of fellow surrealist Joan Miro, it is easy to see the delicate balance of space in the painting above.

Specs: 1929/30. Watercolor on paper, cardboard and canvas. 54 x 73 cm.

You can find more of Magritte's work here.


Friday, December 10, 2010

Project Begin

"The word macrophile is derived from the Latin roots macro, meaning "large", and phile, meaning, loosely, "lover". It was initially coined to refer to a person who experienced a sexual response to situations involving creatures of greatly differing size. In such a situation, one of the creatures must of necessity be a "giant" in relation to the other, and thus macrophile was considered to be a suitably comprehensive term."
-Samuel Ramses, M.D., Ph.D.
If you have not come here by accident, I feel it is safe to assume this concept is not new to you. Chances are that you are either a macrophile yourself, or were linked here by one. If the latter, don't worry, there will be little, if anything, on this page that is particularly disturbing (which is to imply there are certain images in this community which would be rather jarring to those not acclimated to it). However, if you are particularly peevish about this sort of imagery, I would suggest leaving.
I do not feel that the depiction of giant beings (in this site's case, giant women specifically) is, or should be, entirely relegated to fetish drawings and pornography. Historically and contemporaneously, the world over, giant women have found their home in art, film, and literature. While it cannot be said that everyone who has engaged this imagery, or who appreciates it, is necessarily a macrophile, I can say that there certainly appears to be a particularly alluring quality to it all. Perhaps there is a bias on my part, but even images with no fetishistic overtones seem to be charged with some sort of primal, libidinal energy.

The purpose of this site is to present these pieces of art, classical and common-day, and muse on their meanings, both artistically and psychologically. This is both for the viewer, and for myself, as the urge to explore art and the psychology behind which has existed in my mind for years, and this seems to be a particularly appropriate way to do so, given my more perverse fantasies.

Of particular focus will be fine art, paintings and the like, although this is by no means limiting. There is no hard or fast distinction for 'fine art' in this case, although the majority of the content will be that which lacks the fetish flair of most giantess art. While keeping in mind that much of the art may still have some sexual charge, if you are only looking for pornography, this is not the place to do so. Also, if there is something you have drawn or found which you think deserves to be on the site, I urge you, please contact me. I am always looking for new material.

Not to be too dramatic, but from here we move into uncharted waters. There is much to explore, and I hope you will all join in the experience with me.