Is this the best nude-painting in history?
Orgasms, ecstasy and art mutilation: the story of Frenzy of Exultations
So very bad it’s almost good.
I had hoped the artist’s other work was similarly bananas, but no.
The quote above comes from, of course, Reddit. I’ll admit I have chuckled a bit, and I kinda get it. There is a way in which this painting can be defined as “so very bad”. Especially if you focus on the horse’s face. But, but… I find it beautiful. Strong. And, well, read along for more.
Before getting into bios, readings, and various histories, I’d like to share with you the truth of how this piece of writing came to be. I had just chosen an art piece to write my “best nude” story and wanted to look at a variety of examples of nude in painting, well, aside from Luncheon on the Grass that is. So, armed with willpower I did what every other serious researcher would do: go on YouTube. Tens of minutes had passed scrolling through already known content, until, there it was. In a playlist I now have forgotten the name of, I saw it: Frenzy…I was mesmerised. And, despite reading comments on Reddit such as “you can tell the horse is not well”, I decided it was going to make it to my medium page.
To give some context, let’s start with a very brief biography of Władysław Podkowiński.
Wladyslaw Podkowiski was a painter and illustrator who was a pioneer of the Impressionist and Symbolist movements in Polish art at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Born and deceased in Warsaw in 1866 and 1895, his approach is highly evocative, and when I discovered “Chopin’s Funeral March” while looking through his oeuvre, I realised why I am so taken with his work.
FRENZY!
Now that we have a general idea of who our artist is, we can move to “the best nude painting”. Frenzy of Exultations, or Szał uniesień, is a big tall painting depicting a naked, redheaded woman riding a wild, black horse. The horse clenches its teeth and sticks out its tongue. It has dilated nostrils and froth pours from its lips. With her eyes closed, the woman riding the horse securely grips its neck, her loose hair spreading out and drifting upward as blends with the horse’s mane.
The colour palette is relatively limited, consisting of blacks, browns, and greys that contrast with white and yellow. The picture is separated into two parts: bright and dark. The top left corner is lighted, drawing attention to a distinct figure of a lady and the mouth of a horse. The horse’s hind and tail may be seen in the whirling blackness on the right side of the artwork.
The same Reddit user as the quote at the beginning of the page added:
There’s a rather tragic backstory to the painting if you’re interested…
So here I am to tell you the story.
The artwork became famous after its initial public exhibition, but it also sparked controversy. Podkowiski ruined (by slashing) the canvas which was renovated (after the artist’s passing) by Witold Urbanski. According to Podkowiski’s friend Stefan Laurysiewicz, the artist had the idea for a painting depicting a naked lady on a horse during his visit to Paris in 1889. As per the artist, he was terribly unwell in the previous several weeks, and simply getting up in the morning took a lot of work. Podkowiski’s act of destruction may have fueled the rumours that the artwork depicted a lady for whom the artist harboured unfulfilled feelings.
Big Black Horse and a Cherry Tree
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Or horse.
The painting has a lot of the romanticised view of female orgasm that males typically have. The face is relaxed, while the neck is tense, an expression of ecstasy. The horse? Maybe some phallic symbol.
Ultimately though, he did a great job. Sure, maybe if the intent was that of a female’s orgasms, the woman in the painting shows the most flattering side of it. But — while possibly a symbol of masculinity — the horse shows the least flattering side of it, but does give into the sense of loss of control, divine moment (the oracle in 300 comes to mind), and quasi seizure-sque experience of the ultimate climactic moment.
Something tells me, in the fire-and-ash mix of the woman’s hair and the horse-s mane, there is the secret. The code of understanding that famous, infinitely written about, dance of sex and death. Pleasure and pain.
So very bad it’s almost good.
For more art and art history, you can visit:
27 stories about Art History and more curated by Jess the Avocado — Medium
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For a change of topic, is behavioural sciences are your cup of tea:
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