New Painting - "Eva" - WARNING -

[cneofotistos]

Eva, the Firstborn Eve and our ancestor; viewed from the christian and jewish theological/mythological standpoint; while Adam is a personality, Eve is diminished to this:

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1010435005aze.jpg

my subconscious provided the composition, my gf Maria supplied the ingenious title.

much love to all. by the way, 100% Zbrush.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> anything that induces emotion, whether positive or negative, is art <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Darksprite - The Art And Design Of Christos Neofotistos (http://www25.brinkster.com/darksprite/)
my renderosity gallery (http://www.renderosity.com/gallery.ez?ByArtist=Yes&Artist=cneofotistos)

[robotalk]

Whoa !!! more topic toppling territory traversed !! thanks for your latest Rorshach test Nicely achieved...Pretty bold imaginings--and text !


Cartoon 'Viewer' to the cartoon psychiatrist..
"Well Doc --I see the Apple announcer speaking into the fish Microphone...saying...'Attention Walmart shoppers look for the flashing blue light for savings on Libido Lab Herbal supplements.."

[cneofotistos]

lol :)

here's the symbols needed to decipher this;
the apple sports a vagina (this is hopefully evident)
the fish is a classical phallic symbol.

and a kiss to robo! :*

[dOb]

Chris,

Great! I like the way you do... Impressive brainchild again.

Thank you.

[juandel]

geez, Christos! imo, this one deserves a zillion thumbups for the concept and name (best regards to Maria!) alone - not to mention the meisterhafte ausführung!!! one after the other your paintings make it to my personal hall of fame, amigo. ok, i’ll be picky this time: methinks that the top right part of the reflection makes the evapple float above the surface a bit too mucho... there should be a shadow or the top part of the reflected apple should stretch more to the left. pickyness finito, kudosmode ON, once more :D

btw, i personally always thought Eva to be the more fascinating personality of our ancestors :D

- juandel

[DM]

Well I'm giving up fish and apples now, superbly painted though Chris, even if it has changed my diet.
Dave.

[Stargo]

Absolutely great image Christos :tu: :tu: :tu:
I like your images a lot :tu: :tu:

stargo

[filament9]

A fine and artistic statement Christos. Modelling, texturing, the lighting, background all come together wonderfully.
The message nails it down, feet to the floorboards. :tu: :tu: :tu: x 50, or 60....
I wait for your nexy thought provoking image.

[Ron Harris]

well when I saw the thumbnail I thought, kewl a still life...and it looked realistic...and then I clicked on the image and whooooooooooaaaa baby....bout blew me outta my seat...very nice all the way around...now for my immature side....(I am jus tglad to see that there wasnt a worm coming outta that apple) :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: bad joke I know but hey y7a know I love yer stuff..cant wait to see yer next piece :)

[drjjwow]

lol.. are you sure you had apples on your mind..lol..

[banez]

i wonder if that apple ever had a Worm in it.
or is it still a Virgin apple :p
might look better on a Peach to give it some Peach Fuzz

[aurick]

*shakes head*

Christos, you never fail to be thought provoking with the themes of your work. Beyond that, though, you have done terrific modeling and texturing. That background is another masterpiece by itself, too.

[el_pix]

here goes another *wooow!*, especially the *baroque* lighting and texture was what impressed me most. looking at the thumb i was wondering why you would paint something as simple as an apple, hommage à magritte maybe? trying a still life, maybe? but well, the message knocked me right off my feet.
as stated above. *bloody brillant*.
would be a nice follow-up to the debate that got started by your last post too :)

i dont really like the water, though, looks a bit like an ordinary photoshop filter plus some smudge and imho the effect is not at all necessary, but causing some loss of focus.

(gee, with everyone shouting *genius* i just *had* to find something ;))

[Zoid]

When you become the Sexologist that you are studying to be, you can put all of these fine images in your waiting room to help your patients start their sessions with you. I was just thinking, does having a snake represent evil diminish the regard of maleness?
Your painting and lighting skills make this a (neo)oldmaster work :tu:

[Zoid]

oops :rolleyes:

[DeeVee]

This is great stuff ! Are you sure you have not received a extra strong dose of hormones recently. I like it. Your imagination never fails to impress me.

[levius]

wow, I like symbolism very much and this one is top one... It looks like Zbrush is not only good for commerce but also for "seriouse" art :tu:

[cneofotistos]

the snake wasn't evil. it was a tool in satan's hands. the fish isn't evil, it is just the way painters of all ages, and the collective unconscious, have been perceiving and/or depicting a phallus.
take mermaids, for example; their lower body is that of a fish, which is the way of the subconscious of saying; this woman has stolen a phallus (which translates roughly as; has stolen our male predominance, and is therefore evil). anyway, erotic symbolism in art is too great a topic for me to cover in a few lines. thanks for the comment Zoid. and I haven't hung my works up MY walls. why would I want my already frustrated patients to be subjected to them? creepy!

the water was in the original thought; I needed to commit a sense of dark wetness. seems I failed that :) the reflection though, is only smudgeBrush, no photoshop filters. thanx el_pix

also, thanks everyone for replying, and of course hansl for being picky!!!!!!!! :) (you are right, I was careless!)

[2byts]

Cneofotistos,

Forgive me if my reaction may seem close minded or conservative, I only wish to shed light on your use of symbolism which is a common misunderstanding of ancient spiritual symbols that have been perverted over centuries of ignorance.

You are correct in saying this information/inspiration comes from the subconscious which is another way of saying it is animalistic and of a primitive nature. Although this nature is all to prevalent in mankind and reveals itself in a great deal of artists as erotic symbolism…it does not reflect in any way the divine nature of mankind.

Let me clarify; the snake is a symbol of healing(ie: the snake staff of Mercury is a symbol of a doctor) and specifically in the bible it represents gods gift of intelligence to mankind. The church perverted this into Sin in order to gain power over the ignorant masses. The snake also is a symbol for a healing energy in the base of the spine called Kundalini in the Hindu religion or called Holy Ghost in Christianity. To prove my point, check out www.sahajayoga.org (http://www.sahajayoga.org) for a first hand experience of this energy already residing, asleep within you. The symbol of a fertile woman is an ancient symbol of the feminine aspect of God...or Goddess...which is creative nature of the divine ie: Mother Earth. To reduce her to sexuality reflects human(freudian) perversity.

As a fellow artist, I can relate to your style very personally only because for several years I was also using erotic symbolism. But I found that my messages only got reactions out of shock, disgust, or from animalistic desires. Once I developed a greater sense of responsibility of what I am expressing to the public…I found that if I want to improve the morality of the world I could no longer use inspiration from the Subconscious. So I sought elsewhere…

Thanx for reading….

[thelonious]

Christos, I must say you cannot keep on raising your own bar (that didn't come out too well did it) like this. There must be a limit to your mastery over this program, eventually. The vagina is particularly well done with excellent texture.

2 BYTS:

>You are correct in saying this information/inspiration comes from the subconscious which is another way of saying it is animalistic<

I'm not sure what you mean by "animalistic"

>To reduce her to sexuality reflects human(freudian) perversity.<

The Goddess has many aspects. Sexuality being one of them. The Hindu Gods sum it up quite well there is Lakshmi, Kali, Durga-the one with the chopped off Rakshasa head and a skirt made of babies arms. Female sexuality and the peculiar power it has is often reflected in misogyny. I would certainly reject equating sexuality with perversity. As Frank Zappa said in one of his early songs "what's the ugliest part of the body? I think it's your mind"

>But I found that my messages only got reactions out of shock, disgust, or from animalistic desires. Once I developed a greater sense of responsibility of what I am expressing to the public…I found that if I want to improve the morality of the world I could no longer use inspiration from the Subconscious. So I sought elsewhere…<

I must say 2 BYTS that I do not think an artist should be influenced by the reaction of the so called public to her art. The nature of art is reaction. Picasso's Les Demoiselles D'Avignon caused considerable anguish even amonst his fellow artists who thought he should not show it.

The fear of "animalistic desires" is merely an identification with the mind as being the self instead of the instrument within that it is.

I can understand the sentiments you express but I feel that this is just part of the human problem of self non acceptance.

T

[cneofotistos]

2byts>

no problems there, I can understand your way of thinking, but can't relate to it.
animalistic = having to do with sex on animals?

there IS no divine nature of mankind, so that is not my concern.

the perversity of diminishing Eve (or women) to a mere sexual symbol is NOT mine. I'm merely depicting it. you can blame the catholic and especially the orthodox christian church, if you will.

as thelonious says; I don't care about people despising my work; they are more than welcome to NOT view it. however, those who DO, and are actually moved to comment, are a consolation, because I find that the world does sport a few thinking persons :)

on the matter of symbols; these are well established (by freud and his students, the surrealists) WESTERN art symbols. I wouldn't claim that a fish is the symbol for males (I'm male too, a trasgender male even. why would I choose a fish as a symbol of my sexuality? yuck) :)

finally; I do not wish to improve any religious morality of the world. the only way to be truly moral is to be a THINKING person; an oppressed moralist is only afraid to let loose all the immorality inside him. a liberal, thinking person is free to do as he/she likes, and chooses (or not) to be "moral". this means; not unkind to others. it's not immoral to have sex, but it IS immoral to stab someone who likes you and has helped you in the back.

and art is a great medium for making people think.

:)

[PusGhetty]

Brilliant work... evincible and downright awesome!

[2byts]

Th.

Please dont misinterpret my statements as puritanical. To be sexually indulgent is a perversity…but to renounce sexuality is also perverse. I am well aware of the extremes, but that is not my message. It is the extremes that are perverse…which is something that the animals do not even do. They never go into extremes…they are complete slaves to their nature…where as man…has the choice to go into these extremes which spawn who knows what. When I mean animalistic…I mean that man loses his humanity when he becomes slave to his desires…be it lust, hate, anger, jealousy, gread, envy. And when I mean moral…I mean all things that are benevolent to us. Western culture has lost a great deal of their understanding of innocence.

As for the Hindu Gods, nothing about their behaviour expresses sexuality in a abnormal manner. Paravati created Ganesha from the earth! No sex there. Humans have a tendancy to read sexuality into things because it is a natural drive of human behaviour. But it is ONLY a natural drive. As it was stated by zappa…the mind is the ugliest thing… it is the mind that perverts sex into a fetish.

I would rather not get into a religious debate…

Cn:

I know the diminishing of Eve was not your idea...that has been done for centuries already in the western culture. That is why I even bother to challenge you…to go beyond what has been done before and look for something inside yourself that is more original and communicates from the heart. My comments are nothing but encouragement for a fellow artist to go deep into themselves…to think for themselves…and not be persuaded by most common themes in todays art such as Sex, death, and violence. The public has become numb from the over use of it.
Which brings me back to Thelonious….for I am sure you understand me since you posted “I do not think an artist should be influenced by the reaction of the so called public to her art.” We cannot avoid being influenced Thelonius…we are social creatures…it is impossible. And if we try and rebel against that we go mad. Despite our sense of individuality…we are connected to this world as a whole. The individual is a myth….which is what I think you are telling me Thelonius. As an artist…we must not be influenced by the individual(including our own mind) but by the whole.

In the end…I all I want to say is to get a reaction and to make people think is not so difficult. Anyone can wear a pink mohawk and a pierced face to do that! What makes an artist is his/her mastery of making people understand his message and that happens when people stop THINKING and start KNOWING.

Go deeper.

[thelonious]

Howdy, 2 Byts

&gt;To be sexually indulgent is a perversity…&lt;

It may or may not be beneficial but it can not be called a perversity. If you do then you will have to draw the line. That is, what is the number below which it is not indulgent.

per·verse (pr-vûrs, pûrvûrs)
adj.
1. Directed away from what is right or good

Right and wrong is the essential requirement for perversity. And what is right and wrong is well known. It is common sense as it is commonly sensed by all. It does not need to be taught.

Because as you rightly point out it is the faculty of choice which sets the human apart from other animal. Because we have this choice there must be a way to make choices. That must be integral to the human. If it needs to be taught then that would be a fundamental flaw.

If you ask a new guinean head hunter, or a devout christian, or an eskimo, or anyone thoughout history: Do you wish to be hurt? Do you want your property stolen, Do you want to be lied to? You will get one resounding "NO" and we all know this goes for everyone else. I don't wish to be hurt either physically or psychologically and I know you don't either, without asking you.

This is the inbuilt basis for what is right and wrong. All other morals are religious or cultural and whether they are right or wrong is relative.

So the key moral which is behind all others is Ahimsa or non injury. So the mere indulence of sex would not in itself indicate perversity. It would always depend on other circumstances.

&gt;animals...never go into extremes…&lt;

As long as you don't consider eating your boyfriend after sex extreme ;)

&gt;As for the Hindu Gods, nothing about their behaviour expresses sexuality in a abnormal manner.&lt;

Obviously you haven't seen the temple carvings of people having sex with animals.

As for Siva and Satitheir first sexual union lasted for 25 years. Causing the other Gods to remark that "those two think of nothing but dice and sex" In fact the Gods knew that for Siva excess is the norm.

Regarding Ganesha, Parvatti made Ganesha from a bits of skin which she flaked off after oiling herself and rubbing hard, to keep her company while Siva was away.

When Siva returned and went to his wife's bedroom, Ganesha wouldn't let him past so Siva chopped his son's head off in anger. Siva then got Nandin the bull to tear off Indra's elephant's, (Airavata) head. It was in this duel that one tusk was lost. Siva then delicately attatched the new head to his son.

Or what about when Krishna played a little joke on the Gopis and nicked all their clothes while they were swimming then made each of them come to him and offer namaskaram if they wanted their clothes back. Meanwhile enjoying and commenting on the different forms.

&gt;As it was stated by zappa…the mind is the ugliest thing… it is the mind that perverts sex into a fetish.&lt;

This line by Zappa is ironic I don't think Zappa is really calling the mind ugly. The point is more subtle. In fact you are not the mind it is merely an instument for your use.

[pam]

"Art is a
wicked thing. It is what we are." - Georgia O'Keffe

[dOb]

All I want is create. Nothing more.

[2byts]

Man always takes something holy and distorts it into becoming the opposite of the original message. It has been done in all of the religions. Catholic priests sexually abuse children, Bhuddists collect gold and use black magick, Muslims use God to justify terrorism...etc etc. This is what the human mind does...

I really dont want to get into theological discussions Tn...merely because the book you read and the book i read have different variations of the same story which makes it pointless doesnt it? It seems mental to me.

[thelonious]

2 Byts,

You should check out the Kama Sutra. Sutras are the Vedic scriptures. Hot stuff indeed. ;)

[JOLA]

THAT'S TOOO GOOOD TO FIND ANY WORDS
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :p
:confused: I NEED YOU AS A TEACHER CHRISTOS