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March 09, 2009
Trouble on the Bridge of the Pubic Symphysis
Also known, somewhat romantically, as the Mound of Venus or more mundanely the Pubic Arch, there are many vulgar terms for the Bridge of Pubic Symphysis which, not being one for euphemisms, I won’t go into here.
Mons Pubis
[symphysis, by the way, is a point where two bones come together and, almost but not quite, fuse into one.]
Regular readers of this column will be aware of my work with the human figure and the female form in particular. You might also have notice that I don’t depict pubic hair in my paintings or photographs. As a result I’ve been accused of all manner of perversions. Which is rather unfair, I‘ve always thought, as pubic hair has played no part in the History of Art.
In the sixties and seventies it was neither popular nor fashionable to be without pubic hair, but these days everybody’s shaving - boys and girls – as the eagled eyes reader will have noticed from the previous post.
But Art, in all its forms, has continually omitted to demonstrate pubic hair, particularly on the female of the species. Ancient Greek statues don’t have any. The Great Masters didn’t paint it on their nudes. Admittedly they didn’t go into any great, graphic detail either.
Somewhat ironically [considering the previous post] scholarly thought has it that Goya’s La Maja desnuda is the first painting to depict pubic hair.
La Maja desnuda [detail], Francisco de Goya
Though in all fairness it would seem that Lucas Cranach the Elder was won’t flirt with the odd wisp of pubic hair in the sixteenth century.
Water Nymph resting, Lucas Cranach the Elder 1536
This almost total lack of the pubic thatch in art has had sorry repercussions. On his wedding night, Ruskin, a connoisseur of fine art who had spent many years studying the Great Masters, was frightened out of his wits by his new wife. Sadly Effie Gray had neglected to shave off her pubic hair - in line with classical statuary - and the sight of her hairy vulva so repulsed Ruskin that he left the marital bed never to return.
"It may be thought strange that I could abstain from a woman who to most people was so attractive. But though her face was beautiful, her person was not formed to excite passion. On the contrary, there were certain circumstances in her person which completely checked it." Ruskin speaking to his lawyer.
Effie was later to marry John Everett Millais, who was clearly not put off by hirsute pudenda as they has eight children.
Effie Grey, detail from Peace concluded, 1856, by John Everett Millais
Posted by john at March 9, 2009 09:02 PM
Comments
Darwin had a theory about why our bodies are now much more naturally hairless & apparently the studies show that more people do prepare less body hair.So because of this we have bare skin,but pubic hair is coarse like gorilla hair hence were humans have got the gift of crabs from our primates,yes its true,Pthirus Pubis are from Gorillas.
Posted by: paula at March 10, 2009 05:35 PM