What was the Watusi?

"The Watusi was a dance that enjoyed brief popularity during the early 1960s. It was almost as popular as the Twist. In 1961, Puerto Rico jazz musician Ray Barretto had his first hit with a song called "El Watusi" and although he didn't invent the style, he came to be typecast as connected to the style.
The Orlons, a vocal quartet from Philadelphia, had the biggest hit of their career as recording artists with their recording of "The Wah Watusi" (Cameo 218), which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on June 9, 1962 and remained on the Hot 100 for 14 weeks; it peaked at #2 and held the position for two weeks.
Barretto's recording, "El Watusi" (Tico 419), debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on April 27, 1963 and remained on the Hot 100 for 9 weeks; it peaked at #17 for 9 weeks.
Its name came from the Batutsi tribe of Rwanda." from Answers.com

Morbid Anatomy

Click to enlarge illustration

"A. Friedländer, Plakat für ein anatomisches Museum, Hamburg, 1913, Münchner Stadtmuseum, Puppentheatremuseum." From the wonderful book Ebenbilder. Kopien von Körpen - Modelle des Menschen

From MORBID ANATOMY blog

via ectomo (Ross Rosenberg)

The Art of Amy Crehore

Genius Paintings

Sleepers, bathers, children, landscapes, portraits, ballerinas, field workers. Is there anything she couldn't paint? View 334 soulful images by this great woman painter:

Zinaida Serebriakova

This is an "encore" post because I am in awe of her skill and so happy to discover her.

Women Dreaming, Dreaming...

Julius Troschel: Ruhende. 1860
Sleeping Nymph, c. 1535
Alexandre Schoenewerk: La jeune Tarantine, 1871

Wikimedia Commons has a fascinating page of sleeping women in art. I can think of a few more images to add - paintings by Balthus, for instance. I have even painted some sleeping women myself. It's one of my favorite things to paint! I chose a few sculptures to post here.

Sleeping Women in Art

Thanks again to Internet Weekly for the heads up!

The Art of Amy Crehore

Panda Love

Photo from the economist.com

Apparently there is a boom in panda production. Good! These are the cuddliest things I have ever seen. Read more about the sex life of pandas:

Economist

The Art of Amy Crehore

Zinaida Serebriakova - the Great

These paintings were done by a GREAT Russian woman artist named Zinaida Serebriakova (1884-1967). She belonged to the artistic family of Lanceray and married her first cousin Boris Serebriakov. She spent time in Italy and studied in Paris from 1905-1906. Unfortunately, after spending some happy years painting up a storm, she experienced some tragic times and poverty when her husband died during the October Revolution (1919) and she was left with 4 children. She moved to Paris in 1924 to work on a commission with only two of her four children and, after that, was not allowed to have contact with the rest of her family until 1960. A year before her death she was celebrated in Russia as one of the greats and became very popular there. I first discovered her on the childrenincinema website and then again on femme femme femme. She not only painted a charming pierrot (female), but also, quite a few joyful female nudes. There is something so relaxed and natural about her style. Something so beautiful about her technique. Amazing work.

ZINAIDA SEREBRIAKOVA

The Art of Amy Crehore

American Clowns

Barnum and Bailey -Reproduction of Vintage Poster
"Clown"- Authentic Hopi Katsina Doll by Andrew Duwyenie
Early Barnum and Bailey Clown

This authentic Hopi Kachina or Katsina figure reminds me of this clown from the early Barnum and Bailey days.

The Art of Amy Crehore