What caused such commotion in the late 19th Century has come to be regarded as a classic work of art, this celebrated painting by Amedeo Modigliani.
Now, isn’t it time for all leaders to become more artfully transparent? From those poor beleaguered souls serving on condo boards to combative members of Congress, from angry governors and disgruntled mayors of Minneapolis, to whomever is President at a tumultuous time, here’s the oath for them to take provided they feel it flowing right from their hearts:
“I will never camouflage my true motives; always operate out in the open! I will dip my brush of business or political persuasiveness more deeply into that pure cleansing bowel of transparency!”
To help our leaders stay on a course of truthfulness, wouldn’t a touch of artful, tasteful nudity represent the ultimate form, the epitome of transparency? So why not support and endorse a form of artful transparency at the very core of power, whether in Congress or the Oval Office or among the titans owning gigantic companies.
May all leaders enter the ring of transparency. Let them avoid becoming mealymouthed matadors gored by the bullshit they just pass along. Instead, may they rise to the heights of “The Great Dictator” Charlie Chaplan delivering that poignant speech at the conclusion or his epic film, an iconic message of hope and humanity.
Transparency as art is monumental in either male or feminine form, which has always fascinated and attracted great artists. For centuries artists have created such iconic nude statues as David by Michelangelo, representing the biblical hero David at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy. Painters like Modigliani have longed to portray the naked truth onto their canvases. Mine are the books and blogs I write. Certain Hollywood movie producers carried it too far in having a bella donna come to their office ostensibly to interview but had something else in mind.
But it was a different time back in 1898. Or was it, when Modigliani painted “Reclining Nudes?” These days, nudes are not reclining but declining, replaced by decent, professional women fully dressed, ready for work, not just to be held in someone’s arms, but to hold important jobs in their capable hands, be exquisitely professional and successful at their own line of work!
Modigliani’s Reclining Nude’s eroticism was so palpable in 1919 that when the painting was exhibited in Paris, the gallery was almost immediately closed by police due to what was regarded as obscenity. Now the artwork stands as one of the true masterpieces of the early 20th Century, although my prudent wife Rita insisted on covering a more private part of this classic painting.
What would happen today if this work were to become part of a Hollywood mogul’s private collection? Would sirens wail? Cops be summoned? Actresses protest? Congressmen investigate?
Today it’s politically incorrect to admire women just for their looks, shape or beauty unless of course they’re starring in a movie called Melania, a posh portrait with blazing elegance, yet an ultra-soft pulse that for some viewers tends to steal the show.
Today women are to be considered equals, co-workers, colleagues, unless they’re wardrobe is that of film stars betrothed to royal executives. Modern women are to be appreciated for their talent and skill, not just their figures and vogueishness . . . but admired and promoted for their wit and charm, education and intelligence, not to mention their business acumen. Certainly not for their breast size. Don’t go there or dare stare too long.
Gentlemen, keep your peckers in place, not pointing straight ahead or you’ll be considered cognitively impaired, branded crude and old school, creepily behind the times, ostracized and ridiculed, maybe even brought up on charges or perhaps disbarred, imprisoned or deported to Epstein’s Little Saint James island or suffer the ultimate punishment and self-depreciation from being banned from parties at Mar-a-Lago!
Women, I salute you for your achievements and for all you’ve had to put up with from selfish, immature, Epsteinish or Weinsteiny males, especially men who’ve been in positions of power over you . . . who’ve obnoxiously used their authority to put you in an embarrassing, shameful position.
Like you, I reject men who take advantage . . . take liberties . . . who have been sexually explicit and aggressive, harassing, abusive, and assaulting you with perverted Epsteamy inclinations.
Yet ironically could it be that all this commotion over nudity is way overdone? Far out of proportion? And now, could there be an upside to nakedness, such as representing the naked truth or for what so many of us are yearning, truthful TRANSPARENCY!
Still, those sexual assaulters have put admirers of attractive females like me in an awkward, a precarious light. But I will still stand up for you. Fight for you. Hire you! Cast my vote for you!
What’s your phone number?
Tom Madden considers himself an artist, a painter of words. His canvases are the books, articles, blogs and press releases he writes. He wrote a version of this piece, some would say a “virgin,” in 2017 promoting nudity in the sense of what he felt was needed in all political discourse from the left and right, greater transparency, naked truth. Then four years later America would elect Kamala Harris vice president who would later run for her boss, Joe Biden’s job as president, but the electorate wasn’t ready for a female at the helm. Still, Madden places women on a pedestal and he put his highly capable daughter Adrienne Mazzone at the helm of TransMedia Group, the PR firm he created when he left NBC at 30 Rock in the heart of woman-hattan’s husband, Manhattan.
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