The Artist vs. the Toxic Powdered Wigs

Image: The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

How an Artist and her Paintings Changed Fashion and Improved Women's Health

Displayed at San Francisco's Legion of Honor is a particularly attractive portrait of a young woman, with a beautiful smile and a smooth complexion framed by long tresses of chestnut brown hair. A long black scarf is casually but stylishly draped over her shoulders. The painting is from 1791 and is titled, "Hyacinthe Gabrielle Roland,later Marchioness of Wellesley".

Surprisingly, the artist was female: Elizabeth-Louise Vigee Le Brun. Women artists were extremely rare in the eighteenth century. Looking at the painting, you don't have to be an expert to see that this woman knew what she was doing. Her brushwork is masterful, the colors are vibrant, and the sitter's pose is relaxed.

The Legion of Honor's guide book says little about her life other than her role as court painter to Marie Antoinette. However, with a little investigative work, you can read her memoirs which were translated into English in 1903 -- in them she tells how she supported a change in the fashion of the time, and unknowingly, helped improve women's health.

Elizabeth-Louise began painting portraits as a teenager, and soon was accepting commissions. She continued to be in popular demand throughout her entire life. Her style was influenced by the famous painter, Rubens, whose masterpieces she saw and admired at the Louvre and the Luxembourg Palace.Her talent continued to grow, and in 1783 she was accepted as a member of the male-dominated French Royal Academy. During her lifetime, she painted over 660 portraits, mostly of European royalty, and over 200 landscapes.

One of her most valuable skills was being able to please and placate the delicate egos of the French aristocracy.She was appointed painter to the court of King Louis XVI, where she maintained a close friendship with Marie Antoinette, and painted her over thirty times. When the royal family was arrested during the French Revolution, she quickly left France to live and work in Rome, Naples, and Austria. She continued painting nobility, and eventually moved back to France during the reign of Emperor Napoleon I.

Elizabeth-Louise didn't care for the then fashionable powdered wigs worn by her wealthy clients. The powder bothered her. It was made from highly toxic lead white -- but its toxicity was unknown at the time. Lead was also used in the pale white makeup worn by fashionable women and was readily absorbed through the skin and scalp. Lead poisoning was most likely responsible for many of the ailments suffered by women in the past: fainting, depression, constipation, lack of appetite, and mental illness (which was accepted as eccentricity). Sadly, these effects of lead poisoning came to be thought of as "ladylike" and normal.

Elizabeth-Louise preferred her portrait sitters to wear their own hair -- no wig -- and show its natural color in a simple and unpretentious hairstyle.

One of her clients, the Countess de Grammont-Caderousse, was a trend-setter, who was always dressed in the latest styles and who was immediately copied by other women. Elizabeth-Louise convinced the Countess to pose for her portrait dressed as a simple countrywoman, with her dark brown-black hair arranged nicely. After the first sitting, the Countess went directly to the opera without changing her hair. There she attracted attention and was admired. A fashion revolution had begun.

Painted later while living in Rome, the Legion's portrait of Hyacinthe Gabrielle Roland shows the continued trend of wearing hair in its natural flowing state. Such portraits were popular, and continued to influence hairstyles. Friends of portrait sitters wanted to emulate the elegance and beauty that they saw in the finished paintings. Thankfully, women in great numbers abandoned wearing toxic powdered wigs.

Many people walk past and view the portrait of Ms. Rolande at the Legion of Honor. Very few people realize that there is a story behind the artist. Although overlooked as an artist, Elizabeth-Louise Vigee Le Brun effectively changed the fashion of the day, and unwittingly spared many women from lead poisoning.

The next time you visit the Legion, look for that portrait and take a moment to ponder how, in sometimes unexpected ways, art really can change the world.

18-19th Century Emblem

This emblem most likely is French, from the late 18th or early 18th century. I cleaned it up a bit, enlarged it & made it into a duotone (2 toned image..

This image is loaded with symbolism, blending about 9 powerful symbolic images into one emblem. The torch is wisdom & enlightenment, the birds = sky -- open & spacious, and the serpents = sea -- deep & hidden. The combination of birds & snakes represents conflict of opposites, but held in check. The entwined snakes form a caduceus, the symbol of Hermes, who used his staff to separate 2 serpents (good and evil) locked in battle. It has come to represent peace, and also nature healing itself. .A cross can be seen in the intersecting of a horizontal staff of thorns with the upright torch. The entire shape with its curves and pointed bottom resembles a heart, and if you include the flame of the torch, it can be seen as the "Burning Heart of Jesus".

This carefully designed emblem could represent the battle between good (birds) and evil (serpents), but I think a more holistic interpretation is that it uses symmetry with the secret language of these symbols to become a statement about the importance & value of BALANCE.

The birds have the freedom and agility of flight --so they can attack the snakes' vulnerable tongues with precision. The snakes are firmly wrapped around the cross and have stability, with their sharp teeth and strong jaws ready. Either might strike the other -- but nature's design and balance of opposites may keep the two sides poised to attack for eternity, without a winner, and with peace ultimately prevailing..

Great Things to DO in & around San Francisco

Looking for an urban adventure? A short escape? A bit of culture? Or nature? How about a great view?

Here's a list I compiled of some great things to do in & around SF:

Point Bonita Lighthouse is open to the public on evenings when there is a full moon. Located at the tip of the Marin Headlands, the approach is through a dramatically dark tunnel cut through solid rock. Point Bonita lighthouse is perched on the other side of a short bridge over pounding surf and pillow basalt rocks. Watch the sun set over the Pacific Ocean, while the full moon rises over the city's skyline behind you. Very, very special.

Valencia Street makes a great urban adventure with lots of surprises. I like to take out-of-towners for a stroll through its quirky array of shops. Don't miss Paxton Gate, where you can buy a fox skeleton dressed as a geisha, or 826 Valencia, the writer's workshop that poses as a pirate's provisioner. Support young writers by buying an eye patch, a peg leg, or publications of creative writing. Continue on to Los Encantadas to see a store for colorful Mexican folk crafts & its art gallery. Be sure to say hello to the friendly mother & daughter team behind the counter. Also on Valencia Street you'll find shops to buy potions & magic candles, a large bead store, several used books stores, some great restaurants, a creative used furniture/curio shops, herbal remedies, India ice cream, a hat store, Good Vibrations, and much more.

Fort Funston is THE place to fly a kite. Splurge on a decent kite (for a sure flight, buy a delta kite - it's triangular shape flies easily). Pack up a picnic lunch and head to the beach below the bluffs of Fort Funston. The theme is "Things in the Sky", and you'll spot hang gliders launching above you, planes from SFO, birds, possibly paragliders just south of you -- and of course, your kite. If the air is fairly still, expect winds to pick up and get stronger around 2 PM.

Agate Beach, Bolinas Drive along Highway 1 to the reclusive little town on the other side of a lagoon, Bolinas. Locate Agate Beach on a map, and head there -- possibly after exploring the sleepy but quaint town. At Agate Beach you can find small sea polished bits of oil agate at the water's edge. Since they're translucent, you'll have to look very closely. Once you spot one, your trained eyes will begin to see others. You can also finds small bits of jaspar, nephrite jade, and if you're really lucky, petrified whale bone.

Sutro Heights is one place SF residents tend to overlook. Easy to get to, this park is on a big bluff opposite the Cliff House. On a sunny day, Sutro Heights has a spectacular view of Ocean Beach that stretches for miles. Fog adds atmosphere & mystery. The perspective from the Heights allows you to look down on the "tiny" people on the beach & in the surf. Once the residence & gardens of SF's philanthropist, Adolph Sutro, this is the perfect place for a mini-escape. It's a perfectly romantic setting, too.

Tank Hill has one of my favorite views of the city -- without the busloads of tourists that Twin Peaks is plagued with. I'll make you work to locate it so that it stays somewhat of a well-kept secret.

Golden Gate Heights Mosaic Stairs at 16th Avenue & Morago is a great example of a neighborhood collaboration. These steep stairs have recently been decorated with colorful mosaics. Starting at the base, nature climbs upwards: the ocean, a beach, a stream, the woods, the sky, the moon, and the sun. You can spot all sorts of mosaic animals & plants, with bats flying at night among stars towards a mirrored reflecting moon. Great view from the top.

Stow Lake, Golden Gate Park Yes, you've seen it. But how many of you have crossed the Rustic Bridge, walked to the Chinese Pavilion, then criss-crossed up the paths over Huntington Waterfall to the top of Strawberry Hill? At the top of the hill are some mysterious ruins. They were once an observatory that crumbled in the 1906 earthquake. Did you know that it's considered by some to be the location of an ancient Temple of Neptune when SF was once a city of Atlantis called Tlamco? Search the Web on 'Tlamco' and see what you find. Other temple sites include Alamo Square (Temple of Venus) and Buena Vista Park (Temple of Saturn).

Pastel painting: 'That Day'

This pastel painting, approx. 9" x 12" is based on a photo I found among hundreds and hundreds of others I took over the years. The date on the photo says, "July 1984". I have NO recollection of where the photo was taken.

Painting: Key West Bottle Wall in 1983

This is a small acrylic painting. 8" x 10" of a house in Key West with a wall made out of bottles and poured cement as it looked in 1983.

In Progress: Mangroves at Sunrise

Mangrove Study (pastel on Sennelier paper)

Pastel Update

Ready for finishing touches, adjusting skin tone, adding more water highlights, etc.

Check out BookMooch.com for free book swapping!

www.BookMooch.com is a new & fast growing site where people can swap used books -- it's free!

In brief:

• you create an inventory of books you want to give away (and get 1/10 of a point for each book added to your inventory)
• browse other peoples' inventories, looking for books or create a wishlist - you'll be notified of matches on books from your wishlist
• if someone requests ('mooches') a book, you get 1 point for sending it
• if you mooch a book, 1 point is subtracted from your total

Those are the basics, but there's quite a bit more: you can donate points to charity, for example. You'll find FAQs and Reader Forums on the site, plus full directions.

It's free to join. BookMooch is the brainchild of a Berkeley fellow who felt that books shouldn't just sit around - they should be shared. I've cleared up quite a bit of bookshelf space -- I had no room for anything current. Now I've got lots of points to use on books I want!

Link is also listed on the blog's sidebar. Enjoy!

Large Pastel Painting in Progress

This is a pastel painting in progresa of my nephew, Dean, in my family's swimming pool. It's roughly 2/3 completed. I purposely chose a large scale and close cropping to make Dean seem large. I'm also making the sparkling water also look somewhat celestial - like stars. It almost makes Dean seem like a little giant who's playing out in space.

The next photo shows the painting a couple of sessions later. As of today, I'm done a bit more work on it. I've used almost $50 in pthalo blue pastel sticks for the water area alone!

More photos from Romania

Glacial lake at approx. 8,300 feet, Fagaras Mountains (Romania's tallest)









Detail from an exterior fresco on one of Bucovina's painted monasteries
(World Heritage sites)

Peles Castle, Sinaia, Moldavis (below)

Tales From Romania, Part 3

Prior to leaaving for Romania, we were warned about pickpockets, and especially gypsies -- plus taxi scams, and another scam involving a fake plain clothed policeman who tries to extort money out of unwitting strangers. I'm happy to report that we didn't experience any of that, even though I did some walking around in Bucharest by myself.

I was expected an ugly city, ruined by Communism's concrete block-style awful architecture -- and I thought the real trip would begin once we headed into the countryside.

That wasn't true. I enjoyed the city. Bucharest was once called, "The Paris of the East", and when you get to see more of it, you understand why.

First of all, it's a very green city -- with many more trees than any American city I can think of -- especially San Francisco! There are wide triple lane boulevards lined with trees not only on both sides, but also lining the two center lanes.

Concert Hall

There are many elegant old buildings, mansions, and embassies. Parks with ponds and small lakes provide places to enjoy the outdoors. One long stretch of street connects two main squares with a whole series of beautifully carved stone fountains that lead up the center to one huge celebration of water surrounding one of the two large squares. It's dramatic and spectacular.

I walked around in a neighborhood close to our hotel, and immediately, I sensed a true 'neighborhood' feeling, where people knew and greeted each other. The elderly were treated with great respect, and weren't ignored as second class citiizens. There wasn't much urban fast paced anxiety. I didn't notice frantic, rushing people, driving with a cell phone up to one ear (well, maybe on occasion).

Corner stores are flourishing establishments (remember, there are no chain stores). Of course, stray dogs appear on every block (see Part 2).

Clothes seemed to be a distant mimic of what we wear here in the U.S. There were lots of cheap attempts at designer jeans, and T-shirts that had English phrases on them that fell short of the clever slogan that the designers thought they were splashed on our clothes. I'd see T-shirts boasting, "Fast Engine, Most Flavor, Be It's Life!" Sometimes, the mangling of the phrases were so bad, that I didn't even try to figure out what the boasting was about. "America Sport 4501 Left Drink Over", for example.

Jeans ran the whole gamut: patched, embroidered, beaded, frayed, torn, studded, bleached, overdyed, and any or all of those combined -- and usually the designs were in odd places: words stitched across the seat, or wrapped 3/4 around the hips before trailing down a leg. But the materials weren't of the best quality -- and no one seemed to mind.

That was Bucharest. The soul and strength of Romania, however, lies in its peasants, the countryside, and its folklore, traditions, and crafts. The peasant folk define the country and their traditions anchor it down, allow the country to maintain its ways, despite Romania's turbulent history.

Religion has a stronger hold here than anywhere else I've ever traveled to. Taxi drivers make the sign of the cross as they drive past a church. No matter what age, anyone entering a Romanian Orthodox church readily exhibits their faith. They stand in awe and stop for deep prayer in front of religious icons. Every single Romanian appeared genuinely devout -- with no exceptions -- including teenagers!

Crosses appear everywhere: along roads inside small traveler's shrines, and .on top of mountain peaks. Most houses have small ornamented metal crosses at each end of the roof. a number of handmade wooden crosses are nailed onto a particular tree after the death of someone in the community as a memorial.

I watched a couple bring their new car to a monastery to be blessed by the priest. With all the car doors and trunk open, the priest circled the car twice, praying and dousing it with holy water, as the couple stood, heads bowed in prayer, and holding long candles. The priest blessed the engine, the transmission, each tire, every door, the brakes, each seat, the windows, the steering wheel, and even the glove compartment. Our guide told us that this was to help keep the car out of accidents. After thanking the priest, and kissing the hem of his mantle, they drove away. What would've happened if they backed out too far & hit a tree right then and there? I wonder what the reaction would be...

In some ways, the church has kept Romania from becoming more socially liberal - for example, although homosexuality is legal, it's tolerated, but frowned upon. Recent attempts at gay pride parades in Bucharest have resulted in major shouting confrontations.

Traditions are not taken lightly; weddings and funerals have more ritual and significance than we're used to. Wedding celebrations last for about 3 wild days of partying, while funerals and mourning the deceased can stretch on with rememberances marked at intervals for a full year or more. As in much of Europe, Easter is both a holy day and a celebration of spring and life -- but it doesn't begin months early with merchandising in stores. Important days are marked with ritual. Holidays aren't bought in stores, they're created by hand and heart.

I saw people brought together as a result, not in their own cell phone/computer/iPod/Game Boy worlds. People were far more in touch with the real world around them.

Tales From Romania, Part 2

We stood in places where, less than 2 decades ago, the citizens of Bucharest rose up in rebellion and overthrew the oppressive government. Some died as heroes, and life changed for the better.

Romania under Communism was like an encounter with a skunk: it's taking a long time to get rid of the stink. In some neighborhoods huge ugly blocks of apartment buildings stand where houses and mansions once stood. People were forced to move into them -- and not allowed to take their beloved pets with them. Today, stray dogs wander the streets as a result. Some buildings are scarred with bullet holes. Other buildings were designed as military enclaves.

Our guide, Tiberiu, told us stories about life under the regime of Nickolai Ceaucescue. While his people starved, he kept builders and workers busy around the clock building a huge palace -- the 2nd largest building in the world. No expense was spared -- the best materials that Romania could provide went into this senseless shrine.

There was only 1 and 1/2 hours of television each day. One hour of fabricated positive news about the government, and 1/2 hour of soldiers, workers, and women dressed up in folk costume pretending to sing, while songs praising Ceaucescue were dubbed over. People stood in long queues for hours, or maybe a whole day, just to buy a loaf of bread.

No contact with outsiders was allowed -- it could mean a 10 year prison sentence (a common punishment, meted out without a trial). You were expected to inform on your neighbors, co-workers, or even family & friends if they engaged in any suspicious or unapproved activities -- of which there were many.

Ceaucescue wanted to develop heavy industry, while Romania historically has been agricultural with some light industry. To create a large workforce, he banned all contraceptives and made abortions illegal. Large families were mandatory and enforced by heavy fines otherwise. The result: children orphaned by poor parents, living in the subway, and sniffing glue. (Take note: anti-abortionists). Women resorted to back alley abortions, and when botched, were forced to bleed to death in pain because doctors would face a severe prison sentence for treating them.

Despite all that suffering and strife, the Romanian people have demonstrated their perseverence and resilience. I was impressed by their will to survive.

Is there a lesson to be learned from their recent history? What happens when a government abandons its people for greed, and egotistical self-righteousness? Romanians can answer those questions for us with stories of their recent past,

Below: a building once notorious for police interrogations, now with a new look

My Trip Around Romania

I just returned from a 12-day tour of Romania with 12 other gay American men. I shouldn't tell you this because I should keep the secret.

The secret is: Romania is Europe's best-kept secret.

Over the next few posts I hope to tell you why. For now, let's just say that Romania is a surprisingly stunning and unspoiled country. Squash those images you have of guards and dogs and barbed wire. Banish all images of spooky, craggy castle ruins haunted by Dracula and his minions. The scariest part of my trip was facing the return flight home.

A trip to Romania can teach you a lot about life. As you pass through the countryside, you see small cottages that have wonderful handcarved wooden arched gates that are a distintive welcoming entryway. Big deal, right? Well, those gates speak of the love of the home, and hospitality to visitors. They aren't mass-produced in vinyl and purchased from the same Home Depot found in every town. There are no Home Depots. The gates were individually made by hand, and reflect the owner and his/her favorite images. There's a big difference in the way life happens in Romania: it's genuine, savors time, and yet is about humble, simple beauty.

Almost all of the houses had well-tended gardens with ripe red tomatoes, cucumbers, a patch of corn, huge colorful dahias, roses, and herbs. I often saw a horse in the yard, and maybe a cow or some sheep, a couple of pigs, and some chickens.

Yes, I saw television antennas and an occasional satellite dish, but more frequently I saw folks sitting on benches in front of their houses, visiting with neighbors and watching the world pass by. They weren't fixated by computers, cell phones, or televisions.

I thought technology was supposed to make our lives simple. I think we've been sold an image of the future that isn't less complicated, easier, or better. It's just faster - so fast that we often forget what the great things in life are, I have friends who'll walk past amazing flowers without seeing them, and who haven't touched growing vegetation with their hands in a very, very long time.

Romania made me think about the way my Polish grandmother lived. I was impressed by her full involvement with her work and her life. She was a genuine, loving soul. That's what I observed with the Romanians I watched, too. There wasn't the crazy chase we are in, trying to attain instant gratification, only to pass on to the next object of desire.

That was the foremost lesson Romania made me think about.

More about the trip and more photos in the next post.

Photo: Old section of Bucharest

Tanka series #3, "Dewdrop Soul"

copyright 2006, Paul Gonyea
This is the third of a set of images based on Japanese tanka poems. Tanka are similar to haiku, but have a different syllabic structure. They refer to nature and seasonal changes as a counterpoint to our lives as humans. In my images, as in the poems, ambiguity is important, as it allows viewers (or readers) to fit the imagery to their own circumstances. My goal is to complete a set of 20 tanka images.

This is "Dewdrop Soul". written by Fujiwara no Teika somewhere around the 12th or 13th centuries. You'll find the other two completed images also posted here (scroll down).

For 'Da Vinci Code' readers

For those of you who have read 'The Da Vinci Code', and haven't had a chance to visit the Louvre, here is a photo of La Pyramide Inversee, that is written about at the end of the novel.

Tanka series: 'Falling Blossoms'

Copyright 2006, Paul Gonyea

'Moonlight Gone' from my Tanka series

COPYRIGHT 2006, Paul Gonyea

The now almost famous trademark of Paul in SF, which has now become a rubber stamp image, and a postage stamp!