Dear Gary, I do agree: this is why I suggested that 'In short, the very act of posing for the picture was the statement rather than the playing of music'. regards, Martyn __________________________________________________________________
From: Gary Boye <boy...@appstate.edu> To: Martyn Hodgson <hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk> Cc: David Van Edwards <da...@vanedwards.co.uk>; "lute@cs.dartmouth.edu" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> Sent: Tuesday, 24 November 2015, 13:19 Subject: Re: [LUTE] Re: Another lute picture? Martyn, There seems to be an inside joke we're not privy to here. It may just be that the artist liked the 90 degree angle created by the 2 instruments when held this way. And/or if she held it in the normal position she would have risked obscuring the man's face and throwing off the composition.But look at the dog: he/she doesn't seem to be enjoying the lute playing and the reaction is aimed pointedly at the lute player. Something important is happening there. This borders on parody, seen apparently from the point of view of the male gamba player, who looks directly at us. Subtle; but barely . . . It seems to me to be a joke on the woman, whether or not she was "in" on it. Gary On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 6:14 AM, Martyn Hodgson <[1]hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: Very interesting David. It may be simply a fashionable couple wanting to be portrayed performing but in fact unable to play a note! Perhaps the painter who, as you point out, might be thought to have known better was laughing up his sleeve... Or perhaps, and maybe more likely (the painter might not have wished to be later seen to make fools of his rich clients), they had insisted on this sort of pose (it certainly looks very stylised especially with the young lady's eyes turned to heaven etc) and their insistence overcame any scruples the painter may have expressed about depicting them actually playing. In short, the very act of posing for the picture was the statement rather than the playing of music. regards Martyn __________________________________________________________________ From: David Van Edwards <[2]da...@vanedwards.co.uk> To: [3]lute@cs.dartmouth.edu Sent: Tuesday, 24 November 2015, 10:50 Subject: [LUTE] Another lute picture? Dear All, My Lute of the Month series has dwindled to lute of the Year these days! It's because I've mainly been writng them for the Lute Society's newsletter, Lute News, now it has a nice full colour cover. But here is the latest, as it were more public, example up on the web at [1][4]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm I hope you find it fun! As usual please email me any corrections or comments Best wishes, David -- The Smokehouse, 6 Whitwell Road, Norwich, NR1 4HB England. Telephone: [5]+ 44 (0)1603 629899 Website: [2][6]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk -- To get on or off this list see list information at [3][7]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. [8]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 2. [9]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 3. [10]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- Gary R. Boye, M.S.L.S., Ph.D. Erneston Music Library Appalachian State University -- References 1. mailto:hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk 2. mailto:da...@vanedwards.co.uk 3. mailto:lute@cs.dartmouth.edu 4. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 5. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/L2144-3612TMP.html 6. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 7. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html 8. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 9. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 10. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html