Olympia

Posted by HSG on July 22, 2004 at 13:10:08:

Regular readers of this forum will undoubtedly remember Elena Miro's "Morbidamente Donna" (Shapely Woman) art competition, which invited a group of renowned artists to contribute original works exhibiting the timeless beauty of full-figured femininity. A collection of these works is currently touring Europe's great capital cities, and recently, the exhibition made what is undoubtedly the most significant stop of its entire tour. On July 7th, the exhibit came to Athens, Greece--the cradle of Classical civilization, and the birthplace of the voluptuous ideal of womanly beauty that has been passed down to us over the millenia--i.e., the very same ideal that this exhibit was created to celebrate, and to revive for a modern audience. Courtesy of our cherished Italian ally, here is a translation of Elena Miro's official notice of this event (with the original Italian page linked below): ATHENS: Morbidamente Donna On July 7 Elena Mirņ presented its exhibit "Morbidamente Donna" (Shapely Woman) in Athens. The venue was the Ellenicon Kosmos cultural center, an ex-industrial area which has been transformed into a very trendy location, although one which still manages to convey a cultural flavor. The setting was very effective, with video projections, coloured neon outlining the area, and a flying mannequin, draped in warm orange, backed by a huge screen showing the flurry and sensuality of the Elena Mirņ image. A first sculpture has been added to the paintings of the traveling exhibit, thus rendering the Mediterranean form in three dimensions. There was a fine turnout of hand-picked viewers, ranging from politicians to television anchorwomen, to Greece's loveliest top models, for an alfresco aperitif under the stars, among the beautiful works of art. The patroness of the event was the wife of former President Papadopulous. The spirit of the Classical revival has been everywhere for the past two years, from the Goddess exhibit at the Met, to the motion picture Troy--all leading up to the 2004 Olympic Games, which are returning to Athens, their birthplace both in Antique and in modern times. But astute readers will know that the original Olympics consisted not merely of athletic competitions, but of artistic contests as well. Olympic laurels were awarded to the greatest works submitted by dramatists, painters, poets, sculptors, etc.--which makes it all the more fitting that Elena Miro should bring the fruits of its own artistic competition to Athens at this time. Let us hope that the exhibit's presence in the cradle of Classical civilization helps revive the ideal of beauty that first flowered on these Mediterranean shores so long ago, and that has endured throughout time. The living embodiment of the Classical ideal--Valerie modelling Dockers, Fall 2004: Classical beauty returns to Greece