Barbara Krafft, Austrian
The Profile Photo That Got the Richardsons Kicked Off Facebook, 1797
Oil on canvas
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THROWBACK THURSDAY: MASTERPIECE #2175 (4/8/19)
Info, or links pointing to more info, about this artist can be found here, here, here (can be read in full for free on Fridays), and here (Google translated), perhaps in addition to what’s in her Wikipedia page (Google translated German Wikipedia page has more).
/// Count von Hartig and wife, Eleanore,
chose to pose like a tall tale of yore:
A chained man is starved, leading
to life-saving breastfeeding.
A strange portrait that’s hard to ignore.
/// With faint echos of Child and Madonna,
the tale might have begun “Once upon a
time a Roman was jailed.”
Plots to starve him dead failed
due to daughter’s Caritas Romana.
/// That old chronicle was inspiration
for explicit oil paint illustration.
Though her dad’s nearly dead,
he survived when she fed
him with charity, love (and lactation).
/// Here, the daughter who saved her dad’s life
is portrayed by a husband and wife!?
Their expressions suggest,
(and her pose with bare breast),
that this painting caused discord and strife.
/// Viewers labelled their pose a disgrace,
(though a few wished they’d been in his place).
The thought that was worst
was that she’d been coerced.
Like to wipe that grin off of his face!
/// This man’s mama fell ill at his birth,
and was, sadly, not long for this earth.
With his dear mother dead
he had been bottle fed.
Now he milks that for all that it’s worth!
> or <
/// Explanations they gave didn’t mesh.
He claimed, “I require milk which is fresh.”
“He’s the fresh one,” she said.
“He wants breakfast in bed,
and he’s less into dairy than flesh.”
> or <
/// He imagines she shares his delights
when he role-plays an infant most nights.
Though she tries hard to please
and is willing to tease,
when he suckles, the smug “baby” bites!
> or <
/// Though she gave him permission to nurse,
he’s still puny and pale— getting worse.
He won’t latch to the nipple;
he would much rather tipple.
The sad truth is: he’s lactose averse.