28 March 2010

A May-December marriage

The Unequal Marriage, a painting by Vasily Pukirev (1862).  (via)
There are a surprisingly high number of slang terms for persons involved in such relationships.

5 comments:

  1. Oh sure, she looks demure, but you know there's 'ca-ching' noises going through her head.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting that the priest seems about to place the ring on her index finger. Other readers may have noticed she's extending her right hand–that's traditional in Orthodox countries–but usually the ring is worn on the "ring" finger. Maybe things were different in the 19th c or I'm reading too much into the apparent gesture.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's an interesting observation; I hadn't noticed. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. A beautiful painting, though. I always love the treatment of light in the old paintings.

    It's funny. Lots of people don't like modern paintings because they feel they could have produced it. Perhaps.

    I just like the old paintings better I think because you don't have to sit and wonder "What is it?". You can instantly acquaint yourself with the scene and start appreciating the details - like the ring.

    ReplyDelete
  5. A beautiful painting ....is that the artist himself standing right behind her ??

    ReplyDelete