Nudes and Graduation

Although my artwork is usually about the body somehow, I haven’t painted straight nudes in about 10 years, until arriving here. I teach figure drawing and figure painting, so keep in practice, and I love to look at the nude body. But it’s sort of depressing to think that most of my painted nudes end up in someone’s bathroom, or at best, bedroom. Like you have to be naked to look at a nude.
When I was growing up we had a semi-nude Indian woman (I know) lithograph in our living room. I guess I’m realizing my mom was pretty brave to have it there. Why are people so hung up on the body?
So now I’m painting these really BIG nudes, and they are much more confrontational at almost 6 feet tall. The paint is drippy and spattered like bodily fluid. The brush strokes are thick and shaggy. These feel much more sexual to me. Maybe that’s what I need to do to be noticed in Amerika?

Yesterday I attended graduation as a faculty member for about 4000 students in the football stadium. I was not surprised but terribly proud when one of the students I worked with all year was announced as First in our Faculty, which besides painting includes sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, graphic design, interior design and animation. He’s one of the best students I’ve ever had. His paintings weren’t always totally successful, but he was exploring and thinking; I learned things from him.
And get this, when a graduation speaker mentioned Prime Minister Erdogan, the audience booed. I was shocked, can you imagine? We are a rather liberal institution.
The ceremony ended with a pop concert by Turkey’s Cher, Sezen Aksu. I left before the fireworks.
Am off to Ankara for a day or two.