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El beso Francia, 1817

Theodore Géricault Francia, 1791–1824

Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid (España)

Acuarela Carbón (20 x 27,4 cm)

Es tan solo un boceto de Théodore Géricault, pero como el artista murió tan joven (a los tiernos 32 años), los museos de todo el mundo se rifan sus obras. Aún así, este dibujito tamaño folio es muy muy bueno. Es evidente que el muchacho tenía talento.

Géricault lo pintó durante un viaje a Italia que hizo en 1816–17. Como no consiguió el premio de la Academia que pagaba una beca para una estancia en la cuna del arte occidental, el pintor decidió visitar el país por su cuenta y riesgo. En ese viaje de estudios autofinanciado vio tetas y culos por doquier. Estamos hablando de arte, por supuesto. En Italia, la pintura mitológica no escatimaba en desnudos y Géricault pudo descubrir a los grandes maestros y sus escenas subidas de tono protagonizadas por dioses, ninfas y sátiros.

Pero lo que llama la atención de esta obra no es su sugerente erotismo. Lo más impresionante es cómo Géricault utiliza la luz. Como un maestro. El artista hace un uso magistral del color blanco para usarlo como una luz que incide sobre estos dos amantes besándose en su cama. Un poco de carboncillo, un poco de aguada y dejando cachos de papel en blanco, el niño prodigio del romanticismo francés consigue construir este maravilloso beso.

wandering-italy

The Battistero degli Ariani (Baptistery of the Arians). It was built around the end of the 5th century by King Theodoric the Great.

Ravenna, Italy

imstillsearchingforsomething

one more reason to go to Rávena

Serdnova Anastasija, Ukranian artist

itsmythang

This baby girl is 12 years old. "There's a Crazy Storm" her brother is accompanying. I love her soulful voice.

artifacts-and-arthropods

The Spectacled Salamander: when threatened, this salamander curls its body into an aposomatic defensive position that exposes the markings on the underside of its tail and legs

Salamandrina perspicillata, commonly known as the northern spectacled salamander or Savi's salamander, is a peculiar species that can be found only in Italy.

Above: the northern spectacled salamander in its defensive position

When the salamander feels threatened, it often displays a defense mechanism known as the unken reflex -- it curls its tail up over its body and arches its back, exposing the bright red markings that run along the underside of its tail, legs, and cloaca. These aposomatic markings serve as a warning to potential predators by signalling that the salamander is noxious or unpalatable.

Above: gaze upon the belly of the beast

The salamander's tail and body often form a complete loop, with the tail draping over its nose.

Above: this guy might be trying a little too hard

The males of this species have also been known to assume an upright position while searching for a mate, standing on their hind legs and using their tails to support themselves.

Above: the photo at the top shows a male northern spectacled salamander standing on his hind legs, while the photo at the bottom shows a female in a more typical pose

The northern spectacled salamander is a very small species, with a total length of just 80-90mm (about 3 to 3.5 inches) from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail. According to this article:

It prefers cool, shady habitats rich in natural refuges: broadleaf woodlands, moist valleys, and stream edges with little current. It can be found among leaf litter, under logs and stones, in rock crevices, old dry-stone walls, caves, and natural cavities.

It is especially connected to microhabitats with abundant vegetation cover and the presence of temporary water reservoirs—environments that ensure the survival of both terrestrial adults and aquatic larvae.

The adult males are completely terrestrial, dwelling only on land, but the females nest and lay their eggs underwater. The hatchlings then remain in the water for 2-4 months before emerging onto land.

Sources & More Info:

The Salamanders of Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa: The Northern Spectacled Salamander

Herpeto Savona: Salamandrina perspicillata

Newts and Salamanders of Europe: Unken Reflex

Illustrated Encyclopedia of Wildlife: Spectacled Salamander

The Tailed Amphibians of Europe: Genus Salamandrina

Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe: Natural Enemies and Defense

artifacts-and-arthropods

Bardaxima Twig Moths: these moths are able to mimic broken twigs, thanks to their cryptic markings and unusual resting position

Several moths of the genus Bardaxima are remarkable twig-mimics, as these photos demonstrate. The moths rest with their wings gently curled around their bodies, which gives them a longer, more narrow appearance, and their wings are covered in markings that mimic the appearance of tree bark.

The tan coloration of the moth's head and hind-wings also resembles freshly-snapped wood, and there are pale gray markings on the forewings that seem to mimic patches of lichen.

The species depicted in these photos is Bardaxima procne, which is endemic to Brazil.

A similar species known as the buff-tip moth (Phalera bucephala) was featured in one of my previous posts. That species has a shorter, wider appearance, and it mimics a silver birch twig.

Some of my other posts about mimicry among moths: wasp-mimicking moths, the snake-mimicking sphinx moth, Macrocilix maia, Brenthia moths, the poplar lappet moth, Abbott's sphinx moth, and vampire moths.

Sources & More Info:

Zoologia: A Review of the Neotropical Moth Genus Bardaxima

iNaturalist: Genus Bardaxima

artifacts-and-arthropods

Naryciodes Caterpillars: these caterpillars have gummy-like bodies with features that mimic the appearance of a snail; they even have appendages that resemble eyestalks, but they're actually located on the caterpillar's rump

The scientific name of this species is Naryciodes posticalis. It belongs to the Limacodidae family of moths, which are commonly known as slug moths, thanks to the gelatinous, slug-like appearance of their larvae. That name seems a little ironic in this case, because Naryciodes posticalis actually mimics a snail.

Above: Naryciodes posticalis caterpillar

The caterpillar has a bulge in the center of its body, with colorful markings that form three concentric layers. These features mimic the appearance of a snail's shell, which may help to deter predators. It also has a pair of short, stubby appendages that resemble eyestalks, but they're located at the back of the caterpillar's body.

Above: this photo shows the underside of the caterpillar's body, with its mouth slightly visible on the right

This species is found only in Japan.

Despite my best efforts, I couldn't find any other information about these strange little creatures, and I get the sense that the entire genus is poorly studied.