Row, Row, Row Your Boat....

Welcome (back?) to The Art of Love, a light-hearted, winter-defying countdown to Valentine’s Day, using bcc for privacy. Great to see you again, and welcome to our newcomers! From wherever you are—Tennessee, California, Maine, Arizona, Washington, DC, Wisconsin, the Bahamas—whatever else is going on, let us light up the winter world with some L-O-V-E! We have only 13 days left, after all, until V Day itself, February 14! (Please let me know if you do not wish to receive these messages, and I will remove you from the list.)

​Gently Down The Stream....Norwegian photographers, suffragettes, and business and romantic partners Marie Høeg and Bolette Berg here lampoon Impressionist “boating party” paintings by Cassatt, Manet, and others. Look closely: these vågal women made sure to wear and show their rings, too. They shot the photo inside their studio, c. 1900, with no attempt to disguise the fake water and scenery (a bit of modernist commentary). Don’t they look like they’re having fun? (They were.)