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The Paintings of Abstinence.

Discussion in 'Rebooting - Porn Addiction Recovery' started by galaxim, Jun 4, 2014.

  1. galaxim

    galaxim Fapstronaut

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    Inspired by this great thread http://www.nofap.org/forum/showthread.php?12342-The-Soundtrack-to-Abstinence&p=69155#post69155, the idea is to share the paintings that can express the feelings that we're having or that represent us.

    For all of us, who try to stay above the fog, looking up and beyond.

    My contribution:
    fog3.jpg

    Historian John Gaddis said about this picture (taken from Wikipedia): Gaddis (2004) felt that the impression the wanderer's position atop the precipice and before the twisted outlook leaves "is contradictory, suggesting at once mastery over a landscape and the insignificance of the individual within it
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Jun 4, 2014
  2. IWantABetterLife22

    IWantABetterLife22 NoFap Moderator

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    That's a great idea and painting! I love the visual arts. I need to give this some thought; it's hard thinking of a good idea for this. Your example is great though!
     
  3. This is what I feel when I'm urged.

    Dante and Virgil in hell - William-Adolphe Bouguereau (yes this is supposed to be tongue in cheek :rolleyes: )

    William-Adolphe_Bouguereau_(1825-1905)_-_Dante_And_Virgil_In_Hell_(1850).jpg
     
  4. MockNot

    MockNot Fapstronaut

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    Always liked that work Galaxim.

    Here's one that reminds me of what it takes to succeed

    berserk-guts-1920x1200-wallpaper-772897.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2014
  5. galaxim

    galaxim Fapstronaut

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  6. galaxim

    galaxim Fapstronaut

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    Le Serment des Horaces (Oath of the Horatti), by the neoclassical French painter Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) horatti.jpg

    About the painting:
    The painting depicts the Roman Horatius family, who, according to Titus Livius' Ab Urbe Condita (From the Founding of the City) had been chosen for a ritual duel against three members of the Curiatii, a family from Alba Longa, in order to settle disputes between the Romans and the latter city. As revolution in France loomed, paintings urging loyalty to the state rather than to clan or clergy abounded. Although it was painted nearly five years before the revolution in France, the Oath of the Horatii became one of the defining images of the time.

    In the painting, the three brothers express their loyalty and solidarity with Rome before battle, wholly supported by their father. These are men willing to lay down their lives out of patriotic duty. With their resolute gaze and taut, outstretched limbs, they are citadels of patriotism. They are symbols of the highest virtues of Rome. Their clarity of purpose, mirrored by David's simple yet powerful use of tonal contrasts, lends the painting, and its message about the nobility of patriotic sacrifice, an electric intensity. This is all in contrast to the tender-hearted women who lie weeping and mourning, awaiting the results of the fighting.

    Why did I choose it?
    Because its theme is "follow your duty, not your feelings". If you're at NOFAP, the duty that you have with yourself is to quit porn, never mind how you feel about doing that.
     
  7. Fritz

    Fritz Fapstronaut

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    Very classy artwork to look at, I love this thread. Now I have to figure out how to post, lol
     
  8. nononanisteren

    nononanisteren Fapstronaut

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    The Lady of Shalott by Waterhouse based on the poem by Tennyson. The circular image on the wall is actually a mirror that the Lady looks into and sees there Camelot, for which she longs. Some critics have suggested that the mirror symbolizes that the Lady can only indirectly enjoy life through the mirror. She says in the poem "I am half-sick of shadows". That line really hits me because while addicted to PMO we are sick in a shadow life, PMO is only a shadow of real happiness, a quick rush that disappears as quickly as it came and leaves a sick shadowy feeling.

    The poem tells of how she is cursed to stay in the tower and when she leaves she will die because of the curse.

    "Out flew the web and floated wide-
    The mirror crack'd from side to side;
    "The curse is come upon me," cried
    The Lady of Shalott."

    When we choose to break our addiction, we break the mirror, but our mind and adversarial thoughts will tell us that we are cursed and that we will perish as the Lady. Here is where the allegory stops though because the poem was not originally about this theme of course and furthermore, although we are cursed with an addiction, we can break it like the mirror and not perish.

    But then again in a sense we do perish. The old me dies when I break the addiction and a new me is born. In a sense I suppose that is why breaking the addiction is so damn hard. It is because we are saying farewell to something that has become a very real part of us. Something that we love, yet something that is killing us. And in that way the only way to change is to give up our old self, in a sense to die. But the new life after addiction is a beautiful thing.

    Here is the image and here is a great song version of the poem. Oh and here is the funny vid of Anne of Green Gables trying to relive the poem.

    John_William_Waterhouse_-_I_am_half-sick_of_shadows,_said_the_lady_of_shalott.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2014
  9. MockNot

    MockNot Fapstronaut

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    Really impressive stuff.

    Sorry I'm posting twice but I wanted to shout out a favorite Deviantart user :).

    Sunset by JoakimOlofsson

    sunset_by_joakimolofsson-d5cc20y.jpg

    Sunsets always helped me concentrate on work and chores and his "Sunset" helps me do that.
     
  10. galaxim

    galaxim Fapstronaut

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    Brilliant, of all it.
    I already knew (and liked) "The Lady of Shalott" and others works by Waterhouse, but I didn't know about the poem nor the painting's motive.
    Your analogy about "breaking the mirror" is excellent aswell.

     
  11. galaxim

    galaxim Fapstronaut

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    Great one! But post here anytime you like.

     
  12. nononanisteren

    nononanisteren Fapstronaut

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    Thanks for your compliment Galaxim. I failed to mention that I really appreciated your post as well. I never thought much of the painting as I am not usually fond of neoclassical art, but you made me see its value. Thanks.
     
  13. galaxim

    galaxim Fapstronaut

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    THE VOYAGE OF LIFE, THOMAS COLE

    cole thomas voy of life childhood.jpg
    Childhood

    cole thomas voy of life youth.jpg
    Youth

    cole thomas voy of life manhood.jpg
    Manhood

    cole thomas voy of life old age.jpg
    Old Age

    About the painting:
    The Voyage of Life, painted by Thomas Cole in 1842, is a series of paintings that represent an allegory of the four stages of human life: childhood, youth, manhood, and old age. The paintings follow a voyager who travels in a boat on a river through the mid-19th-century American wilderness. In each painting, accompanied by a guardian angel, the voyager rides the boat on the River of Life. The landscape, corresponding to the seasons of the year, plays a major role in telling the story. In each picture, the boat's direction of travel is reversed from the previous picture. In childhood, the infant glides from a dark cave into a rich, green landscape. As a youth, the boy takes control of the boat and aims for a shining castle in the sky. In manhood, the adult relies on prayer and religious faith to sustain him through rough waters and a threatening landscape. Finally, the man becomes old and the angel guides him to heaven across the waters of eternity.

    Why did I choose it? Because to quit this addiction we have to face different stages and temptations, through a journey that sometimes is clear and beautiful, and sometimes is dark and scary.

    Who was Thomas Cole?
    Thomas Cole (February 1, 1801 – February 11, 1848) was an American artist. He is regarded as the founder of the Hudson River School, an American art movement that flourished in the mid-19th century. Cole's Hudson River School, as well as his own work, was known for its realistic and detailed portrayal of American landscape and wilderness, which feature themes of romanticism.
     
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2014
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  14. nononanisteren

    nononanisteren Fapstronaut

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    Very insightful choice of paintings. The Castles in the sky one especially spoke to me. I think for those of us who are young or identify with youth, the castle in the sky represents our belief that we can do anything. Yet this belief is also often coupled with the notion, that there is no limit of time available to accomplish these tasks as well as the idea that they will magically materialize without our own efforts. Dealing with addiction, just as with any obstacle, we learn that castles never materialize on their own, but are built brick by brick.

    I strongly believe that it is not the momentous occasions that change us, but the daily brick laying. Nothing else has power to change us so as a single brick laid every day. Thank you for this inspiration Galaxim.
     
  15. galaxim

    galaxim Fapstronaut

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    Please keep commenting here. I love your posts!
    Yes, that's true about the castle. When I was 18, for example (now I'm 28), I had the idea that I could accomplish anything, with little effort and in a short time. Then, after years passed, I came to the realization that I wasn't going to be able to do everything that I wanted in life (to paint, to write, to compose music), so I set myself a short list of simple, achievable goals, because now I'm well aware of the real time that anything that you put your mind into seriously takes and I'm also aware of my limited energies for each day.

     
  16. galaxim

    galaxim Fapstronaut

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    Please keep commenting here. I love your posts!
    Yes, that's true about the castle. When I was 18, for example (now I'm 28), I had the idea that I could accomplish anything, with little effort and in a short time. Then, after years passed, I came to the realization that I wasn't going to be able to do everything that I wanted in life (to paint, to write, to compose music), so I set myself a short list of simple, achievable goals, because now I'm well aware of the real time that anything that you put your mind into seriously takes and I'm also aware of my limited energies for each day.

     
  17. Alexander_D

    Alexander_D Fapstronaut

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    SuperStock_1788-50149.jpg
    The Temptation of St Anthony 1878 - Domenico Morelli
     
  18. galaxim

    galaxim Fapstronaut

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    THE COURSE OF EMPIRE, THOMAS COLE

    01cole_thomas_the_savage_state.jpg
    The Savage State

    02cole_thomas_the_arcadian_or_pastoral_state.jpg
    The Arcadian or Pastoral State

    03cole_thomas_consummation_of_empire.jpg
    The Consummation of Empire

    cole_thomas_destruction.jpg
    Destruction

    05cole_thomas_desolation.jpg
    Desolation

    About the painting(s):
    The series of paintings depicts the growth and fall of an imaginary city, situated on the lower end of a river valley, near its meeting with a bay of the sea. The valley is distinctly identifiable in each of the paintings, in part because of an unusual landmark: a large boulder is precariously situated atop a crag overlooking the valley. Some critics believe this is meant to contrast the immutability of the earth with the transience of man.

    A direct source of literary inspiration for The Course of Empire paintings is Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (1812–18). Cole quoted this verse, from Canto IV, in his newspaper advertisements for the series:[2]

    There is the moral of all human tales;

    'Tis but the same rehearsal of the past.
    First freedom and then Glory – when that fails,
    Wealth, vice, corruption – barbarism at last.
    And History, with all her volumes vast,
    Hath but one page...

    Why did I choose them? Because to win the war against addiction we must return to the better, peaceful part of ourselves ("Pastoral") and we must not hide behind the walls of addiction that we have buildt ("Empire"), because the consequence is the destruction of ourselves, of all that was cherished by us, and the inevitable desolation, with the remnants of what we once were.

    "to contrast the immutability of the earth with the transience of man": We're dying. Each day that passes, we're one step closer to death. Do we really want to spend the rest of our lives living under porn?

    " First freedom and then Glory – when that fails,
    Wealth, vice, corruption – barbarism at last."
    We were once free. We can be free again, if we choose so, or we can choose to end up as barbarians, in the middle of vice and corruption.
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2014
  19. nononanisteren

    nononanisteren Fapstronaut

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    Cole really is really something else. I think he would have gotten on quite well with good ol' Wordsworth and perhaps even Shelley. That is if Shelley had lived long enough to cool down. Your post on The Course of Empire reminds me of Ozymandias by Shelley.

    I met a traveller from an antique land
    Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
    Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
    Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
    And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
    Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
    Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
    The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
    And on the pedestal these words appear:
    `My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
    Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
    Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
    Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
    The lone and level sands stretch far away".

    TL : DR The poem is, simply put, about a traveller who has seen the foot of a once great statue representing a King from a now ruined civilization. The ruin of the civilization is emphasized by the fact that no one has ever heard of this kingdom and fact that the king refers to himself as God when he says "King of Kings".

    I think this poem relates to overcoming PMO addiction in a number of ways but allow me to highlight two in particular.

    What I Learned from Ozymandias
    1. While recovering from addiction we go through a phase where feel like we just hit the Mario star, and are invincible from any lust, passion, or temptation (red turtle shells). I have found that this feeling comes early on as we see ourselves racking up the days on our counter, yet it also comes much later on when we think we are in the clear. The problem with this phase is that it is typically accompanied by an abandon of our guard. Why keep our guards on the city wall when the enemy is defeated? It isn't hard to remember the example of Troy and the Trojan horse and then connect it back to the ruined statue in Shelley's poem. I am not sure we can ever let down our guard, ever. We are not invincible; we are not insurmountable or untouchable. But we have no need to lose hope, we can, unlike Empire, prevail.

    2. As an antipodal interpretation, addiction, and especially addiction to PMO, is an empire of power that stretches its black influence throughout our existence and even throughout our being. We can without much trouble rephrase the poem to

    `My name is PMO, King of Kings:
    Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'

    "King of Kings" now becomes darkly symbolic as we learn that PMO has become our god, a lord supplanting whatever good beliefs we had, squelching their power with the heavy foot of despotic empire. I am sure that many of you can second that PMO becomes an entity that we develop a dialogue with. We looked to it for pleasure and we learned to heed its call when it bid us to act on its enticements. Many of us have been so far out that PMO merely had to make the slightest hint or indication and a thick heavy chain tugged us into a miserable pit as we once again PMO'd. Ozymandias ruined and PMO can also become a ruin. Yes it feels as permanent to us as the Roman or English Empire felt to the world at its height. But the sun sets on every empire and we can do the impossible of conquering the empire of PMO within the landscape of our souls. We can reduce the PMO that despotically rules us to a ruin.

    Anyway, this thread is meant to be about paintings, so here is one by Sonntag. It shows the verdant growth that has replaced the fallen rule of Empire.

    william-louis-sonntag-landscape-with-temple-ruins.jpg
    Landscape with Temple Ruins
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2014
  20. ERMAGHERD. I didn't knew Cole. I'm officially in love.

    So this is about how we're feeling? The first is by Mark Chadwick. I'm afraid it's not accurate though - I'm way happier than that. The other two are from Vasarely - probably amongst my favourite artists ever. It's how I feel right now. Colourful, excited, focused, constructed.

    tumblr_m9mucgN6Sq1qgkoejo1_1280.jpg vega3gd.jpg Vasarely_1970_Vega_Arny.jpg
     

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