Fran, The Naked Lady

In my opinion, appreciating different perspectives should be a backbone in any inclusive, respectful, and friendly community. This is why I thought it was great to be able to observe and think about the very creative and stimulating art pieces done by Nicholas Lawson Carbonaro, a local resident. He put up eight incredibly unique pieces, each one enunciating different emotions, ideas, and methods. Done throughout roughly the past two decades, one piece having been completed in 1997, the art pieces demonstrated many different ideals of the times they were created in.

For example, one painted piece, which he went into depth describing, was of a larger woman lounging in the nude on a plush chair draped in a blanket. One of her false eyelashes had fallen off as she posed and Mr. Carbonaro had insisted for them to stay where they landed on her chest and then managed to both incorporate and dignify the fallen eyelashes. In my opinion, the fallen eyelashes, although occurring by chance, add large emphasis to the overarching feeling the painting was already giving off. Many students, including myself at times, can extremely easily relate to this feeling of overwhelming laziness due to comfort after a long, difficult day. In my mind, as I looked upon the painting, I began to construct a story. This woman, whom I’ve named Fran, simply desired to come back to her cozy home after a long day of work. After watching television and getting some pottery done, she decided to sit in her most favorite lounge chair naked, enjoying this private freedom with only her two cats, Bubbles and Mr. Magic. Half an hour into this paradise, one of Fran’s false eyelashes falls and lands on her chest where she glances at it, decides it’s fine where it is, and continues to lounge. In my storyline, this is where Mr. Carbonaro comes in, figuratively, and takes a snapshot of this woman experiencing comfortable nakedness.

In conclusion, the storyline as well as the painting itself are relatable in that I personally very much enjoy comfortably lounging about every now and then and definitely do think that not everything in life has to be perfect, that that eyelash truly is where it should be. In not necessarily the exact same way, I hope everyone takes the opportunities to lounge and be comfortable in their own skin. I think Mr. Carbonaro beautifully captured this ideal and I look forward to getting the chance to see his art in the future.

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