Monday 14th December - A Kiss Under the Parasol

 I realised this morning I have neither eaten nor made any mince pies this year.  This is a shameful and horrifying situation to find myself in and I hope you will not think less of me. It's all these summer-y images of love and romance, I am forgetting how close to Christmas we are now. I will attempt to rectify the pie situation forthwith, but in the meantime we best crack on with today's image...

A Kiss Under the Parasol (1895) Ludek Harold

Oh well, swoon! What a lovely image of summer-y love and romance, with a passionate pair having a sneaky snog as part of an outing. Do you reckon it's a picnic? I'd be happy to miss out on the fish paste sandwiches and scotch eggs in order to smooch with a handsome gentleman.  I even have my own parasol.  I love my parasol as it is such a useful thing - you get to hide from people, not get sunburned and generally look swanky. It's like a pretty umbrella but without the inconvenience of inclement weather. What's not to love? Anyway, I think this couple have been overcome with their love during a family outing, which is ever so romantic. Well, I suppose it depends on the family outing, as I can't quite see what those people walking away are doing...

'I am the Resurrection and the Life' (The Village Funeral) (1872) Frank Holl

Now, I'm not saying anything, but when I saw the line of people trailing off into the distance, it instantly reminded me of this Frank Holl painting.  You don't want to be the people snogging at the back of a funeral, that really isn't seemly, no matter how 'circle of life' you want to make it. I had to attend two funerals when I was 9 months pregnant and that was weird enough (and really uncomfortable). Mind you, Ludek Marold's own story is suitably tragic enough to satisfy us...

Self Portrait in his studio (1892) Ludek Marold

Ludek Alois Marold (1865-1898) was born in Prague, to an unmarried lass who died when he was still a child.  His father died the year after he was born, during the Austro-Prussian War. He failed to get into the cadets and was expelled from art school, but finally found a place in the art school in Munich where he was a contemporary of fellow Czech, Alfons Mucha. According to Marold, all he learned in Munich was how to drink decent beer, but it set him in a career as an artist and illustrator.

Study of a Reclining Woman (no date)

 There is a lovely page on Marold here, but unfortunately he did not live a long and cheery life. He had fragile health and after completing a massive project of panorama based on the Battle of Lipany, he died before it was displayed in 1898, aged only 33.

A Group of Generals (from the Battle of Lipany) (1898)

All that is a bit grim and not very romantic, so I think we'd better off with something more like this...

A Lover's Tryst (no date)

Now that's better, although I hope she gets out of that hammock before she gets to the actual trysting as that sort of shenanigan can be a bit hazardous when suspended between two trees and to be honest, that hammock does not look very sturdy. Far better to stick to trysting beneath a parasol which is far safer and wouldn't result in you getting a cross-hatch rope pattern across your nethers like a Christmas ham. 

On that cautionary note, I'll see you tomorrow...