MWW Artwork of the Day (4/1/23)
Osman Hamdi Bey (Turkish, 1842–1910)
Young Woman Reading (1880)
Oil on canvas, 41.1 x 51 cm.
Private Collection (UK)
"Young Woman Reading," known more commonly as "Young Girl Reading the Qur'an," displays many of the qualities for which Osman Hamdi became best known. The impeccably rendered dress of the kneeling figure and the decorative background against which she is set, rich in colour and Islamic designs, are virtual signatures of the artist, as is the startling clarity of the picture's highly detailed style. The precision of its surface, however, masks significant ambiguities at its core: The book that the woman has chosen, the direction of her gaze, and even the parting of her lips and the buttons at her neck, all serve to undermine our first impressions of the scene. What begins as a pretty harem picture, in other words, becomes a complicated and multi-referential text which addresses a variety of topical issues within the landscapes of Orientalism, 19th century art history, and aspects of the artist's biography itself. Through its transposition of British, French, and Turkish models, and its manipulation of their themes, "Young Woman Reading" demonstrates the unique nature of Osman Hamdi's Orientalism, and his artful game.
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Just statistically speaking here, not all these kids can have absolutely insane parents/guardians like Gingka and Hikaru have with Ryo.
Like, we know Madoka’s dad runs B-Pit so he’s also a mechanic, but have him also be just an average looking dude. And Yuki’s grandfather might have been an old astronomer obsessed with beyblade, but like have none of his coworkers have believed him with the legendary blader thing. Because let’s be honest here, if your really old floor supervisor said a mythical star was going to chose the next saviors of the prophecy, you would not believe them.
And also, make some of these people have nothing to do with beyblade. Like absolutely nothing. They’re are so confused at what these kids are doing, but are trying their best to be supportive.
For example...
Kenta’s mom? She’s a waitress at a really nice restaurant downtown and sometimes brings home extra deserts for Kenta.
Kyoya’s dad? He owns his own small real estate company and still also works as an agent a lot.
Hikaru’s mom? A nurse who ended up falling sick and dying from a disease she was working to heal.
Nile’s sister? Oh, she currently works as a seamstress as she’s in law school to become a family law attorney.
Demure’s grandmother? She was teacher who worked especially with language learning.
Julian’s family? Huge tycoons in manufacturing, especially in the car and vehicular industry.
Sophie’s family? She actually comes from a line of famous fashion and costume designers, commonly featured on Broadway and Hollywood.
Wales’s family? They’re old money from the oil industry and work globally to expand their company to this day.
Chao Xin’s sisters? One is a teacher, another is a travel agent, and the third one works at a pet store not far from Beylin Temple.
Mei Mei’s family? Oh, they run a pretty popular restaurant that’s even made it onto some global food locations lists.
Tsubasa’s parents? They were also special investigators but did not use beys at all in their work, sticking to more traditional methods.
Dashan’s mom? She was an admissions officer at Beylin temple and worked outreach for new students.
Gingka’s mom? Oh, she became a horror and mystery author after she left Koma and married an editor.
Masamune’s mom? She’s a diplomat actually and works with trade relationships between the US and Japan.
King’s mom? A social worker who adopted him and his siblings after falling in love with them on the job.
Benkei’s grandmother? She was a chef and the one who taught him how to cook.
And yes, they are all very confused by Ryo as a person as well as how the hell he was able to become director of the WBBA.
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