--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote: > > Barry, apologies for lowering the tone of the conversation...
Too late. Several people already did that by projecting their hot button pushed-ness onto satirical and funny artwork they didn't understand. :-) > ...but you did make the acquaintance of Crumb and I was pruriently curious if his wife was also one of those dominatrix types with huge thighs and ass like his trademark fantasy artwork women. Had he found his ideal partner? And what was she like as a person? I know Aline quite well. She was, after all, my next-door neighbor for several years. Interestingly, she does not have the body type often celebrated in Crumb's work -- big legs, big butt, big boobs. She's trim, and in fact teaches exercise, yoga, and aerobics classes there in Sauve. She's also a graphic artist, although IMO not nearly as talented as Robert. She's also (and please no one get all offended at this because this is how she describes herself) yer classic Long Island Jew, so if any qualities or characteristics spring to yer mind when you hear that phrase, Aline embodies all of them, both positive and negative. She and Robert have an odd but incredibly long-lasting relationship. She wears the "business pants" of the family, and he likely would have starved to death long ago if it weren't for her. They have a somewhat open marriage, with both Aline and Robert having other long-term lovers whom they get together with from time to time, none of which seems to affect their bond with each other at all. I *understand* that his choice of subject matter and imagery is not everyone's cuppa tea, but he *has* been referred to by art historians as the "closest thing our century has to Breughel and the great pen artists of the past." His command of detail is nothing less than astounding. One of my favorite "pieces" of his is one you'll never get to see, because it's too fragile to ever be transported. Someone once handed him an Etch-A-Sketch, and although he'd never played with one before, he managed to draw an almost perfect portrait of his daughter Sophie on it. It still is placed in a position of honor in the downstairs living room of his house.
