Putting words to images
The Argentine surrealist Leonor Fini painted L’entre deux (The Intimate Couple) in 1967 but it looks thoroughly modern.
She uses Klimt-like colours to depict two androgynous figures dressed only in sensual veils, silks and satins. There are sexier than they would be if totally nude.
There is a thrill of expectation as the blond looks to be contemplating cunnilingus as the redhead reclines seductively on a luxurious chaise longue.
The boudoir scene leaves just enough to the imagination to make the obvious sexual content more playful than pornographic.
I like the muted tones and the languid poses of the two figures. There is no hurry here and the absence of explicit detail gives a subtle delicacy to the erotic scene.
Nine years on from the excellent Pulitzer prize winning Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides’ third novel has the look and feel of a substantial work.
