First shot from Dolce and Gabbana's Fall/Winter campaign - with a little of Pasolini and Magnani's Mamma Roma thrown in.Pasolini's Mamma Roma is about a retired middle aged Italian whore, played by Anna Magnani, who has saved her money to buy an an upper-class apartment house and a fruit/vegetable stand. She wants to start a new life and bring up her teenage son, Ettore, with dignity and give him the things she did not have and worked so hard to get away from. When he learns of her past, it comes back to haunt her.
Originality was never Madge's trademark.
ReplyDeleteMadge's looks pretty much Magnani's character in that she's also a middle-aged, retired whore. For the first time, plagiarism makes sense.
ReplyDeleteSad
ah, but it is dingle (...)- that is madonna's forte since the beginning. appropriating forgotten, old, lost, fantastic works of art, literature, movies, etc, and incorporating them into her work.
ReplyDeletenow we see everyone doing that. xo
now - EAT IT!!!!
why all the negative comments!?
ReplyDeleteJust what solray9 said when you posted the first sneak peaks of these. So true! And genius!!
ReplyDeleteThe difference between Madonna's incorporation of other artists' work into hers is that she crosses genres.
ReplyDeleteShe takes pieces of fine art, film, literature, etc. and makes something new with them - music, videos, concerts.
The "artists" or "popstars" of today, copy from within their genre. They take what other popstars have done and redo it.
This is why I can't stand when people say that Lady Gaga is only doing what Madonna did when she "borrows" from other popstars.
Madonna's work is more thoughtful and "original," because she takes a medium that isn't her own and makes it her own - like Metropolis in Vogue, like Tommy in Confessions on a Dancefloor, like Dantes Inferno in DWT. She doesn't simply plagiarizes her contemporaries work. She transforms a masterpiece into her own work of art.
And, "said," for someone quick to point out tired, unoriginal ideas, you are also quick to post them.
ReplyDeleteCome on, now.
all these nameless haters...what's really going on?!
ReplyDeleteGreat shot, love the film reference. M has always chosen little known films/artists to pay homage to, it's not like she referencing Star Wars or anything! Her references reflect her tastes.
ReplyDeleteHey John... very well said. Our generation has been introduced to a lot of works of art, artists and classics through Madonna incorporating them into her own artwork. And I'm really not bothered by Christina Aguilia, Lady Gaga and others copying Madonna's videos and looks because that just make Madonna all that more relevant and a new generation is introduced to Madonna through their art. I'm sure Madonna wouldn't want it any other way.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the '80s and into the early 90's, critics continuously criticized Madonna for copying Maailyn Monroe. But Madonna didn't just copy that "stereotyped blonde bombshell," she updated it. I think contemporary artists have been influenced by Madonna in the same way she was influenced by Monroe.
madonna has always had exquisite taste... tamara de lempicka, fernand léger, cindy sherman, fritz lang, frida kahlo, lina wertmüller, jean paul gautlier, marlene dietrich... just to name a few. lady gaga's influences are grace jones, bowie and M... and it shows. madonna was trained early on, by christopher flynn and numerous other classicists, to look deeply within art, dance & film history for inspiration. if madonna had simply copied donna summer or pat benatar, she would have lasted maybe 2 or 3 albums before the marketplace lost interest. that said, i hope gaga is investing her money wisely.
ReplyDeleteThis guy above talks about some Christopher Flynn as he were Arthur Danto, Umberto Eco or Jean Clair. Who on earth is that Flynn dude?
ReplyDeletePud, Madge's just presenting plagiarism as a cool art form and you buy that, but in the end it's just state-of the art- plagiarism with no substance to it. I can be entertaining to a certain extent, because you can't build your whole career ripping off others. After a while you want the real thing behind the maks. Madge doesn't have it (artistry), that's why she needs to hide behind what stupid people call "reinventions". The trick's begun to wear off thanks to the internet. The Gaga video hype came in handy for her because it made her come out clean like a real artist 'cause she did it first. This is the closer she's gotten to credibility. But... the fact is that they both do the same thing.
Madge should offer us something entirely of her own creation this time. That would be a real shocker, a great comeback, a true REINVENTION. She should give people something coming from inside instead of divert people's attention from her lack of talent by the use of wigs, make-up and airbrush. Don't you all agree?
The blowfish silicone face looks dreadful as usual, and I guess they are referencing Mama Roma or whatever, but the picture doesn't seem of a mother and her son, more like an old whore and her gigolo. Life imitating art? or viceversa? I mean it seems everything now is Madonna with a barely legal man, it's all very Jesus Luz and it's disgusting.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be amazing if she were in these fashion spreads with a towering, gorgeous older gentleman?
I mean, when Elizabeth Taylor launched her fragrances in the 80's, all accompaining(sp?) publicity featured her with a younger man, but it was a man in his early 30's at least, and she married a younger man, Larry Fortensky, she was in her 60's and he was in his late 30's, early 40's, I mean he was a younger man but A MAN.
How old is Jesus Luz?? he is not a man, just an opportunistic gigolo. I don't blame Madonna for wanting to be with a younger man but MY GOD at least choose someone who is above 30!!
A 51 woman, wether it's Madonna or anyone else, dating a 23 year old will never NOT BE PATHETIC AND EMBARASSING.
And this campaign simply reinforces how pathetic she is right now.
Reading all these hateful comments is beyond hilarious. As if M really gives a fuck about what anyone has to say, I think she has accomplished enough in life to know that there will always be people (or in ...'s case an old fat maggot who looks like a chupacabra - who I by the way have dearly missed, hopefully "it" was at the gym working off the fried chicken and doughnuts lol) who are hateful and will always have something negative to say. Who cares about her being with a younger man, if it works for her then that is the only thing that matters.
ReplyDeleteObviously being fat and miserable works for ... and we all should be happy for it lol! And seriously Ramon do you wake up from the wrong side of the bed every morning and just spread your homo bitterness all day long lol? I feel really sad for you and whoever has to be around your pathetic life lol. If you do not like something that is your opinion and just like assholes we all have them but sometimes it's better to just think it before you say it and not have diarrhea of the mouth everytime you come to a fan site. Take a chill pill and don't get your panties in a twist or better yet go and spend some time with ... as you two sound like a match made in heaven (hell) lol.
@Sergio EXCUSE ME?? are those fat comments directed at me? you don't even know how I look like, I've never posted a picture of me, so how would you know.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don't care about the fact that Madonna doesn't care about my opinion, I will say it anyways, it's called being an opinionated person.
And third, I'm not the one having diarreha of the mouth(who can be so crass to use such a phrase?), you are. All you've said are insults, and really pathetic ones, if you don't like my point of view and you are going to say something to me about it at least make A POINT, instead of acting like a moronic teenage cunt who can't even articulate properly or make a point about anything.
Jesus Luz may have a retarded aura but I don't think he is a gigolo. Gigolos track ladies, relentlessly. But in no time he was pursuing her . Rather, it was her who went right after him! It's all very convenient, isn't it?. Of course, he's making a lot of money in the process. Would you blame him? I mean, if you want fresh meat, pay for it.
ReplyDeleteAs for this new guy in the D&G spread, well, he looks really, but really STUPID. Looks like he's wearing his dad's suit. Who booked him? Big mistake. By the one, did Maddie make D&G sales go up?
Bye, my belove ones
Ramon, I guess the sad thing is...This is a blog devoted to Madonna.
ReplyDeleteAnd the best use you have for your time is to find a Madonna fan forum and then procede to post negativity.
Really? I think that is the definition of pathetic.
And to top it all off, you have the audacity to suggest others are acting like "moronoic teenage cunt(s)." Kettle, this is pot. Pot, this is kettle.
@John If I give that impression, well it's an inaccurate one. I'm not trolling, I AM a Madonna fan. A real Madonna fan. But contrary to most Madonna fans, I don't leave my brain at the door, I'm still going to think for myself and say my opinions, and my opinion is that Madonna is in the lowest, most pathetic creative slump of her career, it's like a swamp, worse than American Life, and I'm going to say it. I'm sorry if I offend people but I don't want to get into fights, I don't say the things I say to fight, nor do I insult members of this page, it's just my opinion about one of my idols wich is Madonna, and if you don't like it, and are not going to be respectful about it, just don't talk to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm that person that yells at the emperor, HEY! you have no clothes on! and if people don't like it, then don't talk or argue with me.
A gorgeous shot from what I anticipate will be a stunniing portfolio. She looks flawless. Re the hot young man on her arm - she continues to subvert mysogonist stereotypes and I love her for that. x
ReplyDeleteSorry, not used to having such archaic, sexist views enter into my sphere, I meant 'misogynist'
ReplyDeleteMust add that I get so pissed off when stars from a bygone age are held up as role models that contemporary stars should adhere to. The world has changed so much since Liz Taylor was a star, women are more autonomous and do not need a man's guidance or society's approval. Madonna not only reflects the shift in attitudes, she is being instrumental in changing them. Why shouldn't a woman who looks amazing and has a vital, healthy young attitude to life seek the same from her partner?
ReplyDelete@ John: Totally disagree with the following statement.
ReplyDelete**"Madonna's work is more thoughtful and "original," because she takes a medium that isn't her own and makes it her own - like Metropolis in Vogue, like Tommy in Confessions on a Dancefloor, like Dantes Inferno in DWT. She doesn't simply plagiarizes her contemporaries work. She transforms a masterpiece into her own work of art."**
How is Madonna's work more "thoughtful" and "original" because she takes inspiration, references, or sometimes simply blatantly copies something else, while others who do basically the same thing (and *may* be from within the same medium) are not worth giving the same kind of accolades to?
A bit of a double standard, no?
Madonna doesn't always take prior films, photographs, paintings, etc. and gives them her own twist. This may have been the case with something like Metropolis/Express Yourself vid or Citizen Kane/Oh Father vid, but there is nothing in this new photo session with D&G where Madonna is giving it her own "spin". There is no change in storyline, no change in character, no freshness about it. She is basically (or D&G is anyway) lifting from the film, and that's where it ends.
Same thing with the Tommy/Confessions Tour reference you gave. Madonna doesn't change up the outfit. She doesn't change up the angles of the photography, or the character. She literally copies Tina Turner's character's outfit, the stylization, the photography, and that's it. There is no "spin". There is no new angle. It's her copying, and that's it. Same can be said of the Hollywood video...same can be said of the VF 1991 magazine cover where she does the EXACT same photographs Marylin Monroe did..there is nothing new or innovative about what she's doing here.
My issue is: let's call a spade a spade. When Madonna gives prior works, photographs, films, characters, etc. a new "spin", a new "angle", she tends to pull it off brilliantly. But when she does a basic copy cat situation, there is nothing "thoughtful" or "original" about it. She is basically playing dress up. Fair enough, it doesn't take away from the potential beauty or excitement from it, but it certainly makes you question how "original" she is, no?
So, if Gaga is doing something similar...EXCEPT Gaga *does* give it her own spin, her own angle, etc.--how is Gaga's not "thoughtful" or "original", while Madonna's work is? That doesn't make any sense.
I adore Madonna, but she is one of the biggest copy cat/rip off artists of all time, and that's perfectly fine. Like I said, it doesn't take away from the beauty or excitement of some of the things she does, but why can Madonna get away with it, and be labeled as a "genius" by some fans, while Gaga is a talented, useless hack?
Whoops...at the end there, I meant to ask...
ReplyDelete...but why can Madonna get away with it, and be labeled as a "genius" by some fans, while Gaga is a talentless, useless hack?
"This guy above talks about some Christopher Flynn as he were Arthur Danto, Umberto Eco or Jean Clair. Who on earth is that Flynn dude?"
ReplyDeleteWho is Christopher Flynn??? Go do your homework you poor sap! The internet should make you smarter. Flynn was Madonna's mentor, he was the one who opened her up to the world she never knew existed. We should feel thankful that Flynn was the influence he was on her.
In Madonna case, yes she steals, borrows or whatever you want to call it and brings it back mainstream- gives it her "spin." That's her charm. She doesn't pretend she's that original nor has she ever said she was. She knows what she's doing and she does it well. She's in on the joke. It works for her. We like it, that's why we keep coming back- to see what
she's going to do next.
If she wants to take some obscure Italian movie reference and use it for a D&G campaign, let her. D&G are definitely not dummies and are certainly not going to let Madonna tarnish their image by letting her do something half-assed. Why else do you think they would use her again for any of their campaigns? Because she is a whore. A high class whore, but none the less a whore. She does it better than anyone else and if any of you think that her fans are blind to this, you are the blind one my friend.
As far as Gaga, she's a total novelty and will be done very soon. She does not have the smarts to carry her copy cat image off much longer. If she wants to stay around, she really going to have to come up with something original because this Grace Jones wannabe act is tired.
LOL @ Ramon's comment... Obviously I struck a nerve (a fat one maybe lol?). If you thoroughly read what I said you would see that the fat comment was directed towards “...” not you. It's rest of my comment that was directed towards you. You sound like a bitter old drag queen who has diarrhea at the mouth (yes I said it again) on a fan site. A teenage cunt I'm not, I have a dick between my legs and I use it everyday, I am 33 and I am not bitter, ugly or disturbed and yes I did make a point, you have obviously missed it as you were probably thinking about your next snappy comeback lol. Keep yelling at the emperor as that is the classy thing to do (for a troll lol) but just like I have done it before with “...” I will do it again with you as I do not see my comments as insults, they are the truth and maybe the truth hurts you fat ass just a bit lol. Can’t wait to read what you respond with... With love, Sergio...
ReplyDelete@Sergio lol you are 33?? you seriously sound like 13. It's PATHETIC. I'm 27 btw and have never been a drag queen. Projecting much?? you are disgusting.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I'm still waiting for an articulate opinion coming from your old, bitter immature and ignorant self. Loser.
LOL poor sad Ramon, if you think that a response that weak will make me do anything but laugh - you are correct because I am laughing at your bitch ass. I do not troll around websites of people I do not like and then sit in front of my laptop analyzing how they are over and they do not mean anything to anyone anymore LOL. I also do not yell at an emperor for not wearing any clothes as when someone is happy I am happy for them and it isn't my business to tell them they are wrong. You have a mentality of a bitter childish drag queen who snaps it's fingers at strangers because "it" does not know any better. Just because I am gay it does not mean that I will act like a typical homo by being louder and more obnoxious than everyone else. You sound like someone who wasn't loved and cared for as a child, someone who was alone and maybe even fat and a bit fug lol, and it made you bitter... very bitter. If anything I feel sad for you being only 27 and hating life so much. Who cares about you being a "true" fan, what you are is a true bitter homo. I can just picture you being very awkward looking sitting in front of your pc finger snapping and huffing and puffing, hating me and madonna so much lol. I am very comfortable with myself, with my age, with my looks and I am not in dire need of your or anyone's validation. Yes I do love Madonna and it isn't my business to point out what she is doing wrong, this woman has accomplished enough and she does not need my validation. You on the other hand obviously need to let your anger out and you thought that going to an artists fan site would be the perfect way to try out your bitter routine LOL. And who am I to tell you no, this is a platform for everyone and I welcome your sad comments. But I will always have something to say so fasten your seatbelt as it's going to be a bumpy ride... Yours truly, Mr. Disgusting.
ReplyDelete