Ellis Avery paints
a picture of the famed artist, Tamara de Lempicka, and the erotic burgeoning of
art between the world wars. With daring
bravado, Lempicka picks her model from the streets of Paris.
Tamara offers a beautiful American, Rafaela, the opportunity
to strip her body of modesty and become the pose for a masterpiece.
Rafaela, a penniless immigrant who sells her body for
shelter and food, is caught up in the swift strokes of Tamara’s brush. Sensual curves of paint and brilliant colors
create a bond between the women.
To paint a body perfectly it must be studied and
touched.
The women learn the art of each others strengths and
weaknesses as the painting develops.
Tamara de Lempicka wants fame and fortune in tandem with sexual
gratification. Rafaela simply requests
love.
The hectic and evolving world of art demands its own formula
to offer a renowned artist a position at the top of the ladder. Tamara de Lempicka and her Rafaela stumble and trip along the ladder, both forging ahead
to find their ultimatum.
This is an indulgent story of the backside in an artist’s
life of love, sex, cocaine, and how the combination molds its participants. Explicit in meaning, yet not graphic.
Enjoy,
Dawn
Good review, Dawn! I am intrigued.
ReplyDeleteMarie
Thanks, Marie! The novel sounds very contemporary, yet it's historical. Guess our generation didn't create self-indulgence:)
ReplyDelete