Venus in Fur: Final Poster

Posted on by Thor

The final version of the Venus in Fur poster required a simple red glaze covering the whole image. This solution made the hair color indistinguishable and the flesh color could be anything in the deep red glow. Red also brings up thoughts of the red light district which I have never been to but have heard about.

The mail lead in Venus in Fur is Thomas, who is directing a play based on an 1870 novella Venus In Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch about a man longing to be dominated and humiliated by the right woman. Masoch’s last name gave birth to the phrase masochism.

Thomas had spent the whole day auditioning ordinary actresses who just were not right for the part. He was about to go home in defeat when a woman bursts into the room out of the pouring rain.

She had a horrible time getting to the audition with some random man rubbing up against her in the subway and her high heals got caught in a grate. She was visibly annoyed but managed to change gears to apologize for being late and convince Thomas to stay for this audition because she knew she was perfect for the part.

Vanda quickly gets out of her disheveled wet garb into costume. The male actor who had been reading lines opposite the actresses auditioning that day had already left, so Thomas stood in and read that part which he knew by heart since he had written it.

What follows is an unexpected power play as the actress not only knew every line but she knew the directors fiancé from working out in the gym. She seduced the director who became visibly excited, but she then dominated every scene and him as well. Vanda first massaged his male ego and then stomped on it and Thomas yearned to be dominated. I was left wondering if the actress had gone off script as they played their roles all too realistically.

There were dozens of performances on YouTube by actresses performing Vanda monologues. It is no wonder actresses are attracted to this play where the woman is empowered, and takes control of every scene. I wonder how many men are on YouTube reading monologues from Thomas as he whimpers and yearns to be punished.

Venus in Fur ran at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater through March 3, 2024. The Orlando Shakespeare production starred Walter Kmiec and Tracie Lane. I was relieved to see that Tracie actually looked very much like the fair skinned actress whose chest and lips I had cast for the poster. Her hair was shorter and less curly, but you could not see those details in the red-light version of the poster.

Venus in Fur: Second Pass

Posted on by Thor

For my second pass at the Venus in Fur poster, I decided to focus on the tight shiny leather glove as the dominatrix raised a finger to her lips to insist on silence. I imagined her saying Shhhh. I was thinking of a woman who might say, “Hey, I’m up here.” Meaning the guy is not looking where he should. Anyway, she is scolding the director.

I also did not know who would be cast as Vanda. I just needed to see her lips, so I avoided painting her nose on upwards. I case Vanda with flowing blonde hair and bright red lipstick. Most people would be looking at the outline of her tight black lace bra and her cleavage. That hidden valley punctuated by a small black bow was the star of the poster.

When John Singer Sargent painted a bare shoulder in his 1884 portrait, of Madame X, there was a major uproar in the Paris Salon. It was considered indecent, immoral, and a “slap in the face” to Parisian social standards. I had done a life sized copy of that Madam X painting for a New York City theater stage production so that painting was certainly on my mind.

In this poster I had one shoulder covered in rich black fur and the other was bare with the necessary strap to hold the black lace bra in place. Were that strap to slip, and it is dangerously close to doing so, then gravity would cause a wardrobe malfunction. I made sure to keep the bra strap in place so as not to upset Orlando High Society.

Anyway this concept hit the mark for a play about domination and masochism. I had darkened the flesh of the face so it receded into the darkness a bit, but the chest was painted a bright pasty white. I know that a viewer’s gaze will go to the brightest highlights and in this case that has to be the breasts.

In the approval meeting there was some discussion and concern because no one knew who might be cast as Vanda. At the Shakes any actress could get the part in the auditions. She could be any nationality or skin color. They were not looking specifically for a fair skinned blonde. She might be brunette. I had to show the actress and certainly I had to show plenty of flesh. It seemed like an impossible catch 22 conundrum. I needed to give it thought back at the studio and find some solution. I wasn’t sure a solution existed and I felt that this version of the poster was hitting the mark. I might have to paint the tools of the trade, like whips and other leather goods but I liked this in-your-face sexuality. Just don’t look her in the eyes. The flesh in this painting still needed some loving touches but I left it as it is to embrace change.

Venus in Fur: First Pass

Posted on by Thor

With the first pass at a poster for Venus in Fur by David Ives, for the Orlando Shakes, I was intrigued by the intricate detail of fish net stockings. Much of the image features hills and valleys of flesh covered in fishnet. I decided that was too abstract an idea to dominate so much of the poster, so I added the legs and whip to make it clear fishnet stockings are found on shapely legs. Then I added the reclined female odalisque whose outline is defined by the flow of the whip. Then of course plenty of black fur was needed. It was a strange combination of thoughts, but it has the visual feeling that I wanted.

Venus in Fur is a bold and unexpected play about an audition for a part in a play. The director, had been through a solid day of auditions for the female lead in his show, but hadn’t found just the right woman for the part.

A disheveled woman came in late out of the rain and apologized for being late. She had to convince the director that he needed to stick around for this last audition since he was ready to go home. She quickly got ready. Since the male actor who had been reading the parts, had already left, the director had to step in and read opposite her.

Over the course of the audition the actress began to dominate every scene and then dominate the director. Sexual tension rose, and the director began to cower and become subservient to her sadomasochistic demands. I began to wonder if this was all written in the script or had the two of them gone off on a tangent. This is definitely a show that I hope to see in person someday. I regret not getting in to sketch a live performance at the Shakes.

This pass at the poster was me experimenting to catch the flavor of the show, but I knew that another version that I was working on at the same time was more direct and powerful. The title treatment felt perfect, so at least that element would make it to the final cut. The other tiny element that I felt would be needed for the poster was the elegant hand covered in black shiny leather. The gloved hand is such a tiny piece of this puzzle, but I felt it told more about the story than the fishnets that first caught my attention.

So I kind of knew that this version of the poster would not fly. It was time to go back to the drawing board and try and nail down something sexy but more solid. Since I could not be sure who the actress would be, I was looking for ways to hide her identity. This pass at the poster felt a bit scattered. The best ideas come with plenty change and evolution.