Wednesday, June 15, 2011

violon d'Ingres



violon d'Ingres [vɪˈəʊlɒn ˈdængrə] n.

1.) An occasional pastime, an activity other than that for which one is well-known or at which one excels (O.E.D. 2nd Ed.).

Etymology: French, literally "Ingres’ violin". Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780—1867) was a French Neoclassical painter who also played the violin.

"But archaeology was much more than Freud's violon d'Ingres and provided him both as a clinician and as a writer with a versatile set of conceptual modes. This celebrated moment from his essay on 'Female Sexuality' (1931) is characteristic of one use to which archaeological material may be put: 'Our insight into this early, pre-Oedipus, phase in girls comes to us as a surprise, like the discovery, in another field, of the Minoan-Mycenean civilization behind the civilization of Greece' (XXI, 226)" (Freud, Proust, and Lacan: Theory as Art, Malcolm Bowie, 1987).

(Violon d'Ingres, Man Ray, 1924)
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Cheers to everyone who responded to my little moral dilemma. The correct answer was: it doesn't matter what I do because animals have no moral significance. Thanks for reading!

24 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Way to go with the partially bare bum! That perks up learning about obscure words and phrases!

I disagree that animals have no moral significance. Our reaction to animals and our treatment of them make them morally significant to us. To think otherwise gives humans carte blanche to treat them cruelly and surely that cannot be condoned.

Ana said...

then I guess my violin d'ingres is photography...
interesting :]
nice picture.

DEZMOND said...

this one would require lots of practice when it comes to pronunciation :)

Dejch said...

French words sounds so funny.

Bart said...

wat... that sounds awesome.

Anonymous said...

This is a word that my dad would like because he plays the violin!

Lydia Kang said...

I didn't know this one. Thanks E!

Astronomy Pirate said...

So, kind of like a hobby, but not really?

Katie said...

Fascinating. I adore the French language, I guess I consider it to be my violon d'Ingres. Does that make sense?

Empty said...

mine violon d'Ingres is maths then. :P
btw, awesome banner pic. :)

MRanthrope said...

Savage animals FTW

Zombie said...

perfect cello body! lol.

M Pax said...

So, one would not be weltschmerz about a violin d'ingres. Great words.

A Beer for the Shower said...

Is it possible to have a classy tramp-stamp tattoo?

No, probably not. But at least I'd learn something while I was getting AIDS from her.

Unknown said...

The image is unsettling and beautiful at the same time. Interesting word and another that I'd never heard of before. Yay.

Jazz bazooka said...

ou... this one is nice, will use it if i ever remember it

Patti D. said...

I just can't speak french!

You can visit my blog here.

Once Upon A Time... said...

strange word...don't like the french language.

with regards to my post, i don't know if you've heard about my island, it's lovely :)
post your pics - i would love the challenge.

jos xx

T. Banacek said...

Those French and their sex...

Fang said...

Sounds French, ugh.
But still, the meaning is pretty awesome. Kind of cool to know there's now a word for that!

Anonymous said...

Love how this one rolls off the tongue. Lazy. Secondary. Like a violin d'ingres, I suppose.

D22 Zone said...

You're doing a great job with your blog! keep up the good work!

Sick by Trend said...

the best illustration of this word in that picture!! :D

xx

Don't forget to watching the GUCCI live show in my blog next 20th of june at 12:30 pm in Milano!! :)

www.sickbytrend.com

Megan said...

I know I'd totally butcher the pronunciation, but what a great phrase!

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