Men to Avoid in Art and Life

Product Information

When men are told that women actually don't want to hear from them on every little thing, they tend to respond with horror, as if this is some new thing. But Tersigni's book offers a funny, but honest truth: we have never wanted to hear from you. We've been getting trolled for ages, and now we have more power to speak against it-and we have the likes of Tersigni to archive this frustration. I want to pass this book out like postcards whenever a man thinks he's the first to 'Well, actually' me."

I cringed and laughed my way through this book in the best way possible. I have never related to women in fine art more and therefore had an unstoppable urge to share some of the content with friends. One could argue that making jokes of misogyny is potentially problematic, but Tersigni skillfully avoids that trap by simply roasting the very misogynistic subjects. Some of the things they say are:PERFECT GIFT FOR A WOMAN IN YOUR LIFE: Whether it's a holiday, a birthday, or any day, this wall calendar is a year-round gift that will bring a smile for any occasion. I know it’s hard for women to sit quietly. But close your eyes and listen. You might learn something.”

Through cringe-induced empathy, this timeless gift book of shared experiences unites women across history in one of the most powerful forms of resistance: laughter. Makes a perfect gift for women and feminists with a wry sense of humor, millennials, anyone who loves memes and Internet humor, as well as history and art buffs. In The Mansplainer, Barend Graat’s Company in a Garden (1661), which shows a corseted young woman being steered around a garden in front of a rabble of men, attempts to explain away catcalling: “You should be flattered they find you attractive enough to harass.” In The Patronizer, the top-hatted gentleman in Jean Henri de Coene’s Market Gossip (1827) tells the woman ferrying a sizeable basket on her head: “I can see you’re very busy, but I just had to tell you that you’d be so much prettier if you smiled.”Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794) was a brilliant chemist, credited with the discovery of oxygen and the chemical composition of water. He was married to Marie-Anne Paulze (1758-1836), who collaborated with Lavoisier in his laboratory work — she was properly trained in the chemical sciences of the time and a scientist in her own right. Her illustrations of Lavoisier’s experimental apparatuses were invaluable; she translated scientific papers from English in French for Lavoisier to read, and actively participated in laboratory experiments. Lavoisier was eventually guillotined during the Reign of Terror in 1794. After his death, Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier organized for his final scientific work to be published in three volumes, ensuring his scientific legacy. Her work and contributions, however, remain largely forgotten. Here's a song I wrote called 'If You Can't Orgasm from Vaginal Penetration You're Probably a Lesbian, Linda'." Images from Men to Avoid in Art and Life by Nicole Tersigni. Photograph: Provided by Chronicle Books A very delicate act of ego-balancing from Men to Avoid in Art and Life by Nicole Tersigni(all images courtesy Chronicle Books) I ask Tersigni if there’s a particular type of man she tries hardest to avoid. “They all kind of bleed together,” she says. “But the one I have certainly encountered the most is the Comedian. He not only explains your jokes to you, he also tells you to lighten up and get a sense of humour when you don’t laugh at his crappy jokes.”

I'd tell you how great this book is, but I don't know if you'd get it. Like, maybe you'd *understand* it, but on a fundamental level? No. Maybe show this to your girlfriend or your mom. She might be able to help with the pictures. It's just – you look way too handsome to comprehend the layers in here. What? That's a compliment! Where are you going?'...Bitingly funny, heartbreakingly relatable, Nicole's take on the painted weary gives new meaning to 'art criticism.' I never wanted it to end." We've all seen the memes floating around of classical paintings with a woman rolling her eyes, a man seemingly unaware of her displeasure, and a witty (modern) comment attached to it. I wasn't aware of Tersigni as the trend-starter, but I'm always amused by the memes when I come across them, so I was looking forward to a full coffee table book of them. Makes a perfect book for women and feminists with a wry sense of humor, millennials, anyone who loves memes and Internet humor, as well as history and art buffs. In other news, I spent half the book totally distracted by the various animals in the paintings (the doves in that one post-coital scene? sure!), but I'm always distracted by puppies, so I guess that was to be expected. ;)

So maybe I'll try again to post the very clever Toulouse-Lautrec caption and the other two or three...or maybe I give up and just provide quotes with links to the paintings. For now I'm giving it a rest and a nonvisual review.