what is a “yankee doodle dandy”?
In order to clearly communicate all facets of this particular project, one must begin with a simple photograph. A photo [fig.1] that is very odd, as it seems to be somewhat of a mixed signal, yet a clear message that, at least, she demands attention. The woman in the photo is wearing her long hair in the style of a “high ponytail”; that is, all hair pulled back tightly towards the top of the back of the head, then secured with a hair tie, ribbon, or elastic band. The hair will actually project out from the head, and it appears very similar to that of a horse’s tail. Depicted in this photograph is a young nude woman, yanking her own ponytail tightly straight up and away from her head. As one scans over the woman in Fig.1, you should notice that the woman is simultaneously projecting youth, beauty, virginity, innocence, and a playful, almost childlike demeanour. If one simply reflects on the memory, this particular pose is familiar to all. However, the pose is somewhat elusive. To my knowledge no name is assigned to this pose. I intend to research the sociological, cultural, and historical significance and all meanings of this particular pose within the context of traditional fine art figure drawing. As no name currently exists for this pose, I intend to name it, at least temporarily and without any objections, as the “yankee doodle dandy”. Updates regarding this research will appear on this post, which has the url of: https://fomtooley.com/posts/yankee-doodle-dandy
