Heavy, overweight, grossly overweight, obese are litanies that have become universal in the occidental world (particularly in North America and Northern Europe) and are the direct byproduct of good, easy life brought to us by the industrial revolution and the profound changes heretofore in agriculture and raising of poultry and livestock as well as the sudden availability of low price cane and betroot sugar. These changes were gradual and as late as the 1950’s there were still a low percentage of individuals who could have been categorized as being obese.

The mid-nineteen century brought to the Western world lighting, running water, sewage, land ownership by the farmers, better roads, the introduction of railroads, an increase in farm products commerce and distribution, the quasi elimination of famine and plague and the availability of food products to all.

Gradually, better living conditions and breakthrough in medicine allowed for more numerous populations which required more food, which in turn required new methods of growing, preserving, packing and storing farm products. The global food industry as we know it today was thus created allowing for consolidation and the spread of worldwide known brands.

By the end of World war II new treatment of food which had been manufactured to fulfil the demand of the armed forces became available in the retail food outlets in one form or the other immediately followed by the introduction of supermarkets, the competition amongst brands for shelving space and the further lowering of food prices if we compare was those were then to what they were fifty years prior ratio to wages. Should also be mentioned that the soft drink market had followed an identical path with the birth starting in the 1930’s of beverage products which, with the help of World war II beame available everywhere at anytime at a nominal price.

The 1950’s saw the first junk food outlets being opened. Some of those were an instant success and through franchise agreements quickly became what they are today, the largest food and beverage operators in the world making available certain types of quickly prepared dishes at a very low price to all at all hours of the day and night standing up, seating down, served through your car window or delivered at your home or place of work at a very nominal charge if any.

Life is such that no one could have predicted that this sudden abundance of very inexpensive food through vending machines, retail outlets, supermarkets, outlets which deliver meals and fast food outlets would have in turn dire consequences as most of us love to eat and a large percentage have a tendency to being unable to control their intake of food and sugar ladden drinks.

Should be added that most of us have not received proper education as to what should be consumed as well as how much and when in order to remain healthy or as may be the case healthier.

Should also be recognized that while the majority of heavy, too heavy individuals ingest for the most part what I would like to term as industrially packaged food which is relatively inexpensive, a minority reach a major waist size by drinking expensive wines and spirits and eating what could be categorized as expensive culinary items which are reserved for the ones amongst us that can really afford it however at the end of the day the result is the same.

The overweight problem has now and for a certain time been brought to the attention of the medical community, the authorities and the medias due to the very large proportion of individuals who can now be defined as obese meaning that those individuals weigh a certain number of pounds in excess of the median acceptable weight which should be carried taking into account their body height and frame. Individuals become heavy because they eat and drink too much. However, most eat and drink too much because they enjoy eating and drinking and not for any other reason.

The notion of hunger is triggered by a section of our brain and in order to try to simplify the reason why individuals who are heavy seem to eat and drink more than normal individuals is that their stomach has become oversized and gets the signal from our brain that it should be kept filled. This should explain in a few words why a prescribed diet is most of the time so difficult to follow.

As a remedy, surgery of one form or the other is now prescribed especially whenever motion is affected. Soon, pills or injections will be made available of which side effects are at this time difficult to evaluate.

I cannot help but think that the problem at hand meaning the loss of extra weight of present and future generations will not be resolved unless inexpensive or as may be the case free food and sugary drinks are no longer available. As we all know this will simply not happen unless we go through a period of geophysical or geopolitical change that would trigger lack of ressources due for instance to lack of water required to grow crops in certain parts of the world. Such a calamity would in turn oblige us to drastically cut down the production of cereals, cattlefeed, vegetables and fruit.

Food prices would automatically spiral, unexpensive items would disappear from the supermarket shelves and fast food franchises would have to modify their business model.

Once again food would become expensive ratio to wages as it was over a century ago.

Taking all of the above into account I am of the personal opinion that we are not analysing the situation as we should. Obesity is here to stay and obese people as long as they have motion are in most cases happy, smiling if they have access to sufficient food and drink to meet their need.

Not too long ago I was staying in a nondescript motel in an island off the coast of mainland Alaska. The do it all desk clerk who took care of me was well groomed, happy, smiling, willing to please and terribly obese. She did not look at all like someone who wanted to start a regimen of diet and exercise or to be reborn into a different envelope while on earth. I then started to wonder why we should think of her as someone who would need to be exposed to a difficult to accomplish lifestyle change while she is satisfied with her present one.

If I am right in assuming that de facto obese people are now part and parcel of the population mainstream because the changes which are being proposed by governments, healthcare businesses and the medical profession will simply not work we should start to understand what is right and simply forget what is wrong in this new order of physical proportions and look.

“Avoir du poids” is a very old French colloquial expression which was used to designate very heavy individuals in the days when those were few and furthermore thought of as well to do, healthy and “bon vivant”. I am not claiming that “if you can’t beat them join them....” phrase should apply but stating that happy heavy men or women should be allowed to be what they want to be.

The various gouaches and oils I have worked on for the last few years try to depict mood and not reality. It shows that heavy bodies can be attractive and graceful while reminding the reader of the 16th century Flemish drawings and paintings of extremely well endowed young women who were then very much in demand. I have also noticed that while haute couture still shows emaciated young women on the catwalk other shows are now scheduled which propose much larger sizes taking into account the reality in day to day life of larger bodies now carried by most women. Taste has a tendency to fluctuate over the years and who knows plump ladies and gentlemen may once again be the vogue and as such totally become incorporated into mainstream.

 

Monaco 2015

Over the last hundred and fifty years progressively the medias, communications and instant communications at any hour of the day or night have become an intricate part of every individual life whenever such an individual wishes to and can afford to be part and parcel of the digital revolution. Most individuals do and accept freely to give up a modicum of privacy so that they can become an integrated cog in the system.

Following, communication between similar type regardless of gender and location has become easy and individuals can now target others who have the same profile, once the “get to know you” step has been taken then a meeting ensues eventually leading to the acquaintance of others and participation in athletics, Sunday brunch, dance, shopping, shows and many other forms of human get together.

In this brochure, our friends have set aside trying to resolve what in my opinion cannot be resolved and willfully enjoy life in movement and colour.