Why We’re Fascinated by the Image

Eye-catching, isn’t it? Nude Descending a Staircase No. 2 has been around for a good amount of time, almost 115 years. Cubits rejected it, calling it too futuristic. But it fascinates us, anyway.

Modern music videos have brought this fascination back to public awareness, starting in 1967 with The Beatles’ “Your Mother Should Know.”

A more modern music video is Take That’s “Shine.”

Honestly, this video is only 16 years ago? Seems older than that. The song came out on February 20, 2007.

If we’re being totally frank, we would admit that the original idea came from William Blake. His painting of “Jacob’s Ladder” was published circa 1800.

It’s where we get the idea of a Stairway to Heaven, as immortalized by Led Zeppelin in 1971. It was also used to great effect in the film, “A Matter of Life and Death” as produced in 1946..

Admittedly, we are fascinated by Life and (especially) Death. Does this make sense, now?