Review, Regroup, Reswizzle

A new exhibit at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art entitled “Hidden Treasures”, works from the permanent collection, featuring a broad array of art from around the world and spanning the centuries, was enticing enough to draw me in quickly to see what had been down in storage. I especially enjoyed seeing some drypoint etchings by John Sloan and Edward Hopper, and a series of colorful, if understated, silkscreen prints by a variety of artists such as Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, and Robert Motherwell. A display of pre-Columbian Mexican artifacts was also of keen interest.

The museum is doing some updating and has temporarily relocated some artwork to new exhibition rooms. It was good to see some old favorites, like a rather unique Van Gogh self portrait, hanging in a new location, with new friends in its midst.

The highlight of the visit had to be viewing two striking paintings by Balthus, but, aren’t they all?

Attavanti, Come to Pray

SACRISTAN Her picture!

CAVARADOSSI Whose?

SACRISTAN That strange girl who has been coming here these past few days to pray. Such devotion… such piety.

CAVARADOSSI It is so. And she was so absorbed in fervent prayer that I could paint her lovely face unnoticed.

SACRISTAN Away, Satan, away!

CAVARADOSSI Give me my paints. Oh hidden harmony of contrasting beauties! Floria is dark, my love and passion…

SACRISTAN Jest with knaves and neglect the saints …

CAVARADOSSI And you, mysterious beauty… Crowned with blond locks, your eyes are blue and Tosca's black!

Blond Nude

I completed an oil painting today, tentatively entitled “Attavanti, Come to Pray”, shown above. This one had a rather long gestation period of some six to eight months. I am of the mindset these days of not to rush or push the completion of a work. At present, I prefer to let the work evolve in its own time, emerging when the time is right.

I look forward to seeing how I will feel about it going forward, but for right now, I enjoy displaying it on my wall.

Icons, Part 3

Oh, who could resist?! Here she is. My take on Jackie.

She is the best single thing that ever happened to Jack.

Icons, Part 2

Art, politics, culture. Icons are where we blur the lines. My pick for top icon of the twentieth century? Hands down, Chairman Mao.

If only it could have been Jackie!

Icons of the Twenty First Century?

Lenin, Mao, Gandhi, Stalin, Marlene Dietrich, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, all of them were, by any measure, twentieth century icons.

Is there a new set of enduring icons? Is it too early to tell in the twenty first century? Can you identify an enduring icon alive today, especially one who captivates the public imagination at present?

Leave me a comment. I would be very interested to hear your view!

The System and The Bee’s Knees

Hard to fathom that the linchpin that holds all of life together on this planet rests on the fervent and relentless activity of this little fellow shown above, sucking nectar out of the style of a flower. As he gathers the nectar, going flower to flower, he spreads the pollen stuck to his body securing the pollination and ensuring the continuation of all plant life, and thus the vast animal food chain that relies on it.

If we were to properly value this pollination effort, we would do everything in our power, and base every decision on the health and wellbeing of the bees. Instead of applying our cunning for war and conquering and mayhem, we would help our little friends who labor on our behalf. Then we would truly live in a world abundant with milk and honey.

Designed and Manufactured with Available Materials and Technology

While hiking in what had been the summer hunting grounds of the Eastern Abenaki Indians, I came across this small stone on the trail. Though grouped with other like sized stones, this one caught my eye and I decided to examine it. Could it be an Indian artifact, a tool of some kind? It seemed to me that it might well be!

The stone was symmetrical side to side and front to back. It clearly seemed to have been worked. If anything, it appeared to have a dual purpose with a full radius, uniformly sharp, serrated blade on one end, and a blunter, straighter serrated scraping blade on the other. It appeared to have been crafted by deft striking. It felt good in my hand.

Where is the stone now? It is right where I found it on the trail. Now I will always know where it is!

Stonescape

I just returned from a week of camping and hiking in Acadia National Park, on Mount Desert Island, Maine. I was far from the world of work, the web, buttons and screens. It was a welcome respite, with my eyes to the mountains, and the skies, to read the heavens for signs of rain or stars. I also found time for the guitar and books, to soothe and nourish the inner man.

On a return visit to the summit of Mount Pemetic, I came across this wonder in 3 dimensions, like a friend to greet the temporal visitor, whether on two legs, four, or in flight. On par with any abstract creation that I have seen, with profound dimensions of form, mass, and color, and placed as though by the thumb and forefinger of the Maker.

Homage

My drawing professor from design school, the great, Jak Kovatch, used to say, among many other things, “color attracts the eye.” I think, well, yes it really does.

Countless times, often while drawing or painting, or sometimes, just while driving in the car, I think of Jak and his words, put out softly, like nuggets of gold, or gems lying on the ground. Many will pass by, but will they value or even notice?

On Balance

A day in the home office, off the roads, catching up on paperwork, conducting business, with time for social interaction, some drawing, some painting, some planning, and, a light workout.

Net out: fulfillment.