LESLIE PETERSON SAPP
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My Beautiful Mind

1/10/2023

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A while back, I wrote a blog post called “The Poky Little Puppy” and an accompanying email called “In Defense of the Slow.” I talked about how, at 40 years of age, I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, Inattentive Type. This realization has helped me to better understand some of the challenges I have had in navigating this life.
But ADD is also closely associated with having a creative mind. Artistic mind, attention deficit disorder, who knows where one ends and the other begins?


Just like the Poky Little Puppy, my mind is not good at staying on the path. It wanders off and picks flowers, attracted by the next, and the next, and the next more captivating bloom.


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My mind is not organized. Information comes in the form of so many scraps of paper, fluttering about in the wind. Projects or professions that involve any complexity seems like an insurmountable undertaking.

I’ve got a terrible memory. I often forget essential aspects of whatever task I am performing. (Recently I set off to buy new glasses, leaving my prescription at home.
)

But, I have learned something sort of fun about my mind, and how it likes to organize itself.

I was trying to develop some sort of regular, consistent, doable habit in regards to posting on social media about my art. “Everyone” was buzzing about social media.

You know, “Everyone,” don’t you? “Everyone” says:
  • You should post everyday so you can be in good with the “algorithm.”
  • Reels are the next big thing. Everyone is doing reels.
  • Stories are the thing. You’ve got to do stories.
  • First you post, then you share it all over the other “platforms.”
  • Every "platform" has specific demands, like on Twitter you can have only four pictures, but Instagram you can have ten. Stories videos are only 15 seconds long, but Reels are 90.

And so on, and so on. All that resulted from this was a panicky sense of dread.
Enter, the Mind Map.
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Here is all is. I spent hours on this silly thing.

I tried to impress my friends by sharing it with them, but they didn’t even want to LOOK at it, and who could blame them? It seems overly elaborate and faintly ridiculous now, but the one most important thing is also true: now I know.

Now I know. Social media is no longer confusing to me. I may need a reminder of the specifics, but the tiny scraps of paper have settled down into an orderly pattern. Now I understand.


As I just wrote about in my post “Evolve or Die,” I revealed that I am starting on a new body of work, inspired by archeology and deep history. It’s really exciting, and really scary. For the first time in many years, I genuinely have no idea what I am doing. It will be an adventure into the unknown.

I have been a consumer of archeology media of various kinds for years. I have two magazine subscriptions. I watch archeology shows. I listen to podcasts. Over the years, I have absently absorbed a lot of scraps of information. Over time, these bits of information started to formulate themselves into a loose, fluttery vision of the world.

I became filled with the desire to understand these little scraps in context, in an order, like maybe a mind map… or maybe… a time-line.

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A timeline.

Fueled with this new obsession, I knew that I was not going to be able to commence on my new journey of art-making without tackling this. I took a large roll of paper, and I set it on a little table. I rolled it out on my wall and tacked in down. I decided on a very general form: seven areas of the planet, drawn with seven horizontal lines. The time demarcations will be the vertical axis. But, I am still not sure what time periods I am going to depict, and where along the horizontal axis they will land. So, I started to write bits of information I find intriguing on bits of rice paper, and started to tape them up at various places. Everything at this point is in flux and movable.

I feel like a mad scientist.

In fact, I have recently learned from The Google that there is a thing called “The Crazy Wall.” It’s a meme, stemming from the media’s dramatic use of an “evidence board” real detectives use to solve crimes. It was used to most dramatic effect in the 2001 movie “A Beautiful Mind.”
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For the first time in a long while, I am creating something that I have no real intention of putting on display or trying to sell. Somehow, I just know I need to do this. I need to capture and contain what I know, but cannot yet use. Something that simply comes out of my beautiful mind.

My beautiful, inefficient, scattered, forgetful, creative, artistic mind.

A video of me about to dive into the time-line.
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Evolve or Die!

1/9/2023

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"Evolve or die" is a common quote. I’m not sure I would die if I didn’t evolve, but stagnation is something I cannot exactly live with either.

Since the beginning of my art career, I have had two main bodies of work, which I call “Vintage Snapshots” and “Film Noir.” Now I am commencing on a whole new body of work! I don’t really have a catchy name for it yet, but it is inspired by my fascination with archeology and history.


I made a blog entry almost a year ago entitled “I’m in Love with Archeology.” In it I displayed some sketches, inspired by a book about Sutton Hoo, a famous Anglo-Saxon burial site, depicted in the 2021 movie The Dig. Since that seminal series of sketches, my desire to follow that path has grown and grown, and now I cannot deny it any longer.

My aim is to create art not just about the subject itself, but also about how my mind works, what I find interesting, and why.

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Sutton Hoo sketch 2022
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Acrylic medium test panel 2023
This will involve using not just drawing and painting, but text, layering, and perhaps some maps or schematic diagrams as well.

This is a test piece where I am experimenting with different types of acrylic mediums, layered with text and drawing.
Notice I make a lot of pencil notes on it, to keep track of what combinations I have used.

For the first time in many years, I genuinely have no idea what I am doing. It will be an adventure into the unknown.
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Travelogue: Artistic inspiration in Santa Fe

11/17/2022

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I have just returned from spending a week in Santa Fe, New Mexico with my best artist buddy, Bridget Benton Carwyn.

Traveling is always an inspiration, but it is especially so when it is with another artist in an "art town" like Santa Fe.

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Me an Bri at Bandelier
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It seems fitting that this being Native American Heritage Month, I found myself immersed in an area of the country that is saturated with, if not authentically Southwest Native American culture, then at least the culturally appropriated version of it.
From the adobe-style buildings, to the textiles, to the silver and turquoise jewelry, regional Native American peoples have created the basis of the “Southwest” style.

Museums Abound!
Santa Fe is chock full of museums. Now, I love museums. Wherever I go, I seek out museums, and can spend an almost distressingly long amount of time in them, reading every interpretive panel and label as I go.
Museums are different than when I was young (heck, everything is different than when I was young!) All educational materials were oriented from a white, male, European-oriented point of view. This has really shifted.

The Palace of the Governors
Case in point: The Palace of the Governors. (Don’t get too excited, it’s not much of a palace!) It was built in 1610 and served as a local seat of government for the Spanish empire, then for the United States territories. In 1901, it became a history museum.
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Now, back in 2004, Jim and I visited Santa Fe and went to the Palace of the Governors. I remember seeing exhibits in the long, rambling adobe building situated on the main public square.
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Since then, it has gone through a complete transformation. The block behind the Palace was razed and the New Mexico History Museum was built. The Palace is still a piece of the museum, but the bulk of the exhibits are in the new building.
There, I learned in great detail about the clash of three groups; Native Americans, the Spanish, and later the “Americans” (I wish to goodness I could call us “United Statesians”- far more accurate!)
Formerly, any atrocities and injustices caused by European expansion was glossed over and minimized. This time, it was all laid out clearly and objectively. Not only that, the agency and formidability of the various Native tribes was also clear to see.
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Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
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The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) is more than a collection of artifacts displayed with interpretation.  It is a museum that specifically communicates through the lens of Native Americans of the area.

Before the museum opened in 1987, an Indian Advisory Panel was formed to provide technical and cultural advice and approval of the objects displayed. The factual details and the philosophical interpretations are guided by these representatives. The outcome is that I, a European-facing outsider, can get a glimpse into the world of the Southwest Indian culture in a way that is immersive and multi-faceted.

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Interpretive panel, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
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Father Sky, Mother Earth by Tony Abeyta 1995
Contemporary artwork is included along side of the historical objects, giving an even larger sense of it being a living experience, not a dry report.
The main permanent exhibit is called “Here, Now & Always” The title is appropriate, because it used to be that Native Americans were described in past tense, like they didn’t exist anymore.

Museum of Contemporary Native Arts
The Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), is the museum associated with the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). This art school is meant for students to explore their cultural traditions and bring it into contemporary expression. 

A quote from their website: “IAIA is a place to embrace the past, enrich the present, and create the future, moving ahead to paths yet unexplored and undiscovered.”

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Art of Indigenous Fashion, MoCNA
What have I learned?
I understand that what I am about to say is going to be a cliché, so please bear with me.
European culture is very compartmentalized. Emphasis on the individual, especially here in the US, is unusually important. On top of that, artists and art are seen as being apart from the rest of society, as being “special” and isolated.
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Interpretive panel, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
As I was immersed in and experienced what these museums were offering, two main themes emerged.

One, that for these Native American creators, communal identity is a part of what goes into every form of expression.

Two, that the things created and displayed were often regarded not as “objects,” but as living things with an energy of their own. 

One terrific exhibition at The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture is Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery. The collection of pots and sculptures displayed are from diverse places and times, and were curated by a group of Native American potters, historians, and educators.
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Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery, MIAC

From their website: “Unlike exhibitions guided by Eurocentric timelines and Western concepts of art and history, Grounded in Clay’s focus on personal and community meaning emerges as a conversation expressed in prose, poetry, and the visual language of pottery.”
In one video, a potter said “Each pot has its own journey. Each pot has its memories.” (See video below)
It seems to me that the act of creation for many Native American artists is not merely an attempt at personal expression, but is an essential tool. A tool not only for cultural survival, but for their communities to thrive, and communicate who they are to the outside world.

Yes, but what about Moi?

I am beginning to realize my art is very ego driven. I don’t mean “ego” as in over confident or narcissistic. I mean I became attached to the identity of "artist" when I was a tiny child, because the people around me told me I was “talented.” It was a way for me to feel special and unique. Nothing wrong with that. Except that this desire to be seen as talented and “good” at art drives my decisions to this day. It separates me from my art. It separates me from myself.


What if I didn’t regard the art I create as “objects?”

What if I regarded each piece I made as a living thing?

What if I saw it as essential?
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©lesliepetersonsapp Drawing, The Hanged Man

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Classic Movie Review Interview

11/9/2022

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I am so happy to say that I have been interviewed by John Cornelison at Classic Movie Review. He read my “Why Noir?” article and realized his listenership would probably like to know more about how film noir inspires my art.

John is an author, movie enthusiast, archeologist and bonsai tree specialist who has produced Classic Movie Review podcast since 2014.

In our interview we talk art, movies, and even a bit about archeology (which, you may know, is also a great inspiration for me!)

Among other things, he asks me what my favorite movie is, and who is the best femme - and homme - fatales.


The interview comes as a podcast and a video, both of which are embedded below.


Additionally, John sent me this fabulous T-shirt promoting his work. The image is based on a shot of Jane Greer, playing the notorious Kathy in Out of the Past.
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Here is an excerpt from the interview, where he asks me more about that perennial archetype in film noir, the femme fatale.

John: "Fatales have often been villainized for the methods used to attain their goal. I believe this is the only tool or agency that women have in these cases, in these films. And it's not more sinister than a man beating up or shooting another man. Do you have any thoughts on how femme fatales are portrayed?"

Leslie: "I would agree with you. Oftentimes they are presented as being more evil than the man. But I think that has to do with who's writing the films and who's reviewing the films and talking about the films rather than the actual story.

"There's a great quote that's attributed to Margaret Atwood that says 'Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.'

"I think that that that's relevant in this case because sometimes the men that are reviewing or making the films really think being laughed at or being made a fool of by women is worse than being violent."

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Travelogue: The Artist Goes to Portugal and Spain

10/10/2022

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For those who love traveling, it can be a tremendously invigorating and inspiring experience.

Why? Because it takes you out of your normal life and, in a certain way, changes who you are. It sort of rearranges your alchemic make up. When you come back, at least for a while, everything looks different.

My husband and I went on a very long trip through parts of Portugal and Spain. People traveling together want different experiences, they seek different things out, and have unique impressions of what they see. So, I and my husband can see the same thing, but experience it differently.

Likewise, aspects of our personalities can experience things differently, as if there were multiple people inside of us who have their own desires and reactions.


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How does this work? Lisbon, Portugal
So, when my friend asks me, “what was your favorite part of the trip?” I have a difficult time answering. Which part of me are you asking?

What aspects of myself went on this trip with me?

The Artist, of course.
The Dance Enthusiast
The History Geek
The Antiquarian/Archeology Nerd
(Also, The Spoiled Princess- who can’t sleep because she doesn’t have her special pillow with her.)

I am a bit overwhelmed by all the amazing things I saw and experienced on this trip. So, rather than being able to write about it in a single entry, I need to write about it in parts, and let the entries come out when and how they may.

This entry is about The Artist in me.

I saw a lot of art on my trip, both in museums and in the historic places we visited.


Lisbon
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The Berardo Collection Museum in Lisbon has a well curated and comprehensive collection of modern art, which is laid out in a way that takes the visitor through a tutorial of the era. It's very enjoyable and impressive.
I also got introduced to an artist I had never heard of before, Renato Guttuso, which was wonderful.

Madrid
Madrid is one of the major cities of the world, with two of the truly great historic art museums, The Prado and The Reina Sophia.

The Prado houses art from antiquity up to the late 1800’s. It’s a large and unique collection of European art, mostly Spanish, some well-known, others not as much. It includes some of the most famous paintings by Bosch, Titian, El Greco, Rubens, and especially Velázquez and Goya- a LOTTA Goya.


Hieronymus Bosch
The Garden of Earthly Delights is one of the most wackadoodle paintings of all time, and it is, well, a delight.
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Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1503-15

Velasquez
A particularly satisfying art experience was seeing Las Meninas by Velasquez.
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Painted in 1656, it is over 10 feet tall. It’s one of the most enigmatic paintings of the era, during a time when subject matter was really controlled and standardized. It is like a snapshot of a moment in time, rather than like the rigidly posed and symbolically informed art that was in vogue at the time. There are nine figures in the painting; the Infanta (or, Princess), various attendants, two dwarves (who were also attendants) the king and the queen reflected in a mirror, and Velasquez himself.

The space is complicated by doorways and reflections, and shows the the back of the painting Velasquez is working on.


My art also uses doorways, mirrors, and dramatic lighting. No wonder I like it!


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©lesliepetersonsapp Many a Moon 38x38
(A few years ago, I was able to go to The Museu Picasso in Barcelona and see a series of 58 paintings that he did in 1957, all based on Las Meninas. But more about that guy later.)

Goya
There is happy Goya, then sad, crazy Goya.


Goya was a court painter and social climber who produced many canvases of royalty, romanticized country folk, flirtations, dances and idyllic landscapes.

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Goya, Blind Man's Bluff, 1789
Then there is dark Goya, who really stepped out of the common, more commercial art-making of the day to create stark, raw paintings and etchings about some of the vile aspects of humanity.
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Goya, The Third of May 1808, (painted in 1814)




The Third of May 1808 is a stunning painting about Napoleonic forces occupying Spain.
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Goya, Saturn Devouring His Son, 1819-23
Los Caprichos (The Caprices) and The Disasters of War are brutally honest depictions of human cruelty and folly.
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Goya, The Disasters of War, 1810-20
The Black Paintings were painted directly on the walls of his home, and were never intended to be publicly viewed. But there they were, in The Prado.
The most famous of these is Saturn Devouring His Son, based on Greco-Roman mythology.

I have seen reproductions of these paintings all my life, and to see them in person was thrilling.


Picasso
Then, there is The Guernica.

Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain. He lived in Barcelona and France. I have gone to a lot of museums devoted to his work.

I don’t love all Picassos. He was an immensely prolific artist, who lived and worked a helluva long time. He was one of the most famous artists of all time, even during his lifetime, so if he blew his nose on a hanky, some museum somewhere probably has it.

Moreover, he was incredibly versatile and his style ranged widely. So. I don’t love all Picassos. But I love The Guernica. So much that I actually call it The Guernica, for some reason.

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Picasso, Guernica, 1937
It’s about the bombing of a Basque country town by Nazi and Fascist Italy forces in 1937.

It is over 25 feet long.

It is entirely black, white, and variations of warm and cool greys.

The forms fold and unfold upon themselves, and it the best of what cubism can offer. The abstraction supports the emotional power of the moment. Chaos, pathos, terror, grief.

Seeing it in person was like looking at the Grand Canyon for me. I could see the subtly of the “color”, the ghosts of lines and brush marks that had been corrected or shifted. In the room where it hangs are arranged drawings and paintings that are clearly sketches for the final piece.

Also included in this same room was Minotauromachy, a largish etching from 1935. 
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Picasso, Minotauromachy, 1935
I adore Picasso’s classically inspired etchings, and this is one of the best. Because it is an etching, and therefore there are multiples of it, I have seen it before. But I it was great to see it again.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time at the Museo Reina Sophia to see the entire collection. What I did see were paintings, sculpture, posters, books, architectural drawings, and product design from the modern era, (1910’s-1940’s) As I wrote in Why Noir? The Art and Style of the Era, modern art has had a profound influence on my work.  Most of the work was Spanish, so it helped to fill out the cultural and political context The Guernica was created in.
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Thanks for reading my travelogue from the point of view of my inner artist.

With any luck I will be able to wrap my head around this experience and write some more, specifically the parts of me that are:

The Dance Enthusiast
The History Geek
The Antiquarian/Archeology Nerd

I somehow doubt I will go into The Spoiled Princess aspect of myself, as it is somewhat embarrassing.
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Why Noir? It's Fate, Baby.

9/19/2022

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A series on how film noir inspires my art- Final Entry!


So, Why Noir?

Being an artist may look like fun, but it is tough.

Putting yourself out there for others to see is perennially disquieting. In order to make it all worth it, the subject and method has to be captivating.
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©lesliepetersonsapp Miss Darger II 24x30
I am compelled to tell a story with my art. No matter if it is based on Shakespeare, mythology, or film noir, I am driven to explore and share the landscape of my imagination.
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©lesliepetersonsapp The Knave of Swords 30x20


Similar to the myths and stories of old, the characters are driven by forces larger than themselves and are so very, very human. Often being brought down by their own drives and weaknesses, they are driven by a futile effort to cheat Fate. The themes are undying elements of what it is to be human.



In the words of the Czar of Noir, Eddie Muller, film noir is "suffering with style".



By utilizing the elastic armature of the elements of film noir, I create art that is charged with longing, adventure, romance, and intrigue. I am able to expand and deepen my skills as a person and an artist, all the while having the time of my life.
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©lesliepetersonsapp Circle Mirror 36x36
For now, I am entirely caught up in the dark labyrinth of film noir.

But who knows what future stories my art will tell?


Need more noir?

Check out The Film Noir Foundation, which restores films noir and shows them at their film festivals.

It's founder, the Czar of Noir, Eddie Muller, is also a host on TCM's Noir Alley, which shows films noir every Saturday night and Sunday mornings.


Why Noir? is a series! Read 'em all.
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Why Noir? The Unusual Suspects

9/16/2022

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A series on how film noir inspires my art- Entry #9


Why is Shakespeare still so popular after all this time? It's because his stories and characters are timeless. There have been countless versions of his plays where the settings and characters’ identities are changed to bring new interpretations to the story presented.

The characters in noir are as vivid and fundamental as an archetype. They are so solid they can be dressed up in any outer appearance and still resonate, still express the noir sensibility.

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There are a profusion of examples of crime novels that star characters of many kinds, from the famous private eye Easy Rollins, to tough gay guy/investigator Dave Brandstetter.


The themes are universal and can be ascribed to any individual. So, I can change the outer identities of my characters, and it can still be noir.
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©lesliepetersonsapp Bars 16x20
The scenes in my artwork are presented without irony and are imbued with an immediacy which invites the viewer to experience the scene as a contemporary moment.


They don’t coyly refer to themselves as being "film noir" or use signifiers to make them seem like cultural artifacts.  There is no breaking down of the fourth wall.

It is as if we could walk through the picture frame and become part of the action. If this could be possible, what would we see, and who would be there?

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©lesliepetersonsapp Incognito 10x8
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©lesliepetersonsapp The Hanged Man 32x18


It is easy for me to depict white, cis-gender women. It’s more of a stretch to depict scenes with people outside my personal lived experience.

But the figures in my work and in my imagination sometimes take on a life of their own, and want to be expressed as they are: male, non-white, queer...

To not follow these impulses would, in effect, be negating their existence.

Whether I handle this successfully is a question I continually ask myself.

The adaptability of film noir characters allows me to enlarge the limits of my understanding and expression. 
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©lesliepetersonsapp Keys 40x48

Why Noir? is a series! Read 'em all.
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Why Noir? It's Complicated

9/14/2022

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A series on how film noir inspires my art- Entry #8


When we are engrossed in a mystery novel, the complicated plot tangles we must unravel keep us entranced.
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©lesliepetersonsapp Pursuit 24x48
The characters in noir are caught in a web of intrigue and moral ambiguity. Their exploits involve daring and danger, plot twists and betrayals. They usually believe they can manipulate a situation to their advantage over another.

The dream I weave in my paintings is a version of myself who is, in a word: clever.

Very unlike who I really am.



In my artwork, the space can be complicated and sometimes difficult to navigate. The claustrophobic, multi-layered space illustrate the sometimes-turgid complexity of our minds and relationships.

The identity of figures is often obscured, sometimes visually competing with shadows that seem more alive than they are.

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©lesliepetersonsapp Search 48x40
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The hall of mirrors scene, The Lady From Shanghai

Mirrors, doorways and windows proliferate, creating dazzling illusions, and act as apertures into other worlds. The dark, chiaroscuro lighting symbolizes obscured meanings and secrets withheld.



Like getting into a good novel or movie, my paintings invite you to take time and decipher what is being presented.
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©lesliepetersonsapp Many a Moon 38x38

Why Noir? is a series! Read 'em all.
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Why Noir? The Doomed Romance

9/12/2022

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A series on how film noir inspires my art- Entry #7


A long time ago, a wise friend counseled me, saying “Romance is about NOT being fulfilled, it’s about longing.”
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©lesliepetersonsapp Vacancy 48x40
The characters in film noir practice a lot of bad behavior. They smoke and drink, lie, cheat, extort and manipulate.
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©lesliepetersonsapp Urgent 48x24

I, on the other hand, have developed a preference for a life of minimal drama. Life is too damn short to spend it with worry and strife.

Yet, in much the same way someone may like a good war movie, yet has no desire to engage in combat, many of us achieve a certain catharsis by watching the sufferings of the glamorous figures in a film noir.

My art is charged with longing, drama, sexual tension, taboos, and covert couplings. Like a private eye, snapping a picture through a window, we espy people in places they are not supposed to be, or with someone they ought not to be with.



You could say I vicariously through my own art.

As Phyllis and Walter said in this famous exchange in Double Indemnity:

Phyllis: “We're both rotten.”

Walter: “Only you're a little more rotten.”

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Double Indemnity

Why Noir? is a series! Read 'em all.
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Why Noir? The Antihero and The Homme Fatale

9/9/2022

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A series on how film noir inspires my art- Entry #6


How many times have you said to yourself, "this is a bad idea,"- then went ahead and did it anyway?
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Night and the City


Placing that call (or hitting "send").
That second drink.
Saying yes (or no).
A scheme. A move. A journey. A purchase.


How many times have our worser impulses lead us into misadventure?

This is the essence of the typical male protagonist in film noir. A guy who is presented with a choice, and even though it is a bad idea, he goes forward with his instincts, his craving, his desire, his compulsion, his desperate need, instead of what we know would be the right choice. He must live, or die, by that fateful decision.

We watch the drama unfold, unable to look away.

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©lesliepetersonsapp Backlight 38x48
Men have their own particular burden to carry. They are supposed to do, to achieve, attain, and win. But the world does not have a level playing field. Additionally, he knows that when the going gets tough, he's the one who is expected to run into the fray, stare it down and fix it. But what if it is unfixable?

The strive to win against all odds is often what motivates Antihero- or the giving up is what fuels his self-destruction.


The Homme Fatale
Not all Fatales are Femme.⁠ Any androsexual will tell you so.

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A fatal attraction to the “bad boy” is the plight of many an otherwise prudent woman. Many are compelled to “fix” or heal a wounded man.

The bad boy seems like a shiny, bright apple on the tree of life, just out of reach. Women tell themselves, “If only I could reach him, hold him, heal him. Then he would be mine.”

But this is an illusion. Another cathartic mechanism in the fantasy world of film noir.

In the real world, such men are exasperating at best- dangerous at worst.

The simple fact is, in our society, men suffer from emotional isolation and alienation. This is no cakewalk, and should not be in any way romanticized.

Yet, the figure of the bad boy, the homme fatale is as romantic as they come.


There is a type of strength that we associate with the quiet suffering we associate with masculinity. The lonely man, isolated and aloof has great dramatic and sexual appeal.
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©lesliepetersonsapp Look Out 30x24
But here we must ask the age-old question; is the catharsis we gain from art worth the messaging it perpetuates?
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©lesliepetersonsapp The Boxer 30x40

Why Noir? is a series! Read 'em all.
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