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.
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
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. Velasquez A particularly satisfying art experience was seeing Las Meninas by Velasquez. 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. (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. 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.
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 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. 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. 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.
I somehow doubt I will go into The Spoiled Princess aspect of myself, as it is somewhat embarrassing.
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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. 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.
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.
A series on how film noir inspires my art- Entry #9
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. 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.
The adaptability of film noir characters allows me to enlarge the limits of my understanding and expression. Why Noir? is a series! Read 'em all.
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. 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.
Like getting into a good novel or movie, my paintings invite you to take time and decipher what is being presented. Why Noir? is a series! Read 'em all.
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.” The characters in film noir practice a lot of bad behavior. They smoke and drink, lie, cheat, extort and manipulate.
You could say I vicariously through my own art. Why Noir? is a series! Read 'em all.
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? 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. 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.
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.
But here we must ask the age-old question; is the catharsis we gain from art worth the messaging it perpetuates? Why Noir? is a series! Read 'em all.
A series on how film noir inspires my art- Entry #5
Fatal: 1. a. causing death b. bringing ruin c. causing failure 2. a. determining one's fate b. of or relating to fate c. resembling fate in proceeding according to a fixed sequence Put them both together, and it becomes: Femme Fatale: 1. a seductive woman who lures men into dangerous or compromising situations 2. a woman who attracts men by an aura of charm and mystery But I like to think of her in astrological terms. Astrologically, nemesis is a theoretical star that may have once been a twin star of our sun. A Femme Fatale is a mysterious dark star, a nemesis to the bright, sunny fairy tale princess of my childhood. But if she is so evil, why do we love her so much? Be good, be patient, look pretty and maybe the prince will come and save you. I was taught that as a girl, it was the foundation of my world view and identity. I had no examples of powerful, non-domestic women in my life. Into this vacuum stepped the only example of feminine power available to me: the Femme Fatale.
But all the while, I still rejoice in the cathartic glorification of my dark princess, the lost twin star, our nemesis, the Femme Fatale. Why Noir? is a series! Read 'em all.
A series on how film noir inspires my art- Entry #4 Any artist will tell you, the key to artistic maturity is to discover one's own unique, consistent language. I seek to find a balance of representation and abstraction. Modern Art, and design in the Modernist period dealt with this specifically. While experts say Modernism died with the onslaught of WWII, I think it was a part of the cultural zeitgeist well afterwards, especially in popular culture. My style is evocative of the painting and graphic arts that were contemporary with the hey-day of film noir. So, not only do I learn from films noir directly, I also love the style of the era, and let this inform the way I choose to depict the subject. Much like how I engage with the subject of film noir, I like to find the essence of what I am seeing and try to express it with forthright simplicity. Why Noir? is a series! Read 'em all.
A series on how film noir inspires my art- Entry #3 Many film noir aficionados know that American film noir was born from German Expressionism,
I have become better at marshaling the elements of design, such as value, arrangement, and scale. I believe these skills transcend any specific style and will translate to other subjects as my creative interests evolve. Why Noir? is a series! Read 'em all.
A series on how film noir inspires my art- Entry #2
How did I start my film noir obsession? ![]()
I was in a state of transition with my art. Unsatisfied with the work I had been doing at that time, I went back to basics and started experimenting, and taking classes from Mark Andres. I was engaging in an exercise to copy a film still in the style of a painter of my choice. My choice was to do a still from The Bad and the Beautiful, in the style of the German Expressionist, Max Beckmann. I entitled it “Lana Turner Lost in the Land of Beckmann” The drama of the subject, matched with the freedom of Expressionist painting was a revelation.
I was hooked.
At first, I created my art directly from screenshots of films. They were very altered, but from specific scenes. Gradually, the images kept getting more and more altered, until I started to create my own scenes.
Now ideas emerge from multiple sources. I may be inspired from a film scene or photograph, or I may want to express something from my own imagination. The people I paint are slivers of my own soul, maybe even archetypes of our collective soul.
The scenes in my artwork are presented without irony and are imbued with an immediacy which invites the viewer to step into the scene as a contemporary moment. If we could walk through the picture frame and become part of the action. If this could be possible, what would you see, and who would be there?
Why Noir? is a series! Read 'em all.
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