We open the box on yet another batch of imagination and March/April has proved that there is some interesting subjects to tackle and I wonder why that is. The major influence that is coming through is health and surrealism. That is mainly thanks to the work of Robert Motherwell:
Spanish Jail by Robert Motherwell
"To end up with a canvas that is no less beautiful than the empty canvas is to begin with."
In 1940, a young painter named Robert Motherwell came to New York City and joined a group of artists — including Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and Franz Kline — who set out to change the face of American painting. These painters renounced the prevalent American style, believing its realism depicted only the surface of American life. Their interest was in exploring the deeper sense of reality beyond the recognizable image. Influenced by the Surrealists, many of whom had emigrated from Europe to New York, the Abstract Expressionists sought to create essential images that revealed emotional truth and authenticity of feeling. On July 16, 1991, at the age of 76 he died: the last of the great Abstract Expressionists. From the 1949 painting, AT FIVE IN THE AFTERNOON, until the end of his life, Motherwell continued his search for a personal and political voice in abstraction. This search produced a body of work that remains a testament to the human soul and its persistence, and to the genre of abstract painting out of which it came.
Spanish Jail by Robert Motherwell
"To end up with a canvas that is no less beautiful than the empty canvas is to begin with."
In 1940, a young painter named Robert Motherwell came to New York City and joined a group of artists — including Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and Franz Kline — who set out to change the face of American painting. These painters renounced the prevalent American style, believing its realism depicted only the surface of American life. Their interest was in exploring the deeper sense of reality beyond the recognizable image. Influenced by the Surrealists, many of whom had emigrated from Europe to New York, the Abstract Expressionists sought to create essential images that revealed emotional truth and authenticity of feeling. On July 16, 1991, at the age of 76 he died: the last of the great Abstract Expressionists. From the 1949 painting, AT FIVE IN THE AFTERNOON, until the end of his life, Motherwell continued his search for a personal and political voice in abstraction. This search produced a body of work that remains a testament to the human soul and its persistence, and to the genre of abstract painting out of which it came.
1. 'White Jacket' - This 'hair piece' is taken from a hairdressing magazine and is mosaic'd on hardboard. Infact it is the first piece ever on hardboard.
2. 'Out of a grey rain moon, comes green map sunshine' - This is inspired by the work of Robert Motherwell and its the longest titled piece of my work ever. The idea was to give the whole story out of the title and not have to explain the piece if I had of called it "Cheese revenge!" or "Mountain of my soulmate's hair" I think that you get the drift.
3. 'Postive Energy' - After a day of negative energy I decided to come home and make a piece of work out of mainly the envolpes in which my girlfriend's birthday cards came in. Other sweet wrappers and crap came out of the litter bin and away we went on the Kurt Schwitters mode warp factor two.
4. 'Sunset Towers' - As the large collaged abstract moon goes down the building is bathed in sunset and it takes on a beauty of its own. The building is in Sweden, ten points if you guessed right!
5. 'The Man in the Golden Suit'. - This illustration come from a magazine sold in the 1970s and its about being shy! I thought that he didn't look that shy. As I used to be very shy (believe it or not) I could relate to the written text but not the picture, so I used it in my artworld. The title comes from the brilliant film starring Frank Sinatra and Kim Novack.
the film stars Frank Sinatra as Frankie Machine, expert card dealer (hence the title). Recently released from prison, Frankie is determined to set his life in order-and that means divesting himself of his drug habit. He dreams of becoming a jazz drummer, but his greedy wife Eleanor Parker wants him to continue his lucrative gambling activities. Since Parker is confined to a wheelchair as a result of a car accident caused by Frankie, he's in no position to refuse. Only the audience knows that Parker is not crippled, but is faking her invalid status to keep Frankie under her thumb. Gambling boss Robert Strauss wants Frankie to deal at a high-stakes poker game; terrified that he's lost his touch, Frankie asks dope pusher Darren McGavin to supply him with narcotics. When McGavin discovers that Parker is not an invalid, she kills him, and Frankie (who is elsewhere at the time) is accused of the murder. He is willing to go to the cops, but he doesn't want to show up with drugs in his system. So with the help of sympathetic B-girl Kim Novak, Sinatra locks himself up and goes "cold turkey"-a still-harrowing sequence, despite the glut of "doper" films that followed in the wake of this picture. After Parker herself is killed in a suicidal fall, the path is cleared for Frankie to pursue a clean new life with Novak.
6. 'Sukhj Purvak' - In Yoga this is I believe the alternate nostril breathing posture:
Sit comfortably in a chair with your feet on the floor, spine straight, shoulders back.
Close your eyes.
Exhale completely through your nose.
Gently place your left thumb against your left nostril, closing it off.
Using the three-part breathing technique, inhale through your right nostril slowly and deliberately.
Release your left nostril and pinch your right nostril closed with your right thumb
Exhale completely through your left nostril, then inhale through your left nostril, pinch it closed and exhale through your right nostril. Repeat this alternating pattern five times, working up to 10.
7. 'Sleeping Drunk' - Another 1970's picture. Note the difference in the colour of the drunk's coat. His hand clutches the bottle for his dear life. Nowadays its young adults that need to be watched for the fear of alcholic abuse. Binge drinking is all the rage and its this age group that are going to be suffering in later life through abuse of the body.
8. 'Kinetic 2nd Wednesday' - This is based on a famous Bauhaus art movement picture:
Bauhaus was an art movement to which Kurt Schwitters was a member, also in the late 70's early 80's there was a semi-gothic group by the same name, which had a big hit with David Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust'
9. 'Movement' - A flash of "Clockwork Orange" about this piece? Well its Motherwell meets Stanley Kurbrick in a head on smash. Yet, do you see a crowd watching all around waiting? Why is the mouth open? Surprise or 'ultraviolence', bring in Beethoven and the droogs. (This will mean nothing to those of you that have not seen the film).
10. 'An illusion of beauty under a padded sun' - The blurred movement of the female nude waiting in the doorway, the beating of a padded sun down on her body to give the golden light. Is that a hint of a smile upon her lips. Waiting again. There is a sense of disappointment with the blueness of the mosaic down one side and the multicoloured excitement to come.
11. 'Black-eyed Gina' - Dennis Potter was the most challanging drama writer of the twentieth centry and good luck to him. Blackeyes introduced us to Gina Bellman and what a performance. Most recently known for the comedy series 'Coupling'. She is a deep-eyed beauty and is married to an a sculpturist. In 'Blackeyes' the plot was about "Sugar Bush," tracing the rise and decline of fictional fashion model Blackeyes (Gina Bellman), victimized by men. No easy watching believe you me, but yet very challanging for Potter. GIna's best known quote is: "I don't understand happy people. How can you just be satisfied?"
12. 'A moment's reflection' - Its that time of day when you need to give yourself time to think about what is important in your life and how you should proceed. Naked at one with yourself, the eyes are the windows of the soul. Look deeper than most.
More on the way, like the heatwave Summer.
