17 January 2010

The Rare Applications of the Discrete and Abnormal, 1992. Acrylic on Canvas. 36" x 24".

I still reference this work when I compose a painting, as a way to think about composition. The references go something like: Leonardo Da Vinci, Sports Illustrated, Donna Karen leggings ad, friend, Arcata Hotel, pictures from the Depression Era, and still life set up in studio. But most important, it was a vision I had while driving from the beach one afternoon, right after passing the HSU off ramp headed south on highway 101. I have no idea what it is about. Although, I tagged it as addiction, because I remember painting the guy in the left out of focus and thinking he was drunk. The blond woman and the blue male are meant to be reflections, and dualities or anima/amimus. The red-headed angel is referenced from a Da Vinci drawing, her arm from a basketball lunging arm, her leg from the leggings ad. I still do this sort of cut and paste composing, it has a Frankenstien feeling to it that keeps intriguing me.

1 comment:

  1. The one backwards stare, the lack of focus on the subject of this gaze backwards...

    The composition reminds me a lot of 'Yes' - the photograph below. There are a lot of structural similarities if one compares the two images...

    The thing that I particularly liked was the level of detail on the dresses of the two women and the kind of hallucination that this detail suggests. On the blonde - a man in a turban, a snake, the Rorschach test quality... On the blonde a similar set of mirages.

    Everyone has two faces. It reminds me a lot of the work of Georges De La Tour who is one of my all-time favourite artists. In particular, the image reminds me of the Fortune Teller and Dice Players, for the kind of play of looks and betrayal that is going on between everybody and the choice of a group subject.

    In the bottom right hand corner, a phallus... The red-head reaches for it, the blonde stares at the spectacle avidly... Why does the red head keep on looking back (a previous love? an attempt to inspire jealousy - the redhead is too beautiful not to speculate and wonder...)

    There's something about the shadows and the gold (lipstick for the man in the Picasso like blue period) that suggests to me something. I can't quite think what it is...

    Blood leaps from the cigarette of the man out of focus - or is this a flame?...

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