In a Time of Sorrow: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec as Pierrot

Within the short span of the last sixteen months the Nation of France has been struck with three sobering, disastrous and murderous attacks. In this climate of uncertainty and mourning we reflect and pray as we of many nations look for solace, strength and understanding. A lesser nation than France might succumb to the senseless, wanton disregard for peace, liberty and the joy of living all people of good will seek to enjoy. The French are an exceptional people who will not succumb. Neither will the free world as we have to try to look away from the insanity toward the light of possibility. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s life and work remain a beacon of light for the entire world. The Artist Lautrec is one of France’s national treasures. 

Toulouse-Lautrec; a man possessing personal resolve and character celebrated the passions and joys of living in spite of personal obstacles. We will look to his work for it’s greatness and glory…this, as our hearts and spirits weep.

My first encounter with the art of Toulouse-Lautrec was when I walked into the “Art” department at my high school in South Western Virginia.  On the wall at the entrance amid the plaster casts, drawing tables and pottery wheels was a seemingly gigantic poster reading Moulin Rouge, Moulin Rouge, Moulin Rouge. The poster colorfully featured dancer La Goulue and the patrons of the world famous establishment in a moment of feverous excitement. I was at the time and remain transfixed by the work’s exquisite beauty, sense of style and most importantly daring nature.   Seeing it would be the greatest lesson I would ever receive in art. I had never experienced anything as lovely as this! I knew I was going to enjoy my journey into this larger world of art, history, culture and contemporary fashion. 

                                                             


I would take much from my beautiful and exuberant young teacher; Mrs. Wonderly. The Moulin Rouge poster was her own and not the schools. It was a way of enriching her student’s lives and adding her own flair to our class room. We would work and learn while the music of the day; Santana, Led Zeppelin, James Taylor and Cher played in the background.  Our lessons included not only the importance of technique but an enhanced and enriched way of seeing along with a genuine love of this most indescribable addiction;  Art.

Toulouse-Lautrec draftsmanship, skill and dedication were central to the teachings of Mrs. Wonderly and in turn our learning. Lautrec’s uniquely distinctive abilities, his tolerance in living and his triumphant joy over life’s obstacles are a reminder of all that is good in this world and in humanity. The wit and wonder of the man is a beacon of the best a single person can offer…a beacon in a time of sorrow.      

The WONDER WOMAN Trivia Game

Wonder Woman has been an ongoing cultural icon and pop superstar for years. She is a true character for the ages ranking among the best known characters of fiction including Laura Croft, Sherlock Homes, Huck Finn and Mother Goose. I wrote about Wonder Woman; her cultural importance and her mystery in a blog last year.“WONDER WOMAN & the Endurance of the Modern Myth.”  She continues to thrive in our hearts and minds as a figure of high regard, reverence and great influence.

A single blog should never hold all the history of an idea like Wonder Woman so I am revisiting her with a trivia quiz I created to amuse my friends. Take a look and see how well you are acquainted with the original…Wonder Woman!

1. Wonder Woman’s plane:

A-IS INVISIBLE

B-CAN ONLY FLY SHORT DISTANCES

C-WAS A GIFT FROM ZEUS

D-IS A CONVERTED P-51 MUSTANG

2. Wonder Woman was created in an effort to:

        A. HELP YOUNG BOYS GET THROUGH PUBERTY

        B. INSPIRE THE US MILITARY TROOPS

         C. BECOME A ROLE MODEL FOR YOUNG GIRLS

         D. HELP SELL LADIES UNDERWARE

3. Wonder Woman’s origin story tells us she was:

            A. A CLAY SCULPTURE BROUGHT TO LIFE 

      B. TELE-PORTED FROM MT. OLYMPUS

      C. FOUND BY HER MOTHER; QUEEN HIPPOLYTA, AS AN ORPHAN

      D. A YOUNG GIRL THAT DRANK A MAGIC POITION

4. Wonder Woman‘s creator; Charles Moulton also:

    A.  WAS A WWII FIGHTER PILOT

    B. INVENTED THE LIE DETECTOR MACHINE

    C. RAN FOR PRESIDENT

    D. DEVELOPED THE MEDICATION BEN-GAY

5. Wonder Woman was portrayed on TV by:

A. LINDA LYNDA

B. LINDA HAMILTON

C. LINDSIE GRAHAM

D. LYNDA CARTER

6. Wonder Woman has been romantically linked to:

    A. THE ELONGATED MAN

    B. WONDERMAN

    C. SUPERMAN

    D. MIDNIGHTER

Ian Cheng: Emissary in the Squat of Gods

One measure of good art is that it engages you into becoming part of a conversation that began with a given creator speaking through a particular medium of choice. Such a piece then grows with comprehension and involvement as we become engrossed. The work often takes on a life of it’s own and we are in turn transformed within the process.  Ian Cheng is an artist who does all of the for-mentioned as he welcomes the viewer into his universe and goes beyond to uncharted places.

Cheng began his artistic journey as a video story teller but wanted to take his work to a place not yet quite charted. He focused on a new video language that depended not on narrative but on something more akin to artificial intelligence.  Ian Cheng’s Animation Simulations are mutating, evolving algorithms that act, interact and exist within worlds that constantly and unpredictably change as they flow in real time with elements playing in unison and against each other.    

It was as a portion of an exhibition “Suspended Animation” at The Hirshhorn in Washington DC that was my introduction to this artist whose work I would come to revere; Ian Cheng. Other artists were featured including Helen Martin, Ed Atkins and Josh Kline; all impressive. Cheng was the stand out. His revolutionary piece “Emissary in the Squat of Gods” was on view where I stopped to take it in and to see just what was going on with this wall projection complete with sound, light, nuance and intrigue. 

The characters seemed to be villagers in a minimally technological society placed on a rugged hill top and viewed from a distance giving the impression of looking through the eyes of an anthropological perspective. The scene; even though it seemed sedentary at the onset was actually slowly rotating as if on an axis. The characters were definitely responding in an unscripted manner and there was a (What will happen next?) feel to the visible actions.  There was also; after an extended amount of viewing time, a changing of the light from twilight into night and greater darkness. This was an amazing something to witness. I could easily imagine the figures of the simulation becoming sentient if indeed they weren’t at this time already.

Ian Cheng’s work lies eerily at the intersection between art, technology, the fantastic and myth. Cheng; an artist squarely in his formative years promises an unlimited foray into the visible and the invisible. We’ll take the journey with him. Where does he emerge? Time… is our only teller.