BASQUIAT

There have been more books written, more magazine articles and even movies made about him than any other. His works have garnished the highest prices at auction and continue to climb yearly. He is in the private collections of famous and noted collectors like Vegas luminary Steve Wynn and designer Valentino.  He is a pivotal figure in the history of art and culture. His importance continues to be debated, his worth reviewed. Artist Jean- Michel Basquiat was known and peer to the greats of his time. He was admired and sometimes ignored as well.

He was also African American and among all artist of African descent he was and at this time is “The Greatest”. It is easy to make the comparison to sports figures like Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and most importantly Jackie Robinson. He was the “Jackie Robinson” of the art world. Kara Walker, Kehinde Wiley and Wangechi Mutu have directly benefited from his presence and accomplishments. Kerry James Marshall, Martin Puryear and Sam Gilliam to a lesser but still major degree are benefactors of the Basquiat legacy.

I was introduced to Jean-Michel in an article written by Susie Gablick in “Art in America”. She was writing about the surge in presence and price of graffiti artists on the New York and world art scene. This was a fascinating article featuring Keith Haring along with Basquiat and other rising stars exhibiting at Fashion Moda. This was in the early Nineteen Eighties and I knew these were artist with a lot of potential and they were to be watched.

I would keep an eye on these guys and see how they developed. The next piece I read on Basquiat; a year or so later was an extended article and spread in Warhol’s “Interview”. It seemed that Warhol had taken a personal and professional interest in Basquiat and was promoting him. Basquiat had become at least for the moment an insider and very fashionable.  What seemed like an incredibly short time later (still the Nineteen Eighties) I read something on the cover of “Vanity Fair” about the death of a young   artist. I open the magazine to find the photographic portrait of Basquiat by James Van Der Zee. How could he be gone so soon? The impossible is not always so impossible. Basquiat was twenty seven and his career had lasted less than a decade.

In death Basquiat has collaborated with Maya  Angelou on a children’s book and was the subject of Julian Schnabel’s directorial debut in film. He has been the featured artist of major retrospectives and documentaries. His works are represented in the permanent collections of many of the world’s great museums.

The artist that once courted Madonna is now suitor to eternity. As he told his father” Papa… I’m going to be famous” fulfilled his childhood prophesy within a brief time and with many works. The legend, the mystique, the life has grown over the years; as it should.
We will wonder about what might have been for Jean-Michel and ourselves in turn. We will celebrate and marvel at the brilliance of what remains and at what once was.

Jerome Schlomoff  (c) 1988 Paris

                                                                                         1960 - 1988

Halloween

 

                                                                                                  

                                                                                    

A sacred night

Something of fright

A creaky floor

A slamming door

The blowing leaves

I do believe

Black Widows weave

All Hallows Eve

Bats in Bristol, bones in bags

Muses, minstrels, monster mags

A dance of death

A witch’s face

The children run

Keep up the pace

No time to loose

No time to waste

The zombie's  hair

all stuck with paste

The row men row

Against the wind

Don’t look; don’t worry

It's here again

No fear of death

It’s Sting rebuked

The Song of Solomon

The book of Luke

 

We know there’s more

But here today

We celebrate our special way

A sleeper, a keeper

Both darker and deeper

A crawler and creeper

Who laugh at the reaper

                                                      

                                                                                                             2010

The Nocturnes

The artist made famous by his “Arrangement in Gray and Black: Portrait of the Painter’s Mother” (Better known as “Whistler’s Mother”) was a painter of nocturnes. Frederic Remington painted haunting, intriguing, mysterious nocturnes as did Van Gogh. What is “The Starry Night “if not a nocturne. Vincent did many other brilliant night scenes as well. The night is a fascinating time to many artists.

There is nothing as seductive, sublime or beautiful as the night.  Paul Williams expressed a sense of awe and love for the night when he wrote the lyric “What’s so amazing that keeps us star gazing?” In that continual spirit of wonder I choose to look at the night sky as often as I can. We don’t know exactly why we are fascinated even comforted by the sight of the stars and the moon. Often we are prividgled to see the moon accented with a cluster of clouds in a unique arrangement.



These natural compositions sometimes lasting so briefly that they are gone in seconds never to be repeated in exactly the same pattern again. I do know that just looking up and out at the heavens can relax and renew the spirit. Yes Paul; it is still amazing. Perhaps it is the possibility of seeing something never seen before; something that at the same time has been seen and shared by every human being that does compel us.

Within the last few years I have painted a series of works that are exclusively black and white and are nocturnes of a sort.  There is a paring down to basics in using black and white exclusively that gives a kind of purity and even sacredness to the work. The essence of all painting can be found in the interplay of light and dark. The technique is identical in a black and white piece; there is simply the lack of color. Ansel Adams created his “Zone System” for rating a black and white photograph. He believed every good photograph had every tone ranging from a pure or complete black to complete white while including every gray in between.   I’m   attempting to do a similar thing with my nocturnes. 

I was showing recently in a group exhibition where I displayed all black and white paintings and black sculptures. A woman remarked to her companion as they passed my work “Well; Picasso had his Blue Period…” I can take that kind of assessment.

The reflection of traffic and neon light on dark wet pavement during or just after a rain storm is as spectacular and nuanced as any light show in any venue you would want to see. The night cafes, bars and theatres and those travelers that are their patrons continue to color the night and make it unique. The night offers much to those that embrace it whole heartedly or even occasionally. It is a gift and a necessity as is the day. The balance of light and dark is essential to life and to works of art.

The night is not just a time of the gothic or horror but a time of quiet and reflection. In painting an opportunity   to depict not only light but a surprising vastness of shadows within the darkness, depth and distance.  

Assael's Superman

Steven Assael is a painter of fine portraits. He paints crowded buses, waiting rooms and singular portraits of the people he knows and sees.  His subjects pose in varying degrees of dress and undress. They range from  regular folks to trendy; heavily tattooed and pierced to those in ornate costumes. He is among the best of our times and a personal favorite. Assael recently chose to paint an ordinary man in a mock Superman costume; it is fabulous in it’s simplicity. He wanted to depict a Superman of non- extremes. His Superman as presented as a typical man becomes unique as a depiction of
Superman. It goes against all previous depictions of the character. The ordinary is certainly extraordinary in this case. It is also masterfully executed.

Why even think about Superman (as a comic book character) or the concept of a superman? Great minds like Friedrich Nietzsche have explored the ubermench (over man) as something greater than mere man. George Bernard Shaw’s play “Man and Superman” explores the subject of the eternal pursuit by man and woman to produce a superman. There is currently a movie “Waiting for Superman “that is another variation and inquiry into the idea of the quest and need for a superman in today’s society.

Humanity has the constant need to compare and to rate itself. We will always have “top ten Lists” and”the best of” compilations. We want to know who is the fastest, the most beautiful, the richest and the smartest. We once celebrated the biggest winners and now we even laud the biggest losers. This, if for  no other reason than we are  imperfect creatures and we do need to continually  improve , to want more and to be more in every possible way. We need standards to set as goals to reach. Something like an ultimate being such as the superman is inspired because it is unattainable. We are always striving for but we will never reach that summit of perfection.

Jerry Seinfeld is a huge comedic talent (a superman among comedians) and considered by many to have co-created the funniest sitcom of all time. He is also a huge fan of the Siegel and Shuster character we recognize as Superman. In 2002 Jerry‘s picture book “Halloween” was released. It is based on his childhood holiday experiences and at the center is his ultimate costume choice; the packaged official “Superman Costume”. The text and the illustrations are dead on. I read it every year and it never ceases to amaze and thrill; it is hilarious. “.  I won’t be revealing too much but I do agree with Seinfeld: In that Superman does live potentially within us all.

  The legend of the superman has lived through out all histories and cultures. There are both religious and secular versions. Our vision of Superman; “The Red/ Blue Blur” as he is called on the “Smallville” TV show, was born in the late 1930’s; the dream of two High School students. It was a dream that has fathered many other dreams. It was a dream worth dreaming in the 1930’s and it is still worth dreaming today.

Sin-KEV-Itch

A few years ago I had the pleasure of showing at the Jacob Javits Center in New York. I was one of about five hundred exhibiters from all over the world for “Art Expo New York”. The works were primarily from contemporaries with different degrees of noteterity including Jane Seymour and Paul Stanley of Kiss. There were original pieces by Chagall and castings from Rodin. Animation artist and director Eric Goldberg was there showing exclusive animation shorts and doing drawings.  There was one artist that I was very much interested in that was exhibiting; Bill Sienkiewicz. He was one of three comic illustrators whose original work was to be displayed. The other two were Alex Ross and a new guy, Simone Bianche.

The night before the opening I asked a man behind the comic artist’s desk; who happened to be Bill’s agent, if Bill Sienkiewicz would be making an appearance. My pronunciation was something like Sink-O-Vicks.  He handed me a business card with the correct pronunciation spelled phonetically on the back: Sin-KEV-Itch. “No… but I’ll tell Bill how you murdered his name” he said with a bit of laughter. I had at least made an impression and learned how to pronounce Sienkiewicz.

My first exposure to the immensely popular and talented artist’s work was in the pages of a black and white magazine from the Eighties featuring The Incredible Hulk. At that time Bill was doing an amazingly convincing homage to Neal Adams. I never purchased a copy of the magazine. This guy was good but not original, the equalivant of a cover artist in music. Sienkiewicz would later prove to be a phenomenal cover artist in the graphics arts field but that has a whole other meaning. Sienkiewicz would begin to speak in his own unique voice around 1984 in the pages of “Moon Knight” and “The New Mutants”. I don’t know what it was like when he decided to break apart from everything that had gone before but I think it must have been a sort of Dr. Frankenstein moment for him. “IT’S ALIVE…IT’S ALIVE…” I can imagine Bill screaming insanely and having to be restrained as he completed each page. I know that’s what Iwas experiencing from these totally unlikely, intrinsically beautiful pages. Like his predecessor; Neal Adams, he was doing everything wrong within the medium.  He was doing what looked like watercolors, collage and mixed media stuff along with his drawings. Things no one was doing with comic books. Some of the character drawings were expressionistic studies; without true form, to be interpreted by each reader in their own fashion. It was Post Modern. It- was- glorious!

In the years to follow Sienkiewicz was impressing, while inventing the graphic novel industry with works like “Electra Assassin “, “Dare Devil: Love and War” and “Stray Toasters”. Some of his projects he wrote himself, others were by illuminates like Frank Miller.

His most remarkable work on “Voodoo Child: the Illustrated Legend of Jimi Hendrix” is considered to be legendary among the legends. The Classics Illustrated adaption of Melville’s “Moby Dick” is simply the best to date in the history of that epic magazine series. It is Sienkiewicz’s masterpiece.  Sienkiewicz has crossed over many times to illustrate for main stream magazines, albums and DVDs. Not long ago he collaborated on live performance video projection with his early inspiration Neal Adams.  Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters commissioned the two for his “Leaving Beirut” shows. 

He has picked up a few awards in his career including the “Eisner” and “Kirby”. 

There is nothing typical of the work of Bill Sienkiewicz. His is a style that is unmistakable but without a definitive label. That is a good thing. It is the luxurious elegance of his work that places Bill Sienkiewicz   in his own league and our pleasure to attend each performance.

The Imperalist

It was not a good night by anyone’s standard unless you were perhaps someone that thought war was a good thing. The debates had gone on for months and in some ways years. “Saddam Hussein had to be taken out; we will have to deal with him eventually, it might as well be now. He has those monstrous weapons of mass destruction and he will use them….” On that March night in 2003 the second George W. Bush War Campaign would begin with a little something called”Shock and Awe.” We would have the pleasure of seeing it televised safely at home. A kind of macabre, historic, media event that was “Must See TV.” As I waited for the event I began a painted.

George Bush had been convinced by members of his administration principally Donald Rumsfeld and Paul   Wolfowitz that because of the collapse of the Soviet Union we were without a compelling rival and thus unbeatable. The war on terror made it convenient and seemingly necessary to bomb Bagdad. It was time to extend the empire; America’s time for sole world domination was here. As the “Bush Doctrine” took effect I continued to paint. The painting I worked on during the premiere night continued to develop and I now called it “The Imperalist”.

Since that initial night which turned out to be neither especially shocking nor awesome we have moved on to other things along with the Bush administration (and Saddam). The wars have not.  We now have a new administration; that isn’t exactly new anymore and with his book that is new Bob Woodward has dubbed Iraq and Afghanistan;  “Obama’s Wars”. 

Woodward wrote four books during Bush’s years and this is his first during Obama’s tenure. Woodward is becoming the principal presidential scribe of the twenty-first century. His is a true insider and highly respected.

The job description of the American Presidency though seemingly the same changes with each president. Things are inherited and new events change what is asked of each man while in office. Aside from “The Party Agenda”; personal policies and personality determine what we expect from each man in the oval office.  Health care, the economy and the wars are defining Obama. The first drafts of his presidential histories are being written.  Obama continues, health care, the economy and the wars continue; Bob Woodward continues. I continue to paint though I may change the title of “The Imperalist “to “The Inheritance”.

Let's See

Let’s see… the combination of an interesting, positive  review of Peter Schjeldahl’s book  in an issue of “Modern Painters; “plus the compelling cover featuring  a  John Currin  painting, along with having enjoyed  his writings  in “The New Yorker “ made me want  to take a look at “Let’s See”.  I thought I would shortly find it on the shelf of some book store without any problem. Schjeldahl is popular and is probably the best, at least the most honest and interesting critic working on today’s art scene. The book would surely be falling off the shelves. Strangely; for some reason it wasn’t. The case was that I wasn’t seeing “Let’s See” anywhere.

I decided to order it. How could it miss becoming a best seller? I went to the information desk at “Barnes & Noble” and told the clerk I wanted to order a book. He said “alright, what’s the title?” I told him “Let’s See” and paused. He looked at me waiting as if for me to make up my mind. Realizing his misunderstanding   I told him “let’s see“is the title.” He said “well; let’s see if we have “Let’s See” on our order list.” They did and I was just a little closer to seeing “let’s See” for myself.

In just a few days I found a message on my answering machine that went something like this…” Mr. Jones I’m calling from “Barnes & Noble” to let you know that your book has arrived…wait a minute… (To himself) let’s see…Ok; Ok there it is … (back to me) yes we have it; your book has arrived. You can come in during the regular store hours and pick it up. “

After finally seeing what “Let’s See” was about, it was (no pun) eye opening.  The writing was superb, an excellent look into the mind of this poet/ critic that has a true love of art and the reporting of it. Schjeldahl is sharing his discoveries with the hope that the reader might get to witness the many shows he reviews in person. He talks about the odd but interesting things he encounters among his travels   like being helped by a woman and following her to the Hirshhorn when looking for an exhibit there in DC. He relishes a talk with John Currin on the painting techniques of the “Old Masters.” Techniques that Currin uses today. The Whitney Biennial and personal chats with gallerists are also among his offerings.  His insights are always more than the typical. He is both academic and readable. These are wonderful dialogues that always expand the vocabulary; the knowledge and the awareness of art.

Peter Schjeldahl continues to visit the numerous galleries museums and studios we can’t get to. Schjeldahl will be our eyes and ears he even gives a sense of how these places smell. He continues to write; a sequel is certainly in the making.   Well…let’s see…

Neal Adams HE'S BACK!!!

How amazing is it that Neal Adams has returned to the company he transformed; DC Comics and the character he redefined; Batman? I’ll tell you; truly colossal, mammoth.  It is the most exciting and almost totally unexpected event in the field of comic illustration in many years.  

Neal had hinted at a return to comics  a  few years ago in a trade magazine saying “I’ll come back  and kick everybody’s ass…” this said with great affection and a sort of tossing down of the gauntlet. He is currently onboard at DC as the artist and writer of “Batman Odyssey” a major new release.

I have been a fan almost forever but not quite. When Neal came on the scene he was doing realistic stuff and that wasn’t suited to my adolescent taste and against all the norms of the time.  At the top of my   favorites were artists: Curt Swan, Gil Kane, Joe Kubert and Carmine Infantino.They were and remain great but they fit into what was expected at the time. Infantino had introduced with Editor Julie Schwartz the “New look Batman” and his work defined the character in the early “Silver Age.”Around 1967 a new character was introduced in one of the DC‘s marginal titles “Strange Adventures” a character named Deadman. The comic’s theme was a twist on the popular TV series “The Fugitive” and the character was; well…dead. Carmine bowed out after the first issue. Adams came on board with the next. It was to be among the greatest runs for a character and creator that the field would ever see. HIs style was perfect for this nontraditional character and storyline. Neal; always a phenomenal draftsman was messing with the whole idea of what a comic should look like and be.

He was doing entire pages as monochromes.  Things with the lighting that were increasingly dramatic. His nocturnes were true nocturnes. There was no question that a scene took place at night. He restructured the layouts of the book changing the very thing that comic design had been before. You never knew where you would find the panel flow as you turned from page to page. He stretched the story- telling from the top of one page across to the next. He turned the panels by odd degrees unlike the normal right angles and varied the sizes of panels to form unusual takes on perspective. He took other- wise unrelated individual panels and formed them puzzle-like into larger images. It was; to borrow from another company and a certain character from Billy Chrystal; marvelous!

Adams would go on to rescue Batman from the antics and hyperbole of the popular TV show. He returned the batman to “The Batman” while expanding on the mythology and lore of the character. He and writer Denny O’Neil set the bar for all others to follow. Others have have done glorious things since but the presence especially of Adams is always there. The team of O’Neil and Adams would reach another comic and cultural high with their updating and expansion of Green Lantern and Green Arrow.

The tough, transformational decade that had been the sixties would cross over into the comics with Green lantern issue #76.Green Arrow was added to the book and the two would be foils. It was the beginning of a new look and attitude change for the characters (a new costume for Green Arrow) and the first socially relevant comic book. This was something that came to me and many fans as if from nowhere. Comics had been insulated from the realities of the revolutionary times we lived in; the real world.

Comics were fantasy, they were escapism, and they were safe. When an elderly ; exquisitely rendered, poverty stricken  Black man steps up to Green lantern and asks  “what about me; Green Lantern…you work for the blue skins, you help the orange skins and every other…what about the black skins?” It was as if a fist had been driven into my stomach and then turned slowly. I realized the power of the medium and since that transformative issue reading  comics has never  been the same. Comics could be as moving and important as any art form. The series  went on to explore many questions   in the society during the early  seventies.  Comics were evolving and maturing as was the readership. Green Lantern / Green  Arrow was a hallmark for the team of O’Neil and Adams; a gift for us all.

Adams has moved on from DC to form his own comic and commercial arts company; Continuity Associates. His career has spanned almost ever creative endeavor. He has ranged from album covers to theatre set design from theme park attractions to movie story boards. He has won numerous awards and is recognized by his peers as a standard for excellence.  Bill Sienkiewiez, Dave Sims, Alex Ross and Jim lee all acknowledge the Adams influence. Adams has worked  to better the lives of all artist in the graphic design  field including Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. You might recognize them as the co-creators of Superman. They labored for years as company employees and were denighed  benefits  or retirement compensation.  Adams along with writer Harland Ellison lobbied and won for the pair benefits and recognition for their achievement which was no less than the founding of an industry and the creation of a national icon. Their creation Superman being  the original and the  basis of all super heroes  that followed. He is  currently   working  to grant  possession  of Holocaust artist  Dina Babbitt’s paintings to her from the government of Poland. Babbitt did the works in exchange for her life and the life of her mother.

In a recent  interview Adams was asked to describe  the character of Batman as he saw him. In his mind Batman was “first a superb  athelete  then a brilliant mind close to the  level of a  Sherlock Holmes. He has pushed himself  to the limits of human possibility, he is dedicated and deeply committed  to doing what is right and good.  Because he is the one super hero that is not super;  he is simply the ultimate  best  that he can be.”

When looking for the true ideals of a society or a culture  look to the mythology, the legends.  Also look to those who are the keepers of  those  legends . Sometimes you will find the lines between the two to be blurred . I think that is the case with Neal Adams.

So Grand

Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? The three questions are also the title of the painting considered by many art historians and patrons to be Paul Gaugin’s opus. This mural like phenomenon is by all accounts inspired and the product of a master. Gaugin’s painting depicts Tahitians (mostly female as was his favorite subject) of different ages and different attitudes.  Some are alone with others in small groups of varying numbers. The surrounds are a sort of decorative imagined nature. Animals, birds and a carved idol complete this symbolic while somber scene.

 Gaugin is attempting to make sense and give meaning to a life and world which remains in totality just beyond human comprehension.   Like Gauguin many of us seek and look for the answers to the same questions. We can look to many places for the answers these questions poise. Religion, philosophy, art, nature, even work can be sources of meaning. 

There is one place that I can personally look that provides me with answers to all three questions.
The one place that is actually in six parts is my grandchildren.  I want to share illustrations of special times when each question’s answer is briefly but completely clear…

When Morgan greets me (too early in the morning) with her big as the sky smile. Her eyes beaming like two little suns with the optimism only a four year old can have.

When Little “E” breaks away from two or three would be tacklers, zipping by them like Kid Flash into the open field.

When I walk into a room and Jasmine is sitting quietly reading; absorbed, totally entranced in her book. 

When Tre’ while dancing leaps into the sky in a Michael Jackson move and lands softly, perfectly in a Ninja like pose.

When Baby Alex sighs while sleeping in that comfortable, warm, safe place that is a baby’s dreams.

When Madison calls out “Daddy James…Daddy James” and laughs with the sound of the purest most beautiful music.

At these times I see all of our past, all that we are and all that we will be.

Is it real? The question many artists ask of their own work and of the works of others. Painters as distinctive as Andrew Wyeth and Marc Chagall asked themselves the question and considered it critical to any piece they produced. Chagall would go as far as to put his hand in front of a painting if nothing else was available to see if his work stood up to something alive existing in the natural world. In our conscience and subconscious we judge works by that criteria every day. Does a particular work stand up to this rigid standard?  There are many artists that pass, succeed and in some ways go beyond. We generally think of them as The Masters. Rothko, DeKooning , and  Freud are examples of painters. Serra, Rodin, Puryear, and anyone named Smith (Kiki, David, Tony etc.) as sculptors. Films like Chaplin’s “City Lights”, Huston’s “The Misfits” and even Cameron’s “Avatar” make the cut. Countless examples are found throughout the universe of art, creativity and ideas.

What is real? Any work that exists as a thing unto itself. Paul Gauguin once said when looking at a painting by Van Gogh “This man owes nothing to anyone.” With no doubt Van Gogh stands without rival in his unique position. He dared to change the virtual language of painting and in doing so created a new reality.  A certain honesty is required and a strong element of truth is a must.  There must be the ring of truth  to be accepted.  As Chagall asked of himself; how does the work hold up when placed or compared with other things in reality? You be the judge. A painting always looks better with someone standing in front of it. Think of anything that you’ve truly enjoyed; a novel, a play or song and you will probably think of how real it was or is to you. Something about it spoke to you.

Does everything real remain real? Is virtual reality, reality TV and Coca Cola real? Will Rembrandt, Gainsboro and Picasso remain real? Is everything dictated by constants or is it a reflection of the fashion of a given time. In the age of Murakami, Koons and Hirst has reality changed or just our perceptions?

Faith, hope and love are three of the foundations, fundamentals and essentials of my existence. They are the basis of continued happiness, purpose and even survival in a world that can be both wonderful, continually amazing and at times; well… difficult.  Above is a painting I did not long ago that represents another essential element of my life. The painting being the fruit of my labor. The act of painting is actually something  all together different and is consider by Buddhist to be one of the highest forms  of spiritual expression. Painting and creativity are fueled by passion and need which are also basics of the human fiber. Painting is an act and result of faith. 

Faith simplified is the belief and trust of the unseen but not the unknown. We can know God and have continued faith because of countless manifestations of his existence. Prosperity, the dawn of a new day, the birth of a new child are all gifts from God. What is greater than a new life entering the world and literally changing the world’s dynamics merely by being born? Birth is simple (at least from the male perspective) repeated continually while ever profound.  Faith in God and faith in one’s own self are a powerful combination. Add to the mix faith in others that are close to us and the formula is unbeatable.  

Hope is brought into life along with a birth. With that a new purpose and a deeper commitment to life itself. Hope is simply another word for optimism. Without it the world would disappear from existence. It is that critical. Talk to someone that has lost it. To not have hope would be the separation from God and everything that makes us try it one more time. Whatever that it is. Hope is the longing and the expectation of something better. To want and desire with all our hearts is to hope. Combine it with faith and again there is great power. Having hope is to always have promise. The promise of the good and true wealth that life brings. If you are excited  about the wonder and greatness each day can bring than you have hope.

Love…There is no need to tell you the things it can do. You have found it, lost it, shown it and known it  Given it, received it, jaded and made it. I’m certain you’ve cried, laughed and denied love. You’ve spoken of and tried; used it to guide. It can abide and lovers have died for it. Some even hide as many have lied for love. Because of it we forgive and who wants to live without love.



The Tea Party

A picture is worth a thousand words. Add a word balloon or caption and the picture becomes a cartoon. A   thousand plus whatever the number of words used in a given cartoon. In this case say one thousand seven.

The comparison of the “curiouser and curiouser “movement known as the Tea Party to the tea party in Alice in Wonderland  is irresistible. They couldn’t have picked a more apt name. I know they are referencing   a different tea party but that’s also a different cartoon. We’ll look at that one in a future blog.

I not quite sure what the Tea Party is but it’s beginning to resemble a very bad “B” movie.  Sarah Palin the unauthorized but symbolic leader is the Doctor Frankenstein in this misadventure. She‘s busy cloning herself to a frightening level of accuracy.

Maybe Palin’s come up with a machine like the one used to create the Bizarro Superman in the comics.  The Bizarro Superman was a distorted reverse version of Superman. This creature was the opposite of Superman. Where Superman is handsome;  Bizarro Superman is ugly . Superman, intelligent;  Bizarro Superman, unintelligent. Sorry… with that scenario the Bizarro Palin would have to be near genius. Not a good comparison.

They’re also  coming  up with candidates that have a  “Son of Sam” like strangeness who want to give their dogs appointments if elected to office. I don’t understand.

I do believe the Tea Party’s agenda is simple: If Obama is for it than the Tea Party is against it. Obama says  yes; the Tea Party says no.  Hey…They are the Bizarro Obama.

A good slogan for the Tea Party would be “We’re not Obama “

"The American" George Clooney

George Clooney’s latest film” The American” opened a few weeks ago to the number one box office slot. The reviews were mixed and among those that saw it there was a lot of disappointment. I personally enjoyed the film and I’ve heard that some showings ended in applause. It has since steadily dropped in number.

After reading comments to a Yahoo news article and seeing so many negative comments I decided to post my thoughts. I was able to get a good number of comments posted about my own comments. This was pretty amazing for me. I actually ended up with many people voting thumbs up or down on my comments and I was glad that I ended up 50/50. This put me; at the end of a very unscientific poll at dead center. I like to see myself as a moderate who can swing from extreme left to extreme right on given issues. I was pleased.

By this time you have seen “The American” or perhaps written it off. Maybe you plan to see it on DVD. I recommend you do.

I’ve attached my Yahoo comments to this blog along with some of the replies. I hope you enjoy reading my Yahoo comments as well as the replies I received.

My Yahoo comments:

The American was a brilliant piece of film. Clooney's effort to expand American Film through the use of understatement and minimalism has worked to near perfection. The camera work unfolds in ever changing, interesting compositions that use every inch of the screen as a gigantic canvas. Many scenes unfold with little or no dialogue. This is pure film that is in itself a tribute to the mastery of Hitchcock. There are many nods to Hitchcock beyond the pacing and tone including a subtle version of his famous line drawing self portrait.
Clooney's character Jack is not so much a hit man as a craftsman. He constructs and customizes weapons and even repairs vehicles while exploring the essence of  life; man's spirituality, sexuality and his own ultimate emptiness.
A brave movie that goes against today’s low expectations for film. Well acted, directed and photographed with a limited but powerful dialogue that is actually enunciated when needed.
Thank you George...where are we going next?

Replies to my comments:

Nicole

I have NOT seen the movie, but reading James Review I see such a disconnect between the want to be entertained American public and wonderful film making as a craft as seen thru the eyes of a student of art, not a filmgoer..........Very Interesting Conversation between the two camps,,,,,,,,,,

Neil

This was NO Hitchcock it was boring the action scenes where boring. The beautiful country side and Clooney emoting was really tiresome after the 1st hour. The pay off was who cares. The "I am going to hell" lines in Machete.
In short it is an art film. Of interest to art students and those wanting to Clooney with no shirt.
It should have been advertised that way it is not a spy thriller, An assassin thriller, or James Bond like.
It is what is is. The masses will be bored. The "effort to expand American Film through the use of understatement and minimalism" Fails if the story is weak contrived. the Biggest drama was will he shoot is girl friend.
The dialog minimal yes powerful no.
The American: " God has no interest in me" mumbled.
Machete "Were are my with and daughter" " with God" "Then I will not see them" while dying. Shoot'em up movies should not have better lines then "art"

TryagainOK

Seriously? Go back to art school you douche. Nobody wants films like this except film study rejects with too much family money and no common sense.

Christopher

understatement and minimalism = paint drying

Choosing a Title

My friend Addae and my daughter Gail were actually the ones to suggest I do a blog. When I told them I was considering doing it they wanted to know what I would name it. Among the considerations for a blog the title is an important one. I imagine that like a book it can intrigue the would be reader and should give some glimpse into the contents.  I started to toss around ideas for this blog and I  began to write a few down .The next day with a short list of five or so I started to ask my co-workers  what they liked  thinking  I would  get some sort of consensus. I didn’t ….it seemed that among the people I showed my short list; each preferred a different one.  As I talked and exchanged ideas more possibilities grew and my list got longer. I showed more people; still nothing in common. Everyone actually liked a different one.

That evening I emailed the list that had grown to twenty to Addae and Gail. And you probably know; no repeat choices. They each picked two totally different ones.  Without anything definite I knew now that I would at least need a working title. I decided on” Why Not: A Blog”. It can be read different ways and even references the line from John Kennedy;”Some see things the way they are and ask why. Others see thing s the way they could be and ask; why not. I like that idea . It speaks to the element of limitless possibilities.

I going to include the list of titles that I came up with.  One might appeal to you, have a certain ring or have some subtle meaning for you. Let me know what you think. If I can get the elusive consensus I might change my title even now. It’s still very early in the blog’s history.

        Blog Title’s

1.       For All We know and Don’t Know

2.       The Things We Know…Even  More We Don’t

3.       A Long Story/Short

4.       Versions of a Long/Short Story

5.       What’s The possibility

6.       Take a look…

7.       Let Me Know What You Think

8.       Oh Yeah!!!

9.       The Eternal Now

10.   Something like That

11.   Replies Welcome

12.   What’s The latest

13.   It’s about the Journey

14.   Something Read

15.   When Black and White is Red

16.   What About a Blog

17.   Why Not: A Blog

18.   Hey Bert!!!

19.   Let’s Listen

20.   As Yet Untitled