Politics and Art

Our present political environment scares the shit out of me. I started out my art with political pieces that reflected my anger and depression. Since then I moved away from the political, not because I'm no longer angry, but because I could no longer find inspiration from my anger. I may or may not go back to the political and may or may not find my muse there. The anger remains no matter.

Bush, Cheney, et al continue in their goal to create an Orwellian America. Those leopards won't change their spots, but I had hopes that McCain wasn't the same sort of leader. Alas I was wrong. "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." I'm not so sure we won't get fooled again.

You may have seen this detail of my 2006 piece The Medusa Leaders or Orwell Just Got the Year Wrong in which I quote George Orwell, "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

Sign me an agnostic who is praying for this world and country.

Valasquez and El Greco at the Nasher Duke Museum

We went to the big "El Greco to Velázquez: Art during the Reign of Philip III" exhibition that just started at the still relatively new Nasher Museum at Duke U.

The El Greco's and Velázquez's were (mostly) wonderful and sometimes breathtaking. Pieces like the El Greco Fray Hortensio Felix Paravencino and Argote avoid all of things I disliked in many of the minor pieces. Dislikes? Well, the religious imagery weirds me out, the use of the odd and out of place details in the outer edges of the pieces makes no sense, and the painting of children so that they look like bizarre small adults is creepy. I was impressed with some of the Maino pieces and the Cotan still lifes.

El Greco's St James (Santiago el Mayor) shown below with its rich green cloak and lovely long hand was my favorite.

Embarassing lapse of time

Nothing since mid July. Frankly I've been painting some but I have little to show for it. There are a couple of things in progress but not really enough to show. I decide to rotate a piece 90 degrees (compare to below). What do you think? If Jackson Pollock could do, so can I.



Also there are a few changes and I wouldn't bet on it being finished.