There’s a fresh face on Vincent van Gogh’s art. It comes in the form of a never before seen portrait uncovered using new X-ray technology under the painting “Patch of Grass.” Dutch scientists were able to use a new technique using “synchrotron radiation induced X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy” to look at the painting. It was suspected of being a repainting, but it was never quite clear exactly what was underneath.
Some masters have been known to repaint over canvases, especially van Gogh, who painted over roughly a third of his paintings. Likely this was an economical desision, as he was known to keep a budget and use cheap materials such as burlap as canvases. Another Old Master known to repaint was Leonardo, who studies have shown has worked and reworked certain areas and under-paintings in a frenzy until he was satisfied. He never really was satisfied, however, and left a great deal of work unfinished.
It’s always exciting to hear of new finds from X-rays on historic masterpiece paintings showing different things underneath. They can give historians a new perspective on the artist’s style and technique, and even their skill level, which can be tracked throughout the course of the painter’s career. The finds can also help to judge whether a work is authentic or not.
Among mistakes and different versions of the finished products, X-rays have revealed interesting surprises like the Dutch word for “sex” under a Rembrandt (subliminal advertising?). Techniques are used to see all the layers of the painting, which was helpful in figuring out that the Mona Lisa’s smile was over 30 layers of paint. It’s amazing how we can get a glimpse of the artist’s methods. We can practically reconstruct the paintings stroke by stroke.
I commented the other day that we can only imagine what paintings the artist could have created if his life had not ended prematurely. This discovery is like seeing something new from the artist, or finding a long lost canvas somewhere. Vincent could never have dreamed that this mysterious woman would see the light of day.
I have often wondered if the characters in Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings haunted his dreams. The nightmarish depictions of evil were painted to serve as warnings, but are they the result of the artist’s personal demons? It’s not easy to think that such horrible monstrocities could have been the creation of a sane and tranquil man.
Troubled Geniuses
It’s no doubt that Bosch’s paintings are the work of a creative genius. The hybrid beasts, the seemingly random pairings of unlikely objects, and occurrences of odd sights in odd places were parts of dreamy landscapes which predated the Surrealism movement by four centuries. This was a man ahead of his time.
With the Christian faith always seeking a visual complement to the pulpits, the masses were served doses of doomsday forewarnings in the form of art to keep them straight and pious. Though never officially commissioned to serve the Church, Bosch was the man for this mission: to not only get his point across to the viewers, but to smack them with it like a bag of hammers and leave mental imagery to stay for a long time to come. The Hell Panel on the Garden of Earthly Delights doesn’t get forgotten quickly. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Scholars have hypothesized that Bosch’s pictures were much deeper than simple apocalyptic forecasts. Some have even interpreted his work in terms of Freudian psychology, with insights into the human subconscious. Either way, I’m willing to wager that anyone capable of producing such fantastical paintings was well in touch with his own subconscious and dreams- or nightmares. Nothing is known about the state of his psychological health.
You’ve heard the adage that there’s a thin line between genius and madness. It never seems to fail. Some of the brightest and most creative artists, musicians, arithmeticians, and strategists have led troubled lives or eventually crack. Often, the status quo is the least comfortable idea for them, and forging ahead with their creations is met with confusion and misunderstanding by the world at large.
Vincent van Gogh turned to drawing and painting relatively late after a failed try at a life of the cloth. Flunking out of seminary school, it was soon apparent to Vincent that his interpersonal awkwardness and short temper would never allow him to be a preacher. Nonetheless, he was filled with spiritual ideas and wanted to shout his sermons to the world. Financial success only meant that he could continue to fund his mission. Painting was his vehicle of choice. The masses would view his creations and share in his energy.
Only the masses and Vincent seemed to live in separate universes. No one understood him but his dear brother Theo, who would eventually be the lone purchaser of his art. Even his promising mission partner Gauguin would not be able to understand. The world was not quite ready to accept the van Gogh philosophy and wasn’t capable of respecting and appreciating his art and ideas. Eventually, after two months of frenzied working, producing a canvas a day, and with the world against him, Vincent painted his last wheat field, went and sat in that wheat field, and shot himself.
Art history is filled with misunderstood, troubled artists. They lived at odds with the world like van Gogh, were reclusive and strange like James Ensor, prone to violence like Michelangelo, or Caravaggio, morbid like Francis Bacon or Edvard Munch, rife with personal hardships like Frida Kahlo and Fransico Goya… The list goes on. In some cases, art and creativity could have been the cause of degenerative health.
Living a hard life seems to be a prerequisite for great artists. Sometimes that hardship comes in the form of mental illness. It’s possible that mental illness is the reason of high levels of creativity in some people. This is common, for instance, with schizophrenics, with high levels of ingenuity and creativity showing as the illness worsens. Mental hospitals have been known to house some highly original artists.
What came first, the chicken or the egg? In either case, some of the greatest art has been made either at high cost, or as the result of adversity. I can only wish and wonder if the tragic lives of artists like Vincent van Gogh had not been cut short, what could have been created. What would his paintings have looked like in 1891 and beyond?
We all live through adversity. It’s a part of life. Whether this is good or bad for art, who is to say? Just promise me you’ll see a therapist the first instant you ponder cutting your ear off.
5. People won’t like my art “They’re all gonna laugh at you,” says the demon on your shoulder. You never create anything because you’re afraid that your creative shortcomings will embarrass you. Other people will laugh at your drawing as they have done when you were young, and will see you as a talentless wannabe.
4. I’m not good at it
Your crippling lack of confidence shows you’re not able to please your viewers and critics. It must be about pleasing others, or else you wouldn’t care and create it for your own sake anyway. All the great artists started somewhere. Many of the best authors, painters, and poets were rejected time and again. Some never sold more than one painting in their lives.
3. No money for supplies
“But it’s too expensive.” You claim you don’t have the money to pay for paints, canvases, or other supplies yet you can’t live without Starbuck’s. So instead of skipping on the lattes you skip on the possibility to create wonderful artwork and be a producer for once in your life. Never mind that true genius will find a way to create even without fancy supplies.
2. But I’d rather be ______
“I could paint, but…” You could exert the energy to pick up a pencil or paint brush, but then again Lost reruns are on. It’s so much easier to let your brain turn into mush instead of exploring your limitless artistic potential. Laziness will be the death of your creativity.
1. Fear
“But what if I actually succeed?”
Fear is the number one reason we don’t come anywhere near our true potential. We’re afraid of everything. We’re scared that we’ll get tired at work the next day if we stay up painting all night. We’re scared nobody will accept or understand our art. We’re scared of success.
What we don’t understand is that failing is good for us. Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed, I have only found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” We only recognize Edison’s successes, and tend to skip over the fact that he failed more often than succeeded.
We should use Edison’s example and try something 10,000 times. Sooner or later we’ll succeed. Then it wouldn’t matter what people say, or the fact that you stumbled a few times on the way.
Create art for yourself. Worry about selling it later. Overcome your fears by jumping right in. Ever notice things are never as bad as they seemed once you’re in it? Put the remote down and put the brush to canvas. When I can’t think of anything, I copy something; (it’s better than nothing) creativity will flow.
Posted on 2008 under Uncategorized | Comments are off
It’s been three months since I posted Paintings of Hell, and yet it remains the most viewed post on vince’s ear. I don’t know if it’s your fascination with the morbid, an obsession with the macabre, or anxiety of a possible future residence. Either way it seems you can’t get enough of viewing the eternal and tortured plight of the doomed. So, it is with heartfelt satisfaction I present to you the man of the hour of judgment, your fiery host…
The DEVIL
Call him the devil, Satan, Lucifer, the serpent, Beelzebub, or diabolos. Just don’t call him when you want a favor- you’ll regret it later. This diabolic character is known through various religions and folklore as the tempter of man, and offers his help, if only you should give up your everlasting soul. Even if you rationalize, “Well I wasn’t using it,” you will eventually want it back, I’m sure.
Satan rules over his infernal prison, and is envisioned to be a scaly and blood red beast, usually with horns, and sometimes holding an implement of pain, such as a pitchfork. Legend has it that he also frequents the world of the living harassing and tempting its residents in various ways.
There is no lack of imagination when it comes to illustrating the Prince of Darkness.
Medieval Western art is rich with biblical themes, particularly in churches when stories were told to the illiterate through art. The masses had to be kept in line with fear of the afterlife. This lasted well into the Renaissance as we see in Michael Pacher’s Saint Augustine and the Devil.
This is Hans Baldung’s representation of Eve and the Serpent With Death. It can be argued that the bible doesn’t say exactly who the serpent is, but it is generally thought to be a symbol of Satan. Baldung was known for his fantastic depictions of witches, the occult, and Death.
Han Memling’s demon is similar to the other two devils, in that they are not as ferocious and powerful, but small, wicked. This hellion dances on the souls of the dead as they are fed into giant beast’s hungry mouth. In the bible, Satan is said to be a great dragon.
Possibly the best known painter of Hell in the Renaissance is Hieronymus Bosch. In the Garden of Earthly Delights, the sins of Man lead him directly to Hell, on the right panel. The image on the right above is a detail of Satan in the form of a half man, half bird hybrid devouring people only to defecate them out into a pit below.
This is Michael Pacher’s Christ in Limbo. He is tormented by a Devil similar to his earlier depiction.
As long as we are considering the serpent in the book of Genesis as the Devil, this is The Fall by Hugo van der Goes. It is much more serene than our other Devil pictures, and shows the moment Eve gives into the temptation and falls from the grace of God. A slimy and grotesque serpent (who still had limbs before God amputates them) looks on with a human face.
Another renaissance painter, Luca Signorelli, is known for religious paintings. Here we see a disturbing image of the Last Judgment, with Satan whispering in the ear of Christ.
Raphael gives us our first image where the tables have turned, with Saint Michael stomping and impaling the Beast.
Italian Rococo painter Carrado Giaquinto shows an interesting Devil as he transforms from the angel Lucifer and is cast down to be the epitome of evil for eternity.
Of course, we can’t forget William Blake’s magnificent watercolor paintings showing the Beast in his most triumphant settings. This is the Great Red Dragon series.
William Blake also created Satan Inflicts Boils On Job, from the story that God sent Satan to inflict hardship on Job to test his faith.
Jan Matejko was a Polish painter of the nineteenth century who painted Satan’s Triumph, with a grim vision of mankind’s defeat to evil.
The most recent of these paintings of Satan is the most colorful and beautiful in my opinion. This is The Treasures of Satan by Belgian painter Jean Delville. Delville was a symbolist painter and occult, and died in 1953. His painting shows a golden mass of flesh over which a beast/man hybrid floats ready to consume the souls of the people.
No matter what line of work you’re in, or what you do in your free time, we all need to rely on creative solutions. Have you ever been in a creative void- the kind of slump you can’t get out of, like writer’s block? Ever just stare at a blank canvas, word processor, desktop, or work space with a seemingly hollow brainpan?
Of course you have. It happens to all of us. You may be an artist stumped for ideas for paintings, illustrations, or drawings. Perhaps you’re a designer tired of churning out the same old things with your clients sharing the same sentiments. You could be a freelance [fill in the blank] and need to really knock ‘em dead with some fresh ideas. Maybe you’re like me and you just need to spice things up and are looking to increase your creative output.
We all have our bad times, but hope is not lost. No matter who you are or what your motivations, there are remedies to your lack of mental pizzazz so you can get your gears turning again, and the creativity oozing.
1. Make a list- A BIG one
You’ll be absolutely amazed by the results you’ll get from this one. The rules are simple: You make a list of not less than 100 things, and you do it in one sitting. Don’t break the rules! Go ahead and let yourself be intimidated by the magnitude of the list- this is healthy nervousness. The only fear you must face with this is the fear of succeeding. Know that when you are done you will have a list of 100 solutions.
The list can be about anything you need to come up with. The first time I did it, I made a list of 100 things to do with a useless steel drum that was taking up space in my basement. Be sure to write down all the silly ideas (put wheels on it and turn it into a motorcycle sidecar?!). The point is, your brain will be forced to think way outside of the box. By number 70 or so, you’ll have some real gems. Your brainpower will thank you for this priceless creativity boosting method.
2. Cranial Gale Force
Brainstorming is similar to list making, only that it’s not so linear. This is effective when working with a team. Have a scribe write on paper or dry erase board and have people call out ideas. Once again DO NOT shun the silly ideas. This is not the time to nit pick and nay say. When you’re done, you will have a few good ideas for a good start.
A good method for brainstorming is to start with a problem or point of interest in the center of the page and circle it. Then branch out to solutions or ideas and continue until they are branched out as well. If you prefer not to write on dead trees, a freeware program called Free Mind is available, which gives you resources to brainstorm on your computer.
3. Have Some More Coffee
After all, caffeine is a stimulant, right? Don’t underestimate the power of external stimulants to give your internal resources a budge. When used in conjunction to the list of 100, you can almost sit back and watch your own hand writing at the speed of sound as you jot your ideas down.
Maybe coffee isn’t your cup of tea (sorry). Whatever perks you up, be it chocolate, tea, green tea, iced tea, soda- don’t spare it. Let it help you create.
4. Make A Drawing
This is not just for artists. Start with a big blank sheet of paper and jot down a quick picture of a landscape or a city street. Now begin making small random figures- in essence doodling. Don’t be afraid to crowd the scene with everything you can think of- animals, pedestrians, animals in clothing, people riding birds in the sky, a giant giving a person a ride on his shoulder, and so on. Let if flow, and be silly with it. Your mind will begin working automatically, coming up with new and interesting additions to the drawing. The crazier, the better. This method can unlock deep creative potential.
Don’t worry about quality, you’re not sending it to the museum. The idea is to allow free forms, associations, and ideas flow without laboring. Start pairing characters and objects with things they normally wouldn’t go with- combining two unlikely objects is an ageless recipe for entrepreneurial success.
5. Use It Or Lose It!
Your brain is a powerful force on this planet. Cogito ergo sum (I think therefore I am). The human mind has been known to heal the body just from powerful thinking and meditation. It would be a terrible thing to waste.
Unfortunately we can indeed waste our brains if we don’t constantly challenge them. By feeding your mind with the right input, we can greatly increase the quality of our output. Do simple daily brain exercises to strengthen your mental muscle.
Change your scenery every now and then so your mind doesn’t stagnate in the same sight day in and day out. Take a different route to work some days. Take the scenic route. Use your non-dominant hand to do everything- brush your teeth, etc. Shave without a mirror, shower in the dark, navigate your house in the dark. By strengthening your mind using simple brain exercises like these, you may be surprised by the cognitive improvements.
6. Food For Thought- You Are What You Eat
We wouldn’t exercise our bodies without giving it the proper fuel, right? The same is true for the brain. Now that we exercise our brains, we must feed it right. What’s likely good for the rest of the body is good for the brain- as our brains take in 20% of our fuel and oxygen. So don’t feed it junk.
Eat foods high in Omega 3 fatty acids such as fish- particularly fatty fish like salmon and tuna. Unsaturated fat is also good. When you look at the facts on a can of peanuts it looks bad because it is high in fat, but only saturated fat is really bad for you. If it has un-, poly-un, or mono-un- in front of it, it’s good for you.
7. Sleep On It
Sometimes when we’re scratching our heads in front of a blank notebook or computer desktop, with steam coming out of our ears from frustration, we just want to pull our hair out. As long as the deadline permits, stop what you’re doing and walk away from it. If you give yourself a break every once in a while you’ll be far more productive than if you worked through your break.
Some of the most creative minds in history have used sleep to assist their efforts. Take a nap and be sure to keep a notebook handy. As you’re falling asleep pay attention to the wacky images floating by in your head. Your dreamy thoughts just may be the key.
Our subconsciousness is hard at work while we slumber. Recently I’ve been trying to catch up with old acquaintances on social sites but couldn’t remember most last names. Sitting in front of the computer scratching my head proved fruitless. However, for the last 4 days I woke with 4 names in my head. Sleep can work wonders.
8. Don’t Miss Those Opportunities
We’ve all been there: we come up with some brilliant idea in the shower or on the road or elsewhere and later couldn’t think of it for the life of us. We know we had a eureka! moment but couldn’t drudge up the details. It pays bundles to keep a small notebook handy wherever you go for that reason.
Random thoughts aside, you never know when you might feel a wave of inspiration. At the museum, the sight of great art may inspire you in many ways and a deluge of ideas will come in. Always be open to new possibilities. Don’t miss out!
9. Think Outside of the Box
Easier said than done, right? By using some of these other methods I hope you can come up with some new and exciting ideas. The main thing is to allow the nonsensical ideas to come out. You can deal with or delete them later. Some of the most innovative companies have research and development teams which are separate from the rest of the company so bureaucracy and negative nellies won’t get in the way of their genius.
So some times you must ignore those around you who say, “that won’t work,” or “sorry to burst your bubble.” They mean well, but their doubts and insecurities are their own, and need not affect you and your creative solutions and project ideas. The idea is to come up with things which the majority of other people have not or could not.
10. Just Do It
The best way to tackle a problem is to dive right in. When I write, I don’t think much when I first put pen to paper. As long as I get started, the rest will present itself. Give yourself a boost and make yourself begin. Starting is more than half the battle. As ideas flow, use them up and allow the energy to surge, thus multiplying your own efforts.
Sometimes planning can seriously impede your potential. Your project may never get off the ground if you continue to be a perfectionist. Let your project take flight, and see where it goes. It may morph into something you never could have dreamed of. You control the reins and you can adjust, edit, or steer where you need to.
This is true with artistic endeavors as much as anything else. Even if you have no idea of what your painting will be, just start putting paint on the canvas- it’ll work itself out. Most of the time I’m pleasantly surprised with how different my end product looks from what I had envisioned.
Now use your creativity well, and never stop. Create beautiful paintings and poems, mind-boggling inventions, and the next great novel. The sky’s the limit, but time is of the essence. Celebrate your potential but know that you will not be here forever.
Expression is communicating your emotions and inner vision. As an artist, this is your way of satisfying the urge to create artwork which can be enjoyed and interpreted by others. Your vehicle of choice may be painting, writing, sculpting, composing, or any other endeavor. How you express yourself in your chosen method is dependent on a number of things.
For better or worse, we can catch a glimpse into an artist’s life and mind when viewing their works. When authors write, they can’t help but bleed themselves onto the pages of their material. The same is true when painters bleed their feelings and intimate ideas onto the canvas. When you create something, there will never be another artwork exactly the same. You are unique, and not one of 6 billion other living souls on Earth is capable of producing your individual output the way you can.
However, though you are true to your own identity and have your own beliefs, ideas, and style, no person is an island. Isaac Newton said that he was able to come up with his brilliant theories because he had the opportunity to work with and learn from other great scientists. He said, “I am able to see for miles because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.” In our communal society, we can’t help but be influenced by our surroundings and fellows. Unless you live in a cave, of course.
As we can see with Sir Isaac, sharing our brain power is not a bad thing at all. Our potential is greater as individuals and as a race if we learn from each other’s experiences, mistakes, and innovations. When I first started the long and rewarding journey of learning oil painting, I studied Vincent van Gogh because he inspired me. Vincent, when he was first learning art, studied and copied Jean Francois Millet. Millet studied and emulated Honoré Daumier. And so on and so forth.
If you are just learning an art or are seeking to find your artistic identity, look all around you for inspiration. Study the great artists of yesteryear and see how they achieved their genius. Follow their brush strokes and copy their paintings (never perfectly), and eventually you will find your own personal methods and style. I’m always learning, and no matter how good I get there will always be inspiration from the history of art. I just recently copied a Caravaggio painting, and though it is not my creation, I am definitely a better artist after having completed it. When I look at the copy, I see something I painted, the attributes of which I am now capable of. I can now paint a hand better, an eye, hair, etc.
After gaining a little skill (loads of which can be learned from copying famous paintings) you will eventually spread your wings and leave the nest. I’m talking about creativity and finding your own voice. But first, a little regression is needed- to your childhood.
When we are young, we doodle and scribble on everything. The younger we are, the more tolerant the parents are for our seemingly nonsensical scribbles. As we get older we are told to color inside the lines, and eventually we make perfect colorings hanging on the classroom walls. We trace our hands to make Thanksgiving turkeys and we follow our art teachers’ instructions to the T in order to get an A. See anything wrong with this?
What the parents don’t know is that the young child scribbling outside the lines is creating something of their own that they see as masterpieces as opposed to nonsense. Over the years our true creative potential is suppressed so that we develop into useful little left brain members of society. If our early potential wasn’t squashed, who knows what we could have accomplished?
So put yourself back in the shoes of a scribbling youngster, ignoring the mass produced coloring book templates. Don’t think of what is expected of you and don’t try to be perfect. Don’t be afraid of others’ opinions and judgments. Look to role models for inspiration and pick and choose strong points which you want to emulate. Just make sure you do as much as you can, when you can.
“Now, I give you fair warning, either you or your head must be off, and that in about half no time! Take your choice! ”
-The Queen
I probably became interested in Alice when I played the P.C. game American Mcgee’s Alice by Rogue Entertainment. I’m definitely no gamer and I usually stick to a select few games: Marathon (Bungie’s precursor to Halo), Grand Theft Auto 3, Stronghold. Alice instantly became one of those classics.
The game contains characters from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, and Through The Looking Glass, and the storyline is loosely based on the plots of the books, but takes some liberties. The main thing about the game is its atmosphere. The story of Alice is a little darker (she carries around a 12 inch knife), which is complemented by Chris Vrenna’s (the drummer of Nine Inch Nails) eerie background music.
I read the books online, which can be found at Project Gutenberg, Questria, and numerous other places for free. As literary nonsense, they are filled with imaginative characters and dialogues. I recommend the classics to anyone.
Homemade Chess Sets
I’ve been tinkering with the idea of sculpting my own chess sets for some time now. I knew my first set would be made of clay for its ease. Eventually I’d love to carve some pieces out of wood.
This site is a good base for knowledge of how to turn your own pieces out of wood. I particularly like the idea of getting a mini lathe to create the pieces. I lost the link, but I stumbled across one site where a guy made his own mini lathe from scratch and even hooked it up to his computer so he could program it. I think that’s a little out of my league for now, but maybe someday.
The pieces I made today were sculpted out of Sculpey with an X-Acto precision knife. All of them started out with a base about 3/4″ diameter with 4 pennies in the center for weight. I don’t mind using a sharp knife to carve because I am never concerned with smooth surfaces. I like it rough- it’s just my style.
The caterpillar makes a fine king, sitting on his mushroom, smoking his hooka, and generally sitting back for most of the opening and mid game.
The queen needs no introduction. She stands tall in her blue and white dress, with hands folded behind her back. She has the confidence of the most formidable piece on the board.
Next we have the Cheshire Cat as the bishop. His sly smile is barely visible in this picture. Nonetheless, it makes him a fine “visier,” or adviser, as the bishops were originally intended. In the game Alice, the Cheshire Cat, for better or worse, guides Alice with his enigmatic advise. I have him sitting on a tree stump.
My favorite piece is the White Rabbit, as the Knight. The knight is the only piece that can hop over others, like a rabbit. Here he frantically looks at his pocket watch.
The Mad Hatter plays the Rook, the second most powerful piece. Interestingly, the current version of Chess came from a variant called the “Mad Queen,” giving the queen her current powers. This Mad Hatter can make mad dashes across the board, on either color, giving him an advantage over the bishops. I don’t know if you can see it, but he holds a tea cup in his left hand. The rook is usually the last of the pieces to be played (hence “rookie”), so he can sip his tea for a while.
Last and least is the Dormouse as the pawn, sitting on the base. The Dormouse suffers abuse from his tea party mates and constantly falls asleep. In the game of chess, one must not be sleepy when using pawns- they should not be underestimated. If Dormy reaches the 8th rank, he can be promoted to any piece.
It’s a matter of perspective which side these Alice pieces would be. On one hand, white is the attacker and black is defender, so Alice being the protagonist should probably be black.
Of course the other side will be the Red King and Queen, the Duchess as the bishops, the Knave as the knight, and the Jabberwock as the Rook (the only piece exclusively from Through The Looking Glass [which has chess references in it]). The card guards will be the pawns.
When all are carved and cooked I will paint them. This will be a first, as I prefer to leave my sculptures un-colored.
I’ll keep you informed.
“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?”
What does it take to be the greatest artist of the century? Can an aspiring artist with true talent and drive really make it in this crazy post-modern era?Jerome, from the movie Art School Confidential, is dying to find out if he can achieve his wildest dreams, but is slowly realizing how messed up the art world, and the world in general, really is.
The movie is somewhat dark comedy starring Max Minghella as a skilled and under appreciated art student who struggles to fit into a school which seems to reward the absurd and shun the gifted. More and more he resents his fellow students, especially after they ignore his best work and praise artwork which children are capable of. He calls one self portrait a “lame Cy Twombly imitation” and gets crucified for it. The fact that Jerome’s teacher (John Malkovich) is a post-modernist has-been who claims that it has taken him 25 years to develop the skills to paint a triangle on a canvas, doesn’t help.
When serial stranglings start occurring around campus, the distraught Jerome becomes a suspect. He can’t help but feel sympathy for the killer…
Also appearing is Steve Buscemi as a temperamental coffee bar owner, and Sophia Myles as Jerome’s unattainable love interest. I assume any audience would find some scenes hilarious, whether they’re involved in art or not. One scene is particularly funny to me because it shows how out of touch with reality some art students can be. The one kid in this scene has me cracking up with every line he has in the movie- he’s the pretentious minimalist type who displayed an unfinished work so the method itself can be the artwork.
The most powerful and disturbing of all of James Ensor’s paintings is also one of the simplest. In “Scandalized Masks” we see part of an unknown and uncomfortable story. Its muted colors and neutral tones allow us to watch this scene as if it were reality. The setting differs from the other Ensors with their garish hues and vibrant poses. This painting is more like something from a dream you are likely to have. It wouldn’t be so much of a nightmare, were it not for those horrifying masks!
The signature Ensor masks come from working in his mother’s gift shop, which sold costumes and masquerade items for the annual carnival. Early in his career, James Ensor’s paintings were relatively tame, and much adored by the public. At a certain point, with “Scandalized Masks” perhaps marking the transition, his canvases began to lean toward the macabre. Eventually, his paintings were filled with grotesque characters in masks, with living skeletons in a twisted dance of death, and other allegories and parodies of humanity and society.
“Scandalized Masks” is different from the in-your-face political satire such as Christ’s Entry Into Brussels. This setting is plain and mysterious. The man sits at the table, drinking straight from the bottle nearby. The odd thing here is that he wears his mask while he sits, even with no company, even while he drinks. A minute later and– watch out! The woman swings open the door with club in hand, and enters the atmosphere in one terrifying step. She, too, is wearing a mask, and is dressed in costume, returning from destinations unknown.
I imagine this eerie couple wears the masks constantly, as if they are as much a part of them as their own faces. I almost expect one of them to turn a corner real fast and unmask, only to reveal a scarier mask underneath like in Alice, Sweet Alice. Like the scene in that movie, the emotion we’re dealing with in “Scandalized Masks” is pure terror.
Vince' s ear: your art blog about art, art history, painting, sculpture, drawing, illustration, animation, artists, galleries, museums, and plenty more. Dan Kretschmer is the author of Vince' s ear, and also the author of a book called "Masters of the Renaissance," which takes a look at 18 of the most important artists of the Renaissance in Europe.
The purpose of this art blog is to raise general awareness of art and to share knowledge and interests. The author's goal is to spark interest in as many people as possible, and to inspire them to pursue art to enrich their lives.
