1999
Oil On Canvas Over Sculpted Foam
51 x 47 x 4 Inches
The brush and jester hat are props and references which make naked figures feel more comfortable in the picture plane. Not unlike the classic Greek sculptors {by that I mean very B.C.]the head-less,foot-less torso looks and feels just like the target. Unfortunately as Westerners we always make a final check on the facial expression when seeking to understand the emotion of an object [never absolutely trusting our read of body language] .Our subliminal interests are accommodated when we behold the torso. The shoulders, mid plexis, and abdomen deliver an idyllic , libidinal impact. The best paintings begin as pure abstraction Color being both science and art should be renamed magic. Chaos and freedom are negotiated via experience and knowledge by the colorist. Who is the colorist? Picasso was quoted as recognizing children above all. During half a lifetime I have used colors to achieve every conceivable end. Self-indulgent expressions , classic control, romanticism ,movement, texture, landscape, portrait abstraction, surrealism. The painting at hand was a recklessly indulgent exercise with shameless prejudice to colors on the excited frivolous, summertime, alto end of the color spectrum. To paint that way you have to feel that way. At least for one-hour, one day, one-minute. This is the therapy allowed by color, feelings and moods are given substantiation . The colorist would insist that this is enough! !In my painting its only the beginning .The philosopher, the curious madman ,the inventor , the humanist, the lone wolf inevitably step in and takes over.