HTML/FL77 ART

SENSUAL / SEXUAL / SOCIAL
George Platt Lynes

The first revelation that shocked me when I visited the exhibit at Newfields in Indianapolis was that most of the photos were at least sixty-five years old! But what all of them had in common was their fresh modern look and timelessness. All that is achieved by someone that has the sensibility to capture another human being, as well as to master the equipment, lighting and darkroom.

George Platt Lynes as well as Francis Bacon draw their inspiration by their sexuality, with the only aim to expose their viewer with an honest representation of their creativity, not with the intention to alienate you. These are the differences that separated them from the ordinary.

I tried to capture all of the photos in the exhibit because I knew that this was a once in a life-time chance to see most of his work under one roof. I am sorry if the quality is not on par with the originals, but I know this is a historical moment to be part of it.

“MORE THAN ANYTHING, BEAUTY IS WHAT MAKES THINGS INTERASTING”
-George Platt Lynes

George Platt Lynes (1907-1955) was one of the most influential fine art and commercial photographers of the mid-twentieth century. In addition to his commercial success in the field of ballet, fashion, and portrait photography, Lynes prolifically photographed the male nude – a taboo endeavor during his lifetime. It was these nuanced photos of the male form that brought Lynes and Dr. Alfred C. Kinsey together, and it was because of this friendship that Lynes gifted over 2,300 negatives and 600 photographs to the Institute for Sex Research, later renamed the Kinsey Institute. Many of the pieces in this exhibition have never been displayed before, and the overall impact of Lyne’s work and the period in which lived as a gay man fills a gap not just in art history but also in American culture.

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THE COLLECTIVE GLITCH
Art by H Jennings Sheffield

FAMILY, FEARS, PORTAIT, BIRTHDAY and HERO are the images that artist H Jennings Sheffield asked 15 of her friends to submit so she could start her series, “The Collective Glitch”, and the final works are a masterpiece.

Artist H Jennings Sheffield explained her long process as “To capture the moment”, where she began by photographing her life every 30 minutes from 2011 to 2013. She later selected from thousands of images, six from the same time of day, different days of the week, and digitally sliced them vertically, creating one image with all the information from the same day of the week and time. She exhibited the results under the name “Tethered”.

Her creative curiosity to capture a new memory or moment led her to tweak into the back of DVDs and utilize the language of Morse code to capture and create her own glitches. Inspired by the methodologies of John Cage* and his belief that "music composed through chance procedures could become something beautiful," she recorded once again her everyday life moments. At the end of this effort, she felt she was not getting the results she was hoping to achieve, and she felt compelled to ask for guidance and summited her work for review.

Invigorated by the positive feedback, she began by asking her friends to submit specific images. She once again utilized Morse code and digitally sliced the images vertically to create the magnificent work that she is displaying at Vincennes University’s Shircliff Gallery of Art.

But after hearing her process, my expectations of her works go beyond her descriptions. To me, she has finally given the digital art movement a solid ground to compete with traditional art. Her work captures all the movements of the past! The impressionist quality is reflected in every work on display, not to mention the 3-dimensional feeling that jumps out from the print, hitting you hard in your brain, bringing the abstract feeling of every piece. Not to mention the secret code she imbedded in Morse code, to remind future generations that FAMILY, FEARS, PORTAIT, BIRTHDAY and HERO were words that made us human.

*John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer, music theorist, artist, and philosopher. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde.

Click on this link to see H Jennings Sheffield work.

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THE POWER OF A PAINTING

Sunday morning was the time for my daughter Zoe and I to spend time together, and my favorite place to do this was and is LACMA. At the beginning of this tradition, she would try to persuade me to go somewhere else, but as she began to enjoy the museum, she would refer to our outing as “The time to go to church”. I think the reason for that was because I would kneel down in front of some paintings to pay my respect.

One of these paintings is ‘The Orator’ by Magnus Zeller. The first time we discovered this painting, I could not take my eyes off of it. At times, I wanted to raise my arms and join the crowd in ecstasy. Such a power emanating from the canvas is testament to the painting’s brilliant power that speaks of our times as much as its own. But the more times Zoe and I visited this painting, the more I became aware that I had seen this power in my childhood in the murals of José Clemente Orozco.

Magnus Zeller (1888-1972) was an expressionistic painter and graphic artist. Between 1908 and 1911, he studied painting in Berlin under Loves Corinth. During the First World War, Zeller served in the German Army (1915-1918). In 1918, he participated in the revolutionary struggle of the Berlin Worker's and Soldier's Council.

Under the Nazi-Régime, his works were banned as "entered" (anti-Arian) and he didn't get the necessary official permit to buy painting materials. Nevertheless, under risk of his life, Zeller secretly painted some anti-fascist works.

After the Second World War, Zeller moved to East-Berlin where he participated in major exhibitions despite the fact that the communist authorities classified his work as "formalistic", i.e. not conforming to the official style of "Socialistic Realism". Magnus Zeller died in 1972 in East-Berlin.

Click on this link to see Jose Clemente Orozco’s work.

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THE GETTY VILLA

I lived in Los Angeles for many years and I only went to the Getty Villa a couple of times. I do not know if it was the drive or booking a ticket, but the Getty Villa was not in my mind as a destination when I wanted to see art. But I remember the feeling of being transported to a Greek/Roman Villa every time I was there.

The Getty Villa is one of two locations of the J. Paul Getty Museum. Located at the easterly end of the Malibu coast in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States, the Getty Villa is an educational center and museum dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria. The collection has 44,000 Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities dating from 6,500 BC to 400 AD, including the Lansdowne Heracles and the Victorious Youth. The UCLA/Getty Master's Program in Archaeological and Ethnographic Conservation is housed on this campus. The collection is documented and presented through the online Getty Guide as well as through audio tours.

Following are some images that caught my attention.

The patio area is full of sculptures and fountains.

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