Those Wacky Whirligigs

Hello, Girls (1964) by Alexander Calder

I'm a bit surprised and amused that Google decided to dedicate their doodle to celebrating the 113th birth date of the sculptor Alexander Calder. He's not exactly a household name nor was he an incredible innovator that decidedly improved the human condition nor was his work accepted into mainstream popular culture. But, if Pac-Man can get a Google nod, then why can't Calder?

Personally. my feelings about Calder have gone from scorn to light-hearted acceptance. When I was in college, I would walk past Calder's Gallows and Lollipops on a nearly daily basis. I freakin' hated it! It was a garish eyesore! However, looking back at my animosity, I realize that my dislike for the work was how it stood out from its surroundings, not any intrinsic quality. It's actually an interesting work of art.



Gallows and Lollipops (1960) by Alexander Calder


I've seen many other Calder pieces at numerous museums over the years, but my feelings towards him changed relatively recently. I was hanging out in the LACMA sculpture garden with a friend, sitting by Hello, Girls. The day was mild and pleasant. I was in a laid back mood. And I took notice of the complex and enchanting movements of the sculpture, reflecting in the water and framed by palm trees above. It was a surprisingly beautiful moment, kind of transcendent.

Idle Hands Are the Devil's Tools

Witch (Is She Weird?) by COOP

If you're a fellow fan of "Lowbrow" art, then you absolutely can't miss the current show at the Corey Helford Gallery, "Idle Hands: Works by COOP". I've long been a fan of his work, especially that cute devil girl with the Popsicle. There is such a cheeky vibrancy to his images that they always make me happy. Playful, erotic, energetic and silly, they have a gonzo disregard for self-serious aesthetics.

But don't think that they are amateurish. COOP's work is technically exquisite. His color utilization is bold and sophisticated. The line work and compositional design keeps the eyes playing around the canvas. An especially impressive technical feat is how COOP creates a overtly flattened image but, through overlapping text or images, creates the impression of foreground and background. It is a very dynamic style.

American Woman (Jasper's Flag) by COOP

But most of all, it's fun!!!

Weekly Wrap: Wednesday Night #2

Captain America Punches Hitler. It's the American way!!!

Here we are, wrapping up yet another week. I'm pretty happy with the ways things went over the past seven days. I've got the monthly post per day average back to a 1:1 ratio, which isn't great but isn't bad either. I met my three goals set last week in offering consistent Art posts, initiating Spooky Sunday, and starting to cover interesting community locations. Moreover, I've started the Paideia Los Angeles Art Guide.

It's been a good week. Hopefully, this upcoming week will be as good or better. ;-)



Cast Into a Rippled Mentality (2011) by Tran Nguyen


So, let's look at the week's features.

Cheese and Profanity

Schubert Dip by EMF

Twenty years ago today, "Unbelievable" by EMF topped the Billboard Hot 100. I wasn't a fan at the time. It had a good beat and fresh vibe, but I didn't feel that it was worthy of the extensive airplay that it received. Seriously, you could hardly put on the car radio without hearing it a couple times before making your destination, even if you were just traveling a couple of miles!!!

I later became a fan when I found out that the chorus is a sampling from the "comedian" Andrew Dice Clay saying "What the f--k was that?" Now, I'm not one to exult in vulgarity, but I absolutely loved the fact that the dreaded "f-bomb" has slipped past the repressive US censors and got played on public airwaves a bajillion-mczillion times.

But to make things even better, in 2005, Kraft decided to use this song to promote their nasty pseudo-cheese substance, Cheese Crumbles. "It's Crumbelievable!!!" I think it was totally appropriate because, once you taste these gruesome orange-yellow globs, you'll want to say "What the f--k was that?!!"

They're Crumbelievable!

Wretched stuff for certain!

Blessings for the Beasts

Listening to the Service

A Dog

(By Gertrude Stein)

A little monkey goes like a donkey that means to say that means to say that more sighs last goes. Leave with it. A little monkey goes like a donkey.

I had the good fortune to be able to attend the Blessing of the Animals last weekend at Wayfarers Chapel. Seeing animals participate in peaceful religious ceremonies always charms me. First, I'm amazed that chaos doesn't break out derailing the whole event. Seriously, how do you gather together a group of semi-wild beasts and not have mayhem prevail? Dogs and cats, bunnies and snakes, these creatures can be querulous at any given moment. How is it that they become relatively well-behaved at these types of events?

Second, the compassion that the human participants have for their beastly companions is touching. Bringing their pets to the ceremony is important to the pet owners. The wish to share the spiritual consolations of the faith with their beloved animal "family members" is admirable. It is an obvious expression of love and charity. And that's why I find it so moving.

I'm happy that modern American spirituality has mostly rejected the old Creation hating attitude that has dominated most of the Christian tradition. With a few notable exceptions, such as St. Francis of Assisi, animals have been considered soulless creatures, unworthy of affection. Bah!!! I say good riddance to Medieval human arrogance and meanness of empathy.

These beasties might not have the gift of advanced reason, but they can certainly feel pleasure and devotion towards their human friends. So, why wouldn't a loving and benevolent Divinity extend blessings unto them?

Introducing the Paideia Hall of Shame

Shaquille O'Neal in Kazaam

After writing last night's diatribe concerning the Captain America-Dunkin' Donuts promotion, I started thinking that I ought to create a special list of notable Crimes Against Good Taste. This list would not deal with forgettable crassness or momentary stupidity. It would be limited to those works of popular culture that transcended the quotidian level of banality. These Exemplars of the Awful would have had to stand the test of time as a lasting disgrace.

So, what atrocity would be the first into the Paideia Hall of Shame? I did my normal search in five year increments back from 2001 and soon found out that the abominable cinematic flop, Kazaam, was released fifteen years ago. So mighty is the wretchedness of this movie, that the mere thought of it made me recoil in disgust.

Although I'm a Laker fan, I never really warmed to Shaquille O'Neal even when he was bringing in the Titles for the city. And I believe that it is this monstrosity of a movie that influenced my unfriendly disposition to him.

And I'm far from unique in despising this film. It holds a miserable 4% at Rotten Tomatoes. Therefore, for Crimes Against Good Taste, I consign Shaquille O'Neal and Kazaam to the Paideia Hall of Shame!

Fat Americans

Taste the Patriotism!!!

Alright. This is going to be another rant post. Be warned. . .

In my youth, I was an avid reader of superhero comic books. Captain America wasn't my favorite character, but I had a fondness for his style and personality. He was totally square, but honest, hardworking, and responsible. He was a paragon of good ol' American virtue, with very little of the jingoism or provincialism that one might expect in an overt nationalist icon.

Since the days of WWII, the USA has experienced amazing prosperity. This material abundance has led to Americans becoming both figuratively and literally fat. The US is the most obese nation in the history of the world!!! Therefore, I find the Dunkin' Donut ad campaign totally annoying! Our national superhero is shilling the lowest of junk food. Even a McDonald's or Wendy's hamburger has a better nutritional value. Seriously!!!!!



Fat Captain America (2010) by eimrehs


Given our obesity epidemic, I can't see that it would be in character for Captain America to do a promo for Dunkin' Donuts. Yeah, I know he's not a real person, just a fictional figure from the comic books. However, this character embodies certain principles of national virtue. Those of us who care about the integrity of character have a right to complain.

Psychological Impulses Personified

Treading Through an Untrimmed Memory (2011) by Tran Nguyen

Thinkspace Gallery is currently exhibiting "The Synapse Between Here and There", a solo show of new works by Tran Nguyen. These works have a look that blends early 20th century fantasy illustration and Art Nouveau. Yet, there is a compassionate quality that allows the viewer to empathize and identify with the imagery. These are not aesthetic icons, to be kept separate and above the viewer. They are like beautifully designed Rorschach patterns, into which the viewer may engage their own creativity to impart a personal significance to the work.

Perhaps a better analogy than a projective test is to consider these images as "dreamscapes" to which the viewer brings their own distinct interpretation. The art has no "correct" meaning, but instead holds a multiplicity of meanings as determined by the current psychological disposition of the interpreter. That's how I understand the title of this show. It is not about the Object or the Subject but about the Communicative Impulse between them.



Just Another Oscillant Deposition (2011) by Tran Nguyen


Certainly, there is a guiding parameter which is expressed by the title and by the use of colors, shapes, and compositional arrangements. These are not infinitely open abstractions. Nevertheless, these works possess a fertile ambiguity similar to that found in classic Symbolist aesthetics, such as in the works of Gustav Klimt.

Quis Est Iste Qui Venit

Illustration by James Bryde (1904)

This is our first Spooky Sunday post. Tonight we'll be featuring one of my favorite ghost stories by one of my favorite ghost story writers, "Oh, Whistle And I'll Come, My Lad" by M. R. James. Written in 1904, this is a story of an amateur antiquarian discovering an "accursed" item that brings the horrific attention of a supernatural entity. This basic plot line has gone on to become a staple of the Horror genre, but I feel that James does it first and best.

It's not about gore or thrills that make this story stand out. In fact, these elements that so dominate modern Horror are hardly present at all. Rather, it is the thick atmosphere of dread. Very little gets described or explained, but James suggests and hints at a world of terror, just beyond the reader's ability to fully comprehend. This story leaves an impression of the malevolent dead, waiting to prey upon the hapless and helpless living when the unwritten rules that separate the waking world from the Underworld are accidentally transgressed.



Montague Rhodes James


Here is my favorite part of story:

He blew tentatively and stopped suddenly, startled and yet pleased at the note he had elicited. It had a quality of infinite distance in it, and, soft as it was, he somehow felt it must be audible for miles round. It was a sound, too, that seemed to have the power (which many scents possess) of forming pictures in the brain. He saw quite clearly for a moment a vision of a wide, dark expanse at night, with a fresh wind blowing and in the midst a lonely figure - how employed, he could not tell. Perhaps he would have seen more had not the picture been broken by the sudden surge of a gust of wind against his casement, so sudden that it made him look up, just in time to see the white glint of a sea-bird's wing somewhere outside the dark panes.

I highly recommend reading the whole story yourself.

Voice of Light and Darkness

It is our tradition here at Paideia to wish Happy Birthday to the great classical female vocalists of our age. So, let's offer up best wishes to soprano Dawn Upshaw for her 51st Birthday.

Upshaw has a rich, soulful voice. It would stand out in performance of any work of the standard rep. However, we've been blessed by her championing of 20th century and contemporary pieces. Eschewing the temptation to cover the familiar, Upshaw has become the defining voice for numerous modern works. Championing these new compositions hasn't been the sharpest career decision for the pocketbook, but it has certainly earned the respect and admiration of classical music enthusiasts.

Let's get to the music.

Backwards and in High Heels

Today we celebrate the birth date of Ginger Rogers, born in 1911. Not only was Ginger one of the beauties of the classic silver screen, but she was hands down the best film dancer of her era. Yeah, that includes Fred. ;-P

I'm not a big fan of musicals, but a well choreographed dance number can grab my attention. And whenever Ginger is on stage, she will make even the most uninspired arrangement look like genius. With grace and poise, she sweeps the viewer away in captivating movement.

I can go on and on, but it's Saturday afternoon. And Ginger's moves can defend themselves better than even the most epic blog post that I can offer.

Conjunction of the Organic and the Mechanical

Promotional Image featuring Future Beans III by Celia Gilbert and Bands #10ab by Wally Gilbert

My regular readers know that I can't pass up a good opportunity to write about Dionysian and Apollonian aesthetic contrasts. Fortunately, the Schomburg Gallery at Bergamot Station has an excellent exhibit of Celia and Wally Gilbert's art, entitled "Beans and Bands". Really, comparing Celia Gilbert's expressive anthropomorphized bean paintings with Wally Gilbert's precise geometric C-prints, one couldn't come up with a better starting point for me. ;-)

The "Beans" of Celia Gilbert are odd pieces. On one hand, they are object still life paintings, albeit abstracted. On the other hand, they are narrative abstractions wherein the anthropomorphized beans play the role of subject or protagonist. Some of the works have is notable lean towards one of these directions. For instance, the Future Beans series trends towards still life, while the Death of Saint Bean has a definite narrative focus. But the works that trigger my interest the most are those that stand in the middle, that cause the viewer to keep on flipping perspective upon the aesthetic statement.

The work that best exemplifies this ambiguity is Beans Lost in a Wood.



Beans Lost in a Wood by Celia Gilbert


Without the title, one would assess the work as an abstracted still life. We would appraise color utilization, texture, and compositional structure to experience the subjective "reality" of the represented objects. But, when the title is considered, we suddenly shift mental gears and, using the same elements of painting, we start discerning narrative significances. Within the same painting, there are two paintings.