Gothic Architecture and Don't Look Now

Don't Look Now (Dir. Nicholas Roeg, 1973) is one of the most terrifying films I have ever seen.  The ending- the horrible face of knife wielding dwarf- still gives me nightmares.  It is one of the few cases where I find the film adaptation stronger than the story, even though Daphne Du Maurier is one of my very favorite authors.  As John (Donald Sutherland) faces the end of his life, visions of his daughter's death and all the gargoyles he has encountered in his work repairing Gothic cathedrals in Venice flash through his mind, and ultimately connect to the dwarf who murders him.

Given my passion for Gothic literature,  it only makes sense to learn something about the architecture, which is a major motif in both the short story "Don't Look Now" and especially its film adaptation.  I found out that Gothic architecture first surfaced in France around the middle of the twelfth century, especially in the construction of great churches and cathedrals around Paris.  "Key features include the pointed arch, the rib vault, buttresses (especially arched flying buttresses) and window tracery. Edd Morris on his website, Exploring Castles, cites seven characteristics of Gothic architecture: "grand, tall designs, which swept upwards with height and grace," "the flying buttress," "the pointed arch," "the vaulted ceiling," "light, airy interiors," the gargoyles that were designed to terrify medieval peasants into going to church, and finally, "the emphasis upon the decorative style and the ornate."

Over time and across Europe, Gothic developed into a family of related styles" (Victoria and Albert Museum).  While it became less popular in the fifteenth century, Gothic constructions continued to be built in forms of churches, cathedrals, castles and even family homes (Victoria and Albert Museum).  I see elements of Gothic architecture even in modern churches.  Detroit has some wonderful Gothic cathedrals, though they might be a hundred years old or more.  Even St. Jude Catholic Church in Mansfield, while quite modern, has Gothic features, especially use of the pointed arch.

www.pinterest.com/ereaume4274/architecture/

Works Cited

Du Maurier, Daphne. Don't Look Now: Selected Stories of Daphne Du Maurier. New York Review 

     Books Classics, 2008.

Morris, Edd. “The Seven Key Characteristics of Gothic Architecture (Cont).” Exploring Castles, 

     2018, www.exploring-castles.com/castle_designs/characteristics_gothic_architecture_2/.

Roeg, Nicholas, director. Don't Look Now. D.L.N. Ventures Partnership, 1973.

Victoria and Albert Museum, “Gothic Architecture.” Victoria and Albert Museum, 10 Sept. 2013,

     www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/g/gothic-architecture/.

The Heidelberg Project

The Heidelberg Project is monumentally important to Detroit art, and arguably one of the most unique outdoor art exhibits in the world.  According to The Heidelberg Project website, it began in 1986 when artist Tyree Guyton returned to the street of his childhood, Heidelberg, and found it in ruins.  Houses were falling apart, residents were on drugs, and it looked as though a bomb had been dropped.  Since the riots of the 1960s, the East Side of Detroit had become a realm of impoverishment, addiction, violence and death.  Guyton, his grandfather and neighborhood children decided to make art a solution to the neighborhood's problems.  According to the website, they "began by cleaning up vacant lots on Heidelberg Street. From the refuse they collected, Guyton transformed the street into a massive art environment. Vacant lots literally became 'lots of art' and abandoned houses became 'gigantic art sculptures.' Guyton not only transformed vacant houses and lots, he integrated the street, sidewalks and trees into his mammoth installation and called the work, the Heidelberg Project" (The Heidelberg Project).  He continues to build onto this massive exhibit, insisting that art is medicine and that three decades plus of "renewing the human spirit can now successfully translate into rebuilding the community" (The Heidelberg Project).

One issue that The Heidelberg Project website does not address is that much of the project has been destroyed over the years, by the city of Detroit, vandals and arsonists.  The city has gone in without warning to bulldoze many of Guyton's sculptures, including "The Baby Dollhouse,"  "Your World," "Happy Feet," and "The Canfield House."  Arson claimed "Obstruction of Justice" and several other works in 2013.  The arsonist has still not been brought to justice.  In 2014, The Heidelberg Project faced further vandalism.

While The Heidelberg Project may not stand in its total splendor, it continues to be a monument in Detroit, drawing in countless tourists, artists and art patrons through the years.  It brightens and heals a community once shrouded in dank poverty and pain. 

https://pin.it/whqgusyeijamn7

Works Cited

“Heidelberg Project.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Feb. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki

     /Heidelberg_Project.  

“History.” The Heidelberg Project, www.heidelberg.org/history/.

Finding Vivian Maier

One documentary whose central character has haunted me is Finding Vivian Maier (Dirs. John Maloof and Charlie Siskel, 2013).  Vivian Maier was a nanny who secretly took 100,000 photos in Chicago and New York City during the twentieth century.  She used a camera, and while the camera was never hidden, she was so invisible that people did not even notice she was taking their pictures.  She kept her photography hidden from all who knew her.  As a result of the film, Maier's work is now displayed in galleries and museums.  The New York Times has acclaimed her as “one of America’s more insightful street photographers," according to Maloof's website.  I love the unique way she saw city life, and especially people, through her photographs.  Moreover, I love the way she saw herself through her self-portraits. 

Here is a Pintrest board I made with some of her photos: https://pin.it/ne5gtpjzljf6vj

Works Cited

Maloof, John and Charlie Siskel, directors. Finding Vivian Maier. Ravine Pictures, 2013.

“Official Website of Vivian Maier .” Vivian Maier Photographer, Maloof Collection, Ltd., 2018, 

 

     www.vivianmaier.com/.

Serigraphs and Arthur Secunda

I would really like to take a printmaking class so that I can learn more about this art form.  Serigraph printmaking is especially interesting to me, because of the works of Arthur Secunda.  I first saw Secunda's Voyage at an antique shop, and I lost a small eternity staring at it.  I could not walk away.

https://pin.it/q7j7b3e5b4rwbv

According to Cedar Hill Long House Art Publishing, serigraphy is silk screening.  It is a  "stencil-based printing process in which ink is forced through a fine screen onto the paper beneath."  As a vegan, I was initially concerned that serigraphy would go against my ethical beliefs.  However, Cedar Hill Long House Art Publishing explains that while screens were once made of silk, they are now made of nylon or finely woven polyester.  Serigraphy is the most ancient form of printing and can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 AD).  It was used in Asia and introduced to the Western world in the late eighteenth century.  However, it did not become a popular art form in the United States or Europe until the 1930s (Cedar Hill Long House Art Publishing).  Andy Warhol is probably the most famous serigraph printer. 

To create a serigraph, a screen is stretched over a frame and areas of the screen are blocked with a stencil.  The screen is placed on top of paper and covered with ink.  A brayer roller is used to spread the ink evenly over the screen.  The ink passes through the open spaces onto the paper.  Cedar Hill Long House Art Publishing explains that as a different screen is used for each color, the final serigraph has a vibrant color density, saturation and texture.  Serigraphs are considered a form of original art, not reproduction.  The original artist and printer must work together to create a serigraph, making sure that the colors and stencils are exactly right.  The original artist must approve each serigraph.  The serigraphs are titled, signed and numbered.  In limited edition serigraphs, the artist must destroy all stencils and trial copies to guarantee the exclusivity of the prints.

Works Cited

“What is Serigraph Printing?” What is Serigraph Printing?, Cedar Hill Long House Art Publishing, 

 

     2018, www.cedarhilllonghouse.ca/blog/what-serigraph-printing.

Mixed Media

Mixed media, especially collage, seems to becoming an art movement in itself.  It is a very popular form among contemporary artists.  Artists take torn papers, found objects, metal, wax, organic objects and more to create fine art.  I think there is a fine line between art and craft.  I am interested in art, but not craft.  In my Pintrest, I've collected examples of mixed media and collage hat I find high art.  Robert Burridge has some wonderful figure paintings made with collage, although he is not an artist who always works in collage.  Carol Nelson is a mixed media artist who paints almost exclusively in collage.  I am drawn to many of her works.

https://pin.it/q7j7b3e5b4rwbv

I have used collage in two of my paintings: Trumped Up and Branches and Leaves.  I respect the art form and I haven't given up on it just yet, but I'm not sure this is the medium I see myself using regularly.

Pastel

One traditional drawing medium that is now considered more of a dry painting medium is pastel.  I worked with pastel first in elementary school.  A still life that I made was displayed at a school district art show, and my teacher said I had a talent for blending colors.  I worked with pastel a bit in high school, as well, but left the medium alone for many years.

I became really inspired to learn more about pastel when I saw an art exhibit of the architect Louis Kahn at the Kimbell Art Museum.  Kahn had a large set of pastels and traveled around the world with them, making vibrant paintings of architectural ruins at different times of the day.  I was struck by the vibrancy of the colors.

Additionally, I saw Kara English work with PanPastel, which is a new form of the soft pastel, and was especially intrigued to use this medium.  I was working with colored pencils before I got my first set of PanPastels, and I couldn't believe the ease and speed of application.  I blogged about my first PanPastel experience here:

http://erinreaumesketches.blogspot.com/2017/03/hilly-landscape-with-panpastels.html

I have a lot to learn about the pastel medium.  I bought a book about pastel techniques that I still need to work with.  I still have only the basic 20 colors in my PanPastel set, though I also have pastel colored pencils.  I don't enjoy working with the pastel pencils.  The PanPastel set I have is limiting, because it is very difficult to blend with the white.  I really need a set of tints, as well as a set of shades.  I plan to get these eventually.

Here is a collection of pastel paintings I have collected on my Pintrest:

https://pin.it/q7j7b3e5b4rwbv

Most of these are Louis Kahn's, though I also have some of Jan Sirks' and a few other artists.

Symbolism in Allegory

My favorite painting at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is Ben Shahn's Allegory.  I have to stop and stare at it forever no matter how many times I see it.

Allegory, Ben Shahn, Tempera on Panel, 36 1/8 x 48 x 1/8 inches

Ben Shahn knew how to use color and archetypes in order to convey highly symbolic messages through his artwork.  I immediately notice the anguished expression on the beast's face.  The creature itself is part lion, part wolf.  I notice the fiery reds and oranges, the claws of the creature, the stark red trees in the background and the pile of dead children underneath.

As I learned about the painting, I found that Shahn is using symbolic colors, along with the beast, in order to tell a story.  According to Dissident Voice activist Joe Allen, James Hickman was a 39 year old black steel mill worker in Post WWII Chicago.  He lived with his wife and nine children in an apartment that might be referred to as a "slum."  His landlord threatened to burn the family out of the building if they did not move out on his own.  On January 16, 1947, Hickman returned home from work to find the apartment burned and discovered that four of his children (three year old Velvena, seven year old Sylvester, nine year old Elvena and 14 year old Leslie) were dead.  Hickman was outraged and sunk into a depression when the police did not thoroughly investigate the case.  That summer, Hickman decided to take the law into his own hands.  He shot his landlord four times, killing him, saying "God is my secret judge."  The prosecution sought the death penalty and charged Hickman with murder, but after a nine day trial, the jury acquitted and found Hickman guilty of manslaughter instead.  He was free, with just two years probation.

After knowing more about the history, I think the beast in Shahn's painting represents the grief-stricken father.  The lion traditionally symbolizes strength, courage, and kingship.  To me, Hickman was the king of his own family.  He could not protect his family and wanted justice.  The wolf belongs to a pack, or family, but sometimes acts alone.  Hickman had to act alone in order to get vigilante justice for his murdered family.  The lion's mane seems to turn into flames, which certainly symbolizes both the fiery rage Hickman had to feel, as well as the fire that killed his children.  The whiteness of the dead children represents their innocence.  The trees remind me of something Hickman said: “Paper was made to burn, coal and rags. Not people. People wasn’t made to burn" (as cited in Allen).  Wood is meant for burning.  People are not.  At the same time, the tree is a symbol for life.  Life will continue moving, and people will stand together when faced with injustice.  They will conquer it if they can.  The redness of the trees symbolize the sacrifice that so many African Americans have made, in this case unwillingly, through our tortured history and the battle for civil rights.

Other symbolic works: https://www.pinterest.com/ereaume4274/art-that-inspires-symbolism/

Works Cited

Allen, Joe. “The Fight to Save James Hickman in Post-WWII Chicago.” Dissident Voice, 3 July 

     2009, dissidentvoice.org/2009/07/the-fight-to-save-james-hickman-in-post-wwii-chicago/.