Saturday, November 20, 2010

Claudel won't make it at my upcoming exhibition... and it's good news!

Camille Claudel, Rodin's muse for 10 years, has been haunting me ever since I laid my eyes on a black and white photograph of her.  This summer, I did a an experiment with metallic paint that left me somewhat "gaga"...

Looks like my best friend from Toronto couldn't resist her either... and he bought the painting on the spot when he came to visit us last night with his lovely wife (I've known this couple for more than 30 years).

A big thank you Paul and Manon for your appreciation for my art!!!

Note: The painting has been photographed at an angle to show the impact of metallic paint... although it needs to be viewed in person...

Note to self (out of context): "Deconstruction as a way to achieve movement... I did this easily with flocks of birds on raw canvas... can I do it with faces and figures? Is this my path to achieving total freedom in figuration? If it is... then style will need to be subservient to that! The key painting principles that I adhere to (freedom,spontaneity and transparency) are beyond style to a certain extent..."

Subnote to self: "I need to welcome these moments of relative confusion between series... they are opportunities for quantum leaps!"

3 comments:

Esther Barend - Expressionista said...

Congratulations Ron! You did a great job with Camille! I'm glad she won't make it at your upcoming exhibit. By the way.. did you see the series of paintings on Camille Claudel by Piet van den Boog? I always feel so humble when I see this man's art.

Ron Gravel said...

Esther, the moment you posted Van den Boog in your "This iz art" blog... I went into a frenzy looking for any of his works!!!! I saw what he wanted to accomplish with his last series (the use of clay and the analogy with Claudel). It revived the flame about my wanting to to an actual picture of Claudel... in a way you're responsible for that piece!!!

Ron Gravel said...

Esther, I feel the strength of many European figurative artists lies in their ties with the past (tradition) while exploring totally contemporary artistic avenues...