Having descended down into South Texas through the Hill Country one day long ago, Dick never claimed to be Texan, but his German heritage and love for tacos is something he shares with the inhabitants of the region. Having earned an MFA from Miami University, OH, he spent the worst years of his life up north, maturing artistically and refining an Iconoclasmatic Pop Art™ style shaped by his experiences as a recovering Catholic, cancer survivor and optimistic existentialist. He lives and works in his humble turquoise studio-home (Dick’s WurstHaus Art Shanty) near downtown San Antonio.
2012 • 48″ x 18″ acrylic, spray paint, fabric on panel
I’ve been interested in the logical absurdity of the Young Earth creationist knuckleheads for a while, but making fun of the willfully ignorant is too easy…there is more to be explored. The concept of geological time is tied to so much that exposes any theology as primitive superstition: topics such as Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Astronomy, Anthropology and Archeology give a better appreciation of the unique circumstances it took for us to be hear interpreting it all. That is the essence of these pieces, a truer appreciation of our humblingly minute moment in time rather than convincing ourselves we were an inevitable part of some god’s plan.
The tall format of this series and silhouetted subject matter at the top came to me while driving west towards a landfill at sunset. The back lit trucks on top of the layered mound of discarded modern artifacts and shitty diapers were a contrast of beauty and decay, landscape and landfill, timelessness and immediacy. I place the small insignificant human reference atop millions of years of layered history.
The first in the series, this gravel quarry was inspired by a drive outside San Antonio towards the Alamo Cement Company quarry.
2012 • 46.5″ x 27.5″ acrylic, spray paint on recycled fence pickets
We’ve all heard about combining food with other pleasurable sensory experiences like cheese and art shows, prime rib and strippers, sex and pastrami, well we also combine delicious food with our debilitating existential crises.
I found a picture of the most bored person I could, put a chef’s hat on him and was off and running. Like Sauerkraut and Absinthe before it, this piece tries to be flat and graphic and distressed hearkening back to the days sings were hand painted on whatever wood could be found.
The text, the existential crisis, the food the materials all come together to highlight how good food and parties serve only to mask the angst that makes them so necessary for us to get through the ever changing seasons of life.
Circumcision is arguably the world’s oldest planned surgical procedure, hypothesized to be over 15,000 years old, well pre-dating recorded history. There is no firm consensus as to how it came to be practiced worldwide. Peter Charles Remondino suggested that it began as a diminishment of full castration of a captured enemy: castration certainly would have been fatal, while some form of circumcision would permanently mark the defeated, yet leave him alive to serve as a slave.
So we see, the slave mentality of blindly mutilating your son’s sex organ because of some ancient religious dogma, is indeed, still, the diminished castration or marking of a slave.
First thought was that a new piece would be something in the thread of my recently begun Existential Dinner Party series…with eggs of course. “Deviled Eggs and Despair?
But then I notices something long forgotten in my idea file…”A Breakfast of Eggs and Absinthe”.
As usual, I don’t remember where the hell this came from. That’s why I put it in my idea box. I guess I should have put something in my Sketchpad. Thankfully we have google to remind me that eggs and absinthe is a great(?) morning after, hair of the dog type drink. Now I’m already thinking of using eggs in a vintage graphic sign type design on old fence pickets so if I add absinthe to the mix, I should start looking at all those wonderful Victorian absinthe lithograph posters.
So posters. Looking at posters. Need to work breakfast in there…posters…breakfast…absinthe…breakfast…Breakfast at Tiffany’s! I’m going to work Katherine Hepburn (growl!) with a chicken into this bitch…with her looking at absinthe getting poured over a cracked egg in a spoon into an absinthe glass. That’s the plan for now anyway.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
And that is what I did today to advance my art career.
We’ve all heard about combining food with other pleasurable sensory experiences like cheese and art shows, prime rib and strippers, sex and pastrami, so why not combine delicious food with a debilitating existential crisis? Can’t recall how or why this pairing came up in an electronic conversation but it did. I’ve had “acrimony and cheese” in my idea box for a while so maybe it just took seed.
The menu so far includes:
acrimony and cheese
cinnabons and self analysis
deviled eggs and despair
ennui and baked brie
french fried fear of death
judgement and jellied eggs
night terrors and tapas
paralyzing fear and fresh fruit
regret au gratin
self doubt and sauerkraut
spiritual death and duck sauce
singularity and cinnamon sticks
Pieces in progress
“Ennui a Jus” (photoshop mock up)
The point is just about associations word play and emotional responses through the juxtaposition of unrelated subjects. I once heard you don’t stop with one great idea, you take two or more good ideas and somehow bring them together. I’m not sure “sauerkraut” constitutes a “good idea” but it certainly evokes associations to smell and taste and unique cultural influences.
2012 • 36″ x 36″ acrylic, spray paint, silk on panel
This is a commissioned piece painted for a collector who enjoyed paisley silks and the casting of Jungian projections of witch and virgin upon a woman at different times for the same reasons. She was looking for an ironic virgin. I think the source of virgin birth myths is itself ironic:
Holy Virgin was the title of harlot-priestesses of Ishtar (and) Asherah. The title didn’t mean physical virginity; it meant simply “unmarried.” The function of such ‘holy virgins’ was to dispense the Mother’s grace through sexual worship; to heal; to prophesy; to perform sacred dances; to wail for the dead; and to become Brides of God. The Hebrews called the children of these priestesses bathur, which meant literally “virgin-born” as in those children who were born of the holy harlot-priestesses of the temple. The Hellenic world had no equivalent to the bizarre rituals of Ishtar, and mistranslated and misunderstood the literal Hebrew’s bathur as parthenioi, also “virgin-born” but in the sense of physical, not spiritual, virginity.
She provided the paisley silk which ties in with Persian and Zoroastrian motifs as well. My collector sees a virgin she can relate to in this piece while I see a busted myth.
I am counted among the many who thank little baby Jesus that today art can be defined, not by strict rules of form, but by what type of message it is trying to send. We should all offer up thanks that, within reason, choices made by one artist are no more inherently valid than any other’s. That being said, no one has to necessarily like anything in particular either, and so I declare to you here today that generally speaking I can not stand “Political Art”.
“Job Creators” by Brad Kayal
Art is a broad subject encompassing everything from individual creativity, to local and regional art scenes, to the international market. Political discussion ranges just as far from individual freedoms to world wars. Italian scholar Mirella Bandini said, “There is no separation between art and politics; the two confront each other in revolutionary terms.” Of course art and politics can’t help bumping into each other as they are jostled together among all other societal forces in the great dice cup of human existence (OMG! I just used a metaphor). All aspects of life are interlaced with politics…especially art. I do not deny that in some way or another “all art is political”. Art’s avaunt guard is constantly sending out feelers, searching for and forging new pathways of thought, and indeed anything provocative cannot be completely free of the stink of politics.
For example, Vladimir Nabokov said that throughout the 1800s, the Russian Tsars, “remained aware that anything outstanding and original in the way of creative thought was a jarring note and a stride toward Revolution.”
“Capitalism Is Imperialism” by Scab
But art can certainly be political without falling into the pigeon hole label of “Political Art.” Too often this is not the case as artists try to be political for the sake of being political producing so much of the snarky, trite, poopy faced sneers of the liberal not-so-elite. Victor Cassidy perhaps said it best in “Conservative Art?” for Chicago Art Magazine:
Usually it’s the weaklings who make political art — and most of it is photomontage that depends for its effect upon our recognition of the people being demonized. Since the political landscape changes very rapidly, such work can become obsolete overnight.
That’s just the thing about “Political Art”. It generally stinks and is relevant during the narrowest slices of time. Many who see value in art as a means to a political end offer up the political work of Diego Rivera, Kathe Kollwitz or others timeless greats as validation for every caricature of dear ol’ George W. Bush ever made. But are we provincial Texas artists, gathering together in hip, grungy, alternative galleries this July, going to compare ourselves to a few historical icons? Are this year’s “Corporations Aren’t People” images ever going to be appreciated for anything other than their illustrative cleverness? Are we going to fill all the galleries with framed editorial cartoons?
“A Tale Of Two Hoodies” by Michael D’Antuono
So then, is there any point to engage in such a thing? While avaunt guard art reflects revolutionary thought that flows into and through politics, giving form to new thoughts and changing ideals, does it really change minds? Too often relying upon trite allegories and subversive propaganda, it does not affect much change or rally anyone other than those already inclined to agree. Most of us have been to or been a part of “Political Art” shows that were conceived for, filled with and attended by people of a particular ilk. So what is accomplished with a show full of like-minded folks standing around congratulating each other for their cleverness?
I am with the artist Victor Burgin who said, “The work of ‘political artists’ usually harms no one, and I would defend their right to make it; what I cannot support is their self-serving assumption that it ‘somehow’ has a political effect in the real world.”
Ben Davis in “What Good Is Political Art in Times Like These?” for the online publication ARTINFO dismissed it as posturing and self-righteousness, saying:
The tradition of avant-garde political art always looks silly when stacked against the needs of live political movements.
There is no elegant fit between art and politics, no ideal meld of the two. What is needed for effective political activism…most often does not call for something that is particularly aesthetically refined, just as what ‘works’ best aesthetically in a gallery is not usually a slogan or a placard.
“McJesus” by Jani Leinonen
This brings me to what I might call and existential question of sorts. If all art is political, is all art “Political Art”? If it is, what good is the label? Why have a special month for it? Well, I believe it is important as one in any number of artificially induced ways to get people creating, giving them a point of departure in a vast universe of possibilities. Political Art Month also gets some people who may otherwise not think of it, into galleries. Everyone loves an “event”! Let’s just hope the art of “Political Art Month” has value outside its politics and does some good for area artists and the galleries who hang their work.
2012 • 48″ x 18″ acrylic, spray paint, paper on panel
“The burlesque existentialist is a stock character of the popular imagination, dressed in black and uttering gnomic assertions about life and the universe.” This quote, found on Temples of Reason, combined with my own notion of “sad clown” goths, standing around being miserable, reciting nihilistic aphorisms, lead to this painting.
The clown, sad serious and silly looking, stands on a short shallow stage that only highlights the ridiculousness of his attention starved misery. Painted on a collaged ground of old etchings, it creates an atmosphere around him that accentuates his mood.
Like many of my works, no one gets this piece. That’s okay. Like anything worth doing, this made me giggle and I love it.
Since buying the desert camouflage fabric and coming up with the idea for “Apologist Accepted” (right), I’ve been interested in the logical absurdity of the Young Earth creationist knuckleheads. Ignoring the fact that it is evidence-based fact derived from observations and experiments in multiple scientific disciplines that the universe has existed for around 13 billion years, that the Earth was formed about 4.5 billion years ago with life first appearing at least 2.5 billion years ago, they cling to literal interpretations of some bronze age creation myth. The apologists’ blaming fossil evidence on the Devil’s trickery are a source of great amusement as a cynic and consternation as a Humanist.
But making fun of the willfully ignorant is too easy…there is more to be explored. The concept of geological time is tied to so much that exposes any theology as primitive superstition: topics such as Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Astronomy, Anthropology and Archeology give a better appreciation of the unique circumstances it took for us to be hear interpreting it all. That is the essence of these pieces, a truer appreciation of our humblingly minute moment in time rather than convincing ourselves we were inevitable or part of some god’s plan.
The tall format of this series and silhouetted subject matter at the top came to me while driving west towards a landfill at sunset. The back lit trucks on top of the layered mound of discarded modern artifacts and shitty diapers were a contrast of beauty and decay, landscape and landfill, timelessness and immediacy. I place the small insignificant human reference atop millions of years of layered history.
The first in the series is to be the gravel quarry inspired by a similar experience with the dump driving outside San Antonio towards the Alamo Cement Company quarry. Other ideas include the landfill, a cemetery, a strip mine, swampland oil rigs, pueblos and fossil beds.
Rock Quarry: – photoshop mockup
The layering of earth, rock and human artifacts isn’t just a conceptual notion, it is a representation of the rich layering of washes, splatters and polyacrylic that make up my paintings. Each convey the passage of time and the human influence within in it. Any allusion to the willful stupidity of New Earth notions is just gravy.
The Support is Ready:
Panel is nailed a glued to 1×2’s, edges sanded smooth in preparation for gluing the fabric base down. I like a hard slick surface to paint on.
The Fabric is Chosen:
More desert camo fabric is found at the third fabric store I try, but it is a heavy cotton blend with a very textured weave. It’ll require more layers of clear coat to make it smooth, but that will only add to the physical depth of the surface. A theme of 50s era Americana develops in the selection of sediment layers. Associations can be made to bygone days of relative innocence, growing prosperity, racism and misogyny.
Layers are Prepared:
How the layers will be arranged is planned. The number of layers I anticipated including is decreased to allow more of each fabric’s pattern to be included. I hope this doesn’t negatively affect the impression of layered time I’m trying to achieve.
Layers are Fixed:
Everything is down. Still layering translucent white bands that separate the bands of fabric. Black drips flowing down add a horizontal element and tie layers together. Black will be built up and will include the silhouette of quarry structures.
No matter what the subject there lies a very fine line between archetype and cliché. This is never more true, and that line any thinner than when dealing with angels. Perhaps the very idea of angels is cliché and childish, leaving very little room, if any, to represent them in any way that isn’t cute, quaint, folksy and completely void of any conceptual value. Yet artists still choose to tackle the subject, not so much to bring anything new to the discussion, because there is very little left to be said about such a played out subject, but to ensure sales to right leaning McMansion dwellers. These self described “spiritual” who like the idea of owning original art and slumming with artists are limited in that their Protestant upbringings prevent them from considering anything as a blunt as hanging a dead white guy on a crucifix in their house, but not filling every empty spot in their house with the ridiculous little cherub chotchkies.
Even if one is being ironic or satirical, it is next to impossible to include an angel as the primary subject matter of a piece and not appear as if you were settling on the obvious. Making fun of angels is almost as played as revering them, though I have seen more successful attempts at this that show an angel in an unexpected context.
The popularity of angels and their role as archetypes in the human psyche isn’t as relevant to me as the fact that they ARE archetypes. I have long sought to expose personal and cultural archetypes (such as angels) as arbitrary worn out symbols whose only importance lies in their long history and deep penetration into our collective psyche. The fact that nearly every civilization that can trace itself back to the earliest stages of history in the fertile crescent have had versions of angels does not convince me of their existence, but rather reinforces the idea that they are but a common comforting link between what we know and those things we may never understand.
In the bible angels are described as male except in the rarest of instances. Medieval angels were all masculine warrior types yet today we are presented most often with babies, children or beautiful winged women in flowing robes. Which is funny because these images of God’s minions are founded in paganism:
“But the concept of angels having wings is of pagan origin, the belief that angels have wings is either folklore, myth, fable, legend, fantasy (imaginary psychological constructs), delusion (wishful thinking) or is merely a wistful, human-inspired tradition.”
So the trick is how to address this subject without falling into common clichés – even if all I am interested in is making fun of it. Maybe it isn’t even the angels that I am interested in. Perhaps I’m more interested in the lengths I’ve seen people go to in order to represent angels, or any other overused subject matter, in a more evocative way…shadowy figures with vague one word titles like “Watcher”. People have a propensity to identify a figure to identify with in even the most abstract images. Even the most elemental line or blob can turn into a shadowy figure that is either acting upon all of the other formal elements in a piece or having all of them action upon them. These ghostly characters often resemble the ghostly images of our subconscious, entities that have often been seen as spirits, apparitions and angels, so it would be natural to identify them as such in atmospheric, swirling, expressionistic compositions?
My use of “Harbingers” adds a tone of foreboding while still relying on an intriguing term that cleverly leaves room for interpretation by the viewer as to what the role of this angel figure might be, allowing them to create content where there is none…just like the hacks do!
Why naked fat guys? Because it isn’t any more or less ridiculous than attractive women in white clinging windblown gowns. Look at these earlier concepts.
