Hybrid - Finished Symphony

THE Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon is my favorite painter. Beyond his art, the man was an enigma in his own right. His body of work has very contemporary legs, I find that theyve withstood many transitional decades of new philosophy new art new technologies and are still as fervent (perhaps more so) in 2008 as when initially exhibited. All of his pieces are veiled by a superficial layer of beautiful coloration, interesting textural application, experimental process, and strangely mutated figuration. But what I really love about him, his work, and its enduring vigor, is that there is a deep dark destitute underbelly, partially exposed for those who are willing to see it. Akin to the film "American Psycho", all of his works contain an emotional violence, project a feeling of singularity and pain and coping. He is grasping for reality. There is a loneliness that speaks of the existentialist man fighting against the world (and perhaps losing), but this element can also be related to a human struggling for truth in a world where socializing has been replaced with text messages. His art reveals his psychosis, but to a mind conscious of modern societal failings, it should be relatable.

Lucian Freud

I think his later figurative paintings are the best in the world. The images of humans that Freud paints have transcended the highest reality procurable by photography. I do not think Freud's niche can be touched by anyone, past or present. If I were to relate his image style to a movie, it would probably be Harmony Korine's "Gummo"...but again, I dont think any artist of any medium can produce as captivating or grotesque a human realism as Freud.

Willem de Kooning

A de Kooning painting is a visual eureka, it is so pure and so simple in its complexity. You want to think that you could do this, but no one can do this. Flat out. His paintings are so masculine, so controlled in their looseness. Each one of his brush strokes are like a deadly haymaker thrown by a prizefighter; beautiful, concise, powerful, economical. There is a whimsy and a confidence and a purity of intention that is the result of thousands upon thousands of hours of practice. Have you ever watched the Jackie Chan film, "The Legend of the Drunken Boxer"? Willem de Kooning's and Jackie Chan's styles are much more similar than one would have thought.

more insights to come at a later date...