"St. George". Bernardo Martorell, 1438 I was visiting the Contemporary Art Museum in Chicago in November when I came across a sculpture of St. George by Alexander Calder. Calder had clearly abstracted the subject to it's essential elements; man, horse, dragon, and shield. As I wrote the four elements in my sketchbook, I experienced instantaneously an epiphany on Calder's interpretation of St. George and it's diagnosis of the human condition. Man Horse Dragon Shield. Man Horse Dragon Shield. Yes, this is the Human Condition. I couldn't imagine another paring of words that better described our existence. I am not a wordsmith and do not normally gravitate to art that utilizes text: I'm trained as a visual artist and I communicate best with images, not text. So I have been terribly surprised to be so deeply effected by a sequence of words. For the first time in my professional life, I am responding emotionally to letterforms, not pictures. How could I turn into Barbara Kruger at this stage in life?
"St. George and the Dragon", Raphael, 1506 Because of my practically visceral reaction to the words, I have been questioning my aesthetic ideas and production and I see that these words are clearly central to my oeuvre. The "man" is the most obvious presence in my work whether represented by Max Schmitt, Marty Sheridan, Luke, or St. Anthony. "Horse", "dragon", and "shield" are what define the "man" and his reality of existence: support, danger and defense. My paintings have always been about men responding to their nature: the reality of what they are. Calder, through the metaphor of St. George, reduced that nature succinctly to its basic elements. When we strip away all the pretense and distractions in life, this is what we are left with: man horse dragon shield.
"St. George and the Dragon", Raphael, 1504 So how do I respond to this epiphany in artwork? The four words resonate so deeply that I have to use them but I am trying to figure out how to employ words in my imagery without being cliche.
In December, I had the opportunity to travel to Poland and visit the restored Stuttoff Concentration Camp near Gdansk. It was a humbling and very emotional experience and the four words reverberated in my head: man, horse, dragon, shield - obviously, with an emphasis on the dragon. Like so many before me I'm sure, I feel obligated to tell the stories of the people who suffered in that ordeal. Below is my first attempt; a portrait of Klemens Kelch from his induction photo. Man Horse Dragon Shield
In December, I had the opportunity to travel to Poland and visit the restored Stuttoff Concentration Camp near Gdansk. It was a humbling and very emotional experience and the four words reverberated in my head: man, horse, dragon, shield - obviously, with an emphasis on the dragon. Like so many before me I'm sure, I feel obligated to tell the stories of the people who suffered in that ordeal. Below is my first attempt; a portrait of Klemens Kelch from his induction photo. Man Horse Dragon Shield
"Klemens Klech", oil on campus, 20"x20"