Artist's Diary
NUDES & SEX, ETC.
September 1998
This is the first entry in my Web Diary. And I was thinking "what
could compete with the Starr Report"???? Not much: not poverty, undrinkable
water, poison in the air, not the lack of medical"coverage " for
members of one of the largest cooperatives in the world. So, I concluded
that for today, SEX and NUDES would be a "competitive" subject
for my Meta Tags.
Above is an envelope ("cover" to the philatelist) sent from
mon oncle, JED DYNAN of the Associated Press (Paris Bureau) to my father
in 1963. The stamps, of course, are reproductions of Henri Matisse's work.
This painting,"Les Nus bleus", has always been one of my favourites.
Not because it arouses me in a White-House sort of way; but because of the
beauty and simplicity of line, the slightly exaggerated elongation of limbs,
the striking form, and last, but not least, the wonderful colour of the
painting.
I was in high school when my father received that letter....but the
study of the nude figure had occured to me before and has stayed with me
into the present. In the Spring of 1982 I went to Paris to view the Retrospective
Exhibit of the works of Manray. While I was awestruck by all his art, photography
and inventions, this picture of "Juliet" struck a particular cord
in my mind. Is it slightly voyeuristic? I guess that answer is up to the
viewer. 
Attitudes, I have noticed, around the world are different in every culture.
I am sorry to say that in the US the nude is generally associated with "sex".
The US culture seems somewhat immature in regards to apprecation of line
and form - at least when it involves naked bodies. In France, for example,
nudes on stamps do not cause public outcry!
When I came back from the Manray exhibit, I embarked on a series of
drawings - many of them nudes, which were eventually published as Limited
Edition Fine Art Posters and as notecards by the great Engle Verkerke (Holland).
I worked on the drawings and paintings here in the US. I made the mistake
of showing the collection once here in a small gallery in Sacramento. It
was a partial mistake. The response of the "crowd" at the gallery
reception was somewhat taken aback. They generally viewed my nude studies
(in airbruch and acrylic) as something they could't possibly display - or,
at best, would put in their "basement den".
I'll never forget
the response of one middle-aged woman, nicely groomed and dressed, who was
studying my rendering of an Iris. She was enjoying herself, and then, suddenly,
without warning, she noticed the shadow on the side of the painting, jumped
back, and said, rather loudly, "It's a Tit!" Goodness, what a
reaction....and of course, she missed the symbolism of the "burning
clitoris" at the center of the Iris!
I never forgot Manray's "Juliet" and found myself inspired
to render a set of three similarly designed nudes, which I call the "bath
house women". This is one of the set from 
my "homage to Manray's
Juliet":
This painting was not only published by Verkerke Reprodukties, but was
also featured in the Print Annual Magazine.
It is my original painting, based on two very specific "influences":
(1) Manray's "Juliet" as you can clearly see; and (2) an original
pencil sketch by a co-worker at Aerojet General, Royce Tuter.
The title of this peice is "Martine" and is meant to be suggestive
of a young"Polynesian" woman - which brings me to another influence,
Paul Gauguin. But more about him another day.
As you may have noticed above, the painting I sometimes refer to as
"The Tit" was also exhibited orignally by the late Michael Himovitz
at his Himovitz Gallery in Sacramento, California. Verkerke published the
Prints after the exhibit. That is why I said that my showing the work in
the US was a "partial" mistake - in the end, the exposure was
quite helpful.(And as an addendum: over the years I have received letters
from various appreciative persons who have seen the Verkerke posters in
such places as a hotel in Amsterdam and a natural-foods restaurant in Dingle,
Ireland.)
Well, that's it for this entry! Sex and Nudes......hope you enjoyed
this narative and the accompanying illustrations. Feel
free to contact me with thoughts or comments.
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