With Gender Perspective

Esther Tauroni,

When the writer and Art Historian Esther Tauroni  asked me if she could include a chapter of my art in her new book, I couldn't deny it.

Now that I´ve read the book I feel thrilled and honored because she not only  describes  with detail my  way of painting, but also  my work as a symbol in the 21^st Century of hope for all the forgotten women artists in history.

Compiling the work and  narrating  the history of well known artists, she tells stories of those genius Tintoretto, Goya, Jacques Louis David, Degas,  Gustave Moreau and  René Magritte who  used women as models as a  simple and unique  role, although many of them were also artists but  behind husbands or besides fathers. Creating  this  dynamic and easy to read book, a well organized project in 19 chapters that go from the XVI through the  XVII, XVIII, XIX and XX  centuries to our actual moment, she metaphorically claims justice  for women "With Gender Perspective".

She mentions as an exception  the well known  20^th Century artist  Fernando Botero who as a feminist  exalts women big and fat.

The book also talks about experiences of a few well known women artists, a good example is the XIX century Maria Cosway, where she portrays  herself  with a very upset face as if complaining about the role of the "house cleaning, cooking house wife".
 

Women had to fight twice as hard as men, defying society. There is the work of Hannah Glukstein,  but then we also had Ophelia Camille Claudel,  the victim of John Everest Millais who committed suicide.

And many others..

Black Red

The pleasure of having produced something good.

Portraits are the best way to express intimate experiences of emotion and depth between two because we are in a way  related to the sitter, and hand in hand with him/her.

When painting someone else's portrait, the whole you goes into the whole him/her, capturing  narratives that  reflect  what might be happening in your life at this moment and his /her whereabouts, and inner and outer identities.

With this portrait I am not only challenging the concept of both identities, but also I want to identify  the role of a criminal mastermind, that James Spader plays in his character Raymond Reddington in "Blacklist", a Netflix series.

I´ve been fighting to produce a raw reflection of his hidden mysterious mind  within a face of a cynical impostor, who is  concerned only with  his  own interests.

Disregarding accepted standard rules, distressful of human sincerity or  even any glimpse of integrity,  believe or not, he makes himself respected.

I´ve been brutally cynical and tête à tête with him and my adrenaline, I created this portrait, finally convinced  by him that people are motivated purely by self-interest. Even myself.

 Jesse, a single face.

Historically portraits were used to show how important important persons were, in any certain period of time.

Today drama series on cable television represent  a whole reality of our actual moment.

The Netflix series “Breaking Bad” is about cooking meth. Jesse Pinkman, a drug addict who  manages to elicit sympathy  in spite of his meth activities is my favorite character.

I used photographs of Aaron Paul because in a way I wanted the portrait to look like him, although it is not a documentary portrait but more the idea that his face represents. I Just  wanted to portray Jesse’s "unrest".

A portrait full of emotional depth reflecting not only  the anguish  but the torture that Jesse is going through at that moment. His face in this portrait is the concept of a lost identity.

Although the art is concept driven, the actual similarity to the person is also important to me.

People are scared to talk about meth because it is a huge hidden problem. Jesse plays his role impeccably, a character that goes through a lot of heartache, but with a glimpse of hope on his face at the end.

Empatia

Platón decía que la mirada puede traspasar el velo de las apariencias y revelar la verdad.

Existe en el rostro algo que permanece para siempre en nuestra apariencia que ni el crecimiento ni la vejez pueden destruir, ni siquiera el "botox" actual. Es una  sensación de constancia,  es la esencia del aspecto individual y lo llamamos la expresión dominante, el aira.

Pero también existen rasgos no permanentes que son los indicadores de las emociones cambiantes . El llanto, la risa , es decir los estados de ánimo.

Nuestros detectores musculares están adaptados a responder a estas expresiones dominantes permanentes de las fisonomías humanas,  y también a las no permanentes que son las expresiones de las emociones. probablemente sean musculares, indicándonos claramente que estas reacciones  a nuestros semejantes están vinculadas con nuestra propia imagen corporal.

 Este arte de percibir la expresión dominante y la comprensión del movimiento facial de los demás  , esta respuesta simpa tética desempeña un papel considerable en la respuesta del artista para el retrato.

Esta reacción física por parte del artista  en la experiencia de la equivalencia,  tanto de rasgos permanentes como no permanentes  la denominamos  empatía. Así que el parecido  en un retrato es la equivalencia entre el aira y la expresión móvil de las emociones,  que son las que moldean el rostro.

Un buen fisonomista puede leer el carácter a partir de los rasgos no permanentes  que son las expresiones móviles de las emociones y el aira o expresión dominante. Un buen artista atraviesa la máscara. Imposible el hoy digital ya que todos son mascaras.

Francisco el Papa innovador, valiente de momentos históricos, rompedor en ideas innovadoras, vencedor  de retos y limitaciones , de los pobres ,de las sorpresas, se define a sí mismo como débil, frágil, y cobarde,  al que el dolor físico  le  aterroriza .Sin duda es un líder extraordinario y valiente que a pesar de sus miedos y debilidades "se moja" si es necesario.

Conceptual Portraits

HUMILITY

Portraiture is not only about the person and how important he/she is, it is  not only reflection of  the history narrated in the face  with its  physical changes and the  depth of emotional aspects.

Portraiture is not only about style, color , light form.

Portraiture  is also about  to explore difficult ideas,  raising issues like  authority, humility , the idea of power, political horrors, injustice, justice .

 You´ll reach all those concepts within  an ordinary face  also without  capturing the perfect likeness of a person.

P

Columbia Essays 1987 New York

Calamities NY. 1989