INSPIRATION & POWER!
The surprise of the day was Detective Beth finding that a beautiful piece of art I thought was a photograph was actually a painting! Calida Rawles, Reflecting My Grace, shows a young woman, floating, swimming in water. Calida Rawles created this and a series of women floating in water in response to police killings in the years before. This was a way for her to draw strength from the important protests that sprung up all over the world.
Various images of baptism, overcoming adversity, re-birth & birth, renewal, the painful Middle Passage, and Botticelli's Birth of Venus came to mind. We also saw faces, fish, plants in the water and in the swirl of our swimmer's arm. Once we realized it was acrylic on canvas, our jaws dropped. Calida's painting looks like a photo with manipulated water. I've included a link to Calida's show, A Dream for My Lilith, with other works from the series & they're placement in the Various Small Fires gallery in L.A. Takes your breath away. Reflecting My Grace is our Top of the Day.
Based on Édouard Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (The Luncheon on the Grass), 1862-63, Mickalene Thomas painted Le Déjeuner Sur L'herbe: Les Trois Femmes Noires in 2010. Surrounded by bright color reminiscent of halos & flowery fabric landscape, this trio of super-women, these goddesses, are not going to take ANY guff!
As photographer Barry said, "Unlike the Manet, these don't need a man to have their lunch, enjoy themselves or to be powerful." And Elaine told us they would inspire to be strong in times of tribulation and to find her power. We were reminded of the wonderful actresses, Pam Grier & Jean Bell, thankfully still with us, as well as Tamara Dobson, Rosalind Cash, and Vonetta McGee and many other heroines from action movies.
Roberto Lugo's intricate pottery overflows with dazzling color & elaborate patterns as well as images of iconic Latinx & Black icons artists, teachers & heroes. He uses lettering on some of the spouts, one of which was Robske -- which puzzled us for a bit until detective Barry from CA figured out that this is likely a nickname! HA! Diana pointed out the mastery of pottery as an art form. You have to be so exact to get the colors just right, to get the gloss & gleam and to make sure the structure is strong enough for display or use. I have included a link to one of the sites featuring his work since the photos I had set up aren't high def.
It's a real joy to discover new artists & artwork with you!
Monday Madness follows! "Trust the randomness of the art!" as Jerry says! (I'll try!)
- Calida Rawles, Reflecting My Grace, 2019 -- link --
- Mickalene Thomas, Le Déjeuner Sur L'herbe: Les Trois Femmes Noires, 2010 -- link --
- Édouard Manet, Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (The Luncheon on the Grass), 1862-63 -- link --
- Mickalene Thomas, Le Déjeuner Sur L'herbe: Les Trois Femmes Noires, 2010 -- link --
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