Art Updates and Explorations

Busta Paint!

I tasked myself with a new painting recently, going back to not only the brush and acrylics, but specifically a monochrome theme. Doing a portrait of Buster Keaton was ideally suited to this, since he was a star of the silent era forever to be frozen in celluloid black and white.

I was perusing a movie book of mine and when Buster's exquisite face appeared sprawled on an entire page I couldn't help but want to try my hand at painting him.

Buster's expression cut the picture of a forlorn, unperturbed underdog, it was almost inexpressive, yet still so full of emotion. Whether he was attracting the admiration of a woman, or having a house front frame fall on him, his nonchalance to situations that should have elicited at least some reaction was what bore comedy out of the tragic.

I once watched a brilliant documentary on Buster, with footage of him in his later, milder years juxtaposed with his films showing the younger, physical actor in the earliest period of film. The end of the silent era was detriment to his career and his family life, not necessarily because he couldn't adapt to talkies, but because his vision didn't meet the expectations of the studio bosses.

As for the painting, it wasn't so much a challenge with his features, as it was with the positioning of them and framing of his face. Perhaps, oddly enough, the more familiar the face the harder it is to replicate.

MAO: Frieda Toranzo Jaeger forthcoming exhibit, doodles and Hendra Gunawan

I was volunteering again at the coziest joint in town, but the recent Monica Sjöö exhibit was being packed up and witnessed being sent off by some quite sad faces, sorry to see her go. Her work certainly made an impression, but soon enough a new exhibit by Mexican artist Frieda Toranzo Jaeger will be opening on March 16th, with a preview and talk by the artist on the 15th. Her art appears to incorporate futuristic visions of landscapes and human habitats, mixing technology with organic environments, though seeing the exhibit in full will no doubt give more insight.

Whilst greeting visitors and having to break the news that Monica had moved on whilst we await Frieda's exciting new exhibit, I was accompanied by a trusty iPad and given the opportunity to get back to doodling on Procreate (just need some fresh ideas to do more!) and also explored the Google Arts and Culture app. A recommended app for those lacking art history knowledge such as myself, I came across the artist Hendra Gunawan. Hendra was an Indonesian artist imprisoned during political conflict of the 60s. His work is colourfully rich, but brighter colours often appear upon more dismal colours, as he often depicted human struggles within Indonesian society.

Write Cut Rewrite exhibit

This was incredible! Perfectly timed, since this free exhibit at The Weston Library in Oxford opened on my day off. I'd seen it advertised and though based on literature, it had an artistic element to it as well.

The collection incorporates a vast number of original writings, manuscripts, notes and drafts of famous writers. Included are some notes and annotations of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein by her husband Percy Bysshe; more modern works by Philip Pullman, whose Dark Materials series is set in a re-imagined Oxford; and a variety of Samuel Beckett's writing, in particular a segment highlighted for its supposed obscenity and an early look at censorship, as well as a delightful sheet of paper displaying the doodles he made (possibly during those moments of writer's block?).

One display cabinet was dedicated to the resources used for making all important notes and passages. When a simple pad wasn't available, apparently the back of a Rowntree's Fruit Gums packet could do the trick!

Additionally, the exhibit has an accompanying catalogue, detailing the collections further, which naturally I simply had to buy. The exhibit is on until January 2025 and I highly recommend it.

Frankenstein

This was performed at the Oxford Playhouse Theatre, under the production of Imitating The Dog. I went in without much information and it was an interestingly put together piece. The narrative elements of Frankenstein where Walton and his shipmates come across Victor Frankenstein who proceeds to tell his tale, was used alongside a modern story of a couple expecting a baby.

Though the stage and sound design was good and the acting quality very strong, I wasn't quite sure the stories paralleled. Though the theme of making life and human rejection was present, there could have been a more relevant storyline accompanying the Frankenstein passages. In terms of a more modern approach, perhaps incorporating the idea of loneliness and isolation, whilst using the stage set use of technology to discuss what it is to be human and how we connect and interact in a digital world might have been more apt.

Nonetheless, there were some interestingly impressive portrayals of the monster's form with the two actors choreographically combining their bodies to appear intimidating and larger than life.