Yesterday, when I was posting my featured painting of the day, I selected this one:
This is a reference to the Robert Frost poem I mentioned:
Nothing Gold Can Stay
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf,
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day
Nothing gold can stay.
Here is a simple, well stated analysis of the poem:
So, I titled my painting "Stay Gold." I wanted to point out that not only was Marilyn's fame and beauty destined to end, the very best parts of her were threatened as well by her success.
I was recently discussing with a friend Monroe's elevated status over equally beautiful women and we decided that part of her appeal was her vulnerability, and that there seemed to be a kind of melancholy that loomed over her. And, of course, it has been repeatedly said that Monroe had a combination of innocence and sexuality. I am very interested in the complexity of such push/pull attractions. Perhaps it is this complexity that draws us to Monroe. It keeps our minds moving back and forth as we contemplate her, much the way my frenetically moving painting keeps the eye moving while portraying a series of expressions and gestures.
Since today is the anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, I will also post my frenetic cubism rendition inspired by his performance in Jailhouse Rock:
This practice of rapidly capturing can also be useful in creative writing. Try to observe action around you and capture it in a few seconds. This is a great way to record ideas so you can return to them later. Try to do this ten times and be prepared to share some of your efforts with our group Wednesday.
I will close today as I opened, with some words from Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel):
"I was saving the name of 'Geisel' for the Great American Novel."