Artist of the Week: Francesco Clemente

Francesco Clemente 

b. 1952, Naples

Francesco Clemente is best known for the signature themes of the human form, particularly women’s bodies; his own image; sexuality; myth and spirituality; non-Western symbols; and dreamlike visions. In the United States, where he has a residence in New York City, Clemente is often categorized as a "neo-expressionist", otherwise known as Italian Transavantguardia. Clementes paintings also contain visual elements of Surrealism. He is said to eschew such labels.

Self-portrait
2011

" I'm at the age where I don't need an acid trip to feel naked.. to feel that I don't exist. Now a self-portrait is almost a reminder to me that I do exist."

1977
Clemente's earliest works were ink on paper.

Harlequin Close Up  1978
 Ink and colored pencil on nine sheets of paper, mounted on linen

Francesco Clemente first traveled to India in 1973 in search of “somewhere else.” The acutely contemporary world of India that he encountered, whose antiquity had been transformed and reinvented by a lively popular culture, enchanted him. The artist would find himself at home there over the next four decades.

Son
1983
oil on linen
(the shift to oils and watercolors in the 1880's)

Clemente-Basquait-Warhol Collaboration

1984

Friendship
1991

Tree
1993

1990's



Current Works

A History of the Heart in Three Rainbows (III)  2009

2010

"To me the poets are closer than I am to the idea of voice, to a sort of primeval song that we all participate in. Maybe they express more directly a sense of sympathy for other human beings. Painting is a little bit more of a retreat from human beings in real life; painting is more about the extreme moments when speech doesn't help anymore."

After Attar’s “The Conference of the Birds” II 
2010

2010

2010

Winter Women I  2011

"The original impulse in my life as an artist was to write and to break from writing into image."

Note:  It was incredibly difficult for me to choose which works of Francesco Clemente to include in this feature. Having discovered his work within the last few days and being entirely smitten with it, I perhaps gathered too many images, almost liking them all in one way or another. I chose to post them chronologically in an effort to not only reign in my enthusiasm and create a post of sensible length but also to discover in what ways his work has evolved.

Here are a few more works of Clemente's for which I don't have exact dates but that are too visually and intellectually exciting (at least to my eye) to leave out.

" There's poetry in the world. Poetry doesn't belong just to the poets. You know, you can look at the most premeditated, cold blooded movie and find poetry in it."

The Portraits

Alba, the artist's wife

 "When you sit for an hour and a half in front of somebody, he or she shows about twenty faces. And so it's this crazy chase of, Which face? Which one is the one?"

Allan Ginsberg

Keith Haring

Toni Morrison

William Burroughs

Sources

Francesco Clemente webpage

Francesco Clemente: Made in India

Being Francesco Clemente by Salman Rushdie

Gagosian Gallery

Guggenheim

Crown Point Press: The Prints

Francisco Clemente Collection at MoMA

Weekend Reflections

 The New England Peace Pagoda
Literal and Spiritual Reflections

A Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa designed to provide a focus for people of all races and creeds, and to help unite them in their search for world peace
(wikipedia)



It was an absolutely perfect day in The Valley (Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts) today and WP and I took a drive to Leverett, to one of our favorite places - The New England Peace Pagoda.  There isn't a direct website for The Peace Pagoda yet so what I've linked to here is a general wiki article on peace pagodas or stupas. And the following excerpt is from an architectural page on pagodas.

Mary non-Buddhists who helped out for a few days or even weeks during construction were perplexed by the lack of any apparent access to the interior of the dome, which in the finished stupa is permanently sealed. Visitors still wonder why there is no "inside," no clear destination, as they watch saffron-robed monks and nuns circumambulate the outdoor walkways beating hand drams and chanting. There are many possible replies to the lingering question. Rev. Clare Carter, a nun at the pagoda, suggests one of them: "Our teacher was always trying to make the point that heaven is also this world. Our life here is a creation of this heaven through human effort."

 

 On the grounds near the temple is a this lovely pond surrounded by prayer flags.  One can see the reflection in the pond water of the lower tier of prayer flags. A peaceful place to sit and reflect.

 A prayer flag with a personal touch

Weekend Reflection

Thank you for visiting. This is my first Weekend Reflection submission!

The Horse Boy - A Spiritual Approach to Autism - Part I

I've given National Poetry month some attention recently but April is also Autism Awareness month. If you are interested in autism or live with someone "on the spectrum", you will be interested in this series of interviews with author Rupert Isaacson, who, among other things traveled to Mongolia to seek treatment for his son Rowan's autistic symptoms. His book The Horse Boy has recently been made into a documentary with the same title.

As an educator with significant experience and training in autism spectrum disorders, I've developed a simple philosophy around it. I believe that every child diagnosed with ASD can be reached. What it takes is parents who follow their heart and gut when it comes their child and an educational and/or therapeutic environment (that could include the outdoors as a classroom) that supports it. When the public school system can't or won't see things the parents' way, they have to be pushed and prodded and even, at times, threatened. I personally would not put my own child (autistic or neurotypical) in the hands of any public school system without careful evaluation of what is going on there. I'm sad to say, it is more often than not that this happens to our children.


A bold approach to diet and health can't hurt either, if it's implemented as a result of careful investigation and consultation with an expert who is on the same page as the parents. And as always, a close connection to the child that allows you to pay attention to their needs.

Clearly, most parents can't afford to up and move to Mongolia to treat their child's autism but I think the Isaacsons have the right idea. It's too bad that people can't see what they can do for their children when the resources are often right under their noses.

I don't have any particularly strong stances against the major autism groups such as Autism Speaks or Autism Society of America but at my core, I don't care for the puzzle piece as a symbol for autism. I can understand the reason for choosing a recognizable logo that represents a complex neurological condition but I can't see defining any group of people as a"puzzle". I believe it actually sends the wrong message to people who do not know anyone with autism - that they are too complex to get to know and like. Autism is complex but people who live with it have the same needs as everyone else. They respond to humor, attention, and intellectual stimulation; and most universally, they respond to love and inclusiveness. We all need those things to live happy lives and to grow to our "personal best" potential.Therefore, I prefer the autism rainbow.

I'll be writing more about autism in the coming weeks and perhaps more often, always. As it should be when one cares a lot about something!

Peace, love and all groovy things,

Pagan Sphinx

Now for the interview.

The Horse Boy Foundation Homepage

Happy Thanksgiving

"Ohenton Kariwahtekwen"

Greetings to the Natural World

The following words are based on the Thanksgiving Address, an ancient message of peace and appreciation for Mother Earth and all of her inhabitants. They come to us from the Native people known as the Haudenosaunee, also knows as the Iroquois or Six Nations - Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora, of upstate New York and Canada. These words are still spoken at ceremonial and governmental gatherings held by the Six Nations.

To be a human being is an honor, and we offer thanksgiving for all the gifts of life.
Mother Earth, we thank you for giving us everything we need.
Thank you, deep blue waters around Mother Earth, for you are the force that takes thirst away from all living things.
We give thanks to green grasses that feel so good against our bare feet, for the cool beauty you bring to Mother Earth's floor.
Thank you, good foods from Mother Earth, our life sustainers, for making us happy when we are hungry.
Fruits and berries, we thank you for your color and sweetness. We are all thankful to good medicine herbs, for healing us when we are sick.
Thank you, all the animals of the world, for keeping our precious forests clean. All the trees of the world, we are thankful for the shade and warmth you give us. Thank you , all the birds in the world for singing your beautiful songs for all to enjoy.
We give thanks to you, gentle Four Winds, for bringing clean air for us to breathe from the four directions.
Thank you, Grandfather Thunder Beings, for bringing rains to help all living things grow.
Elder Brother Sun, we send thanks for shining your light and warming Mother Earth.
Thank you, Grandmother Moon, for growing full every month to light the darkness for children and sparkling waters.
We give thanks, twinkling stars, for making the night sky so beautiful and for sprinkling morning dew drops on the plants.
Spirit Protectors of our past and present, we thank you for showing us ways to live in peace and harmony with one another.
And most of all, thank you, Great Spirit, for giving us all these wonderful gifts, so we will be happy and healthy every day and every night.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Love,
Pagan Sphinx

A Blog Award

Kelly, thank you for this. I mostly take creative license with the work of others but I'm glad it makes you want to come here. I'm really honored.

I've probably not followed all the rules on this one - I'm afraid I've been a lazy blogger of late.

Kelly is a Sky Watch participant and I think that's how we found each other's blogs. She takes great photos, values peace and tolerance and is among one of the people who has supported my family posts. It always an honor to be connected to one who cares about justice and tolerance, love and peace.

Oh, you're supposed to name six things that make you happy.

1) Belting out loud songs with the radio while I drive
2) Keeping in touch with friends and family. I talk to each of my kids every day. Sometimes for a long time.
3) Picking up my SG2 at the train from Boston when she comes home from college.
4 ) Hanging out with my feeeeeonsay, W.P.
5) Art
6) Little children and all the animals
7) Helping SP1 do errands near her school, which is only 45 minutes from home. I helped her buy a warm jacket today.
8) Realizing how much I have to be grateful for

Namaste.

Gampo Abbey

Nova Scotia, Part II

We left Meat Cove and drove to the eastern shore of Cape Breton to find Gampo Abbey, a Tibetan Buddhist community and retreat. We arrived on a Saturday, not knowing that they're only open to visitors Monday through Friday, but we looked around this beautiful, peaceful place and walked The Path of Enlightenment. Thanks to Susan for the tip on Gampo Abbey.





On the path, we came upon these two young monks, blowing their horns into the wind. I wonder of the specific purpose of this. I so loved getting a glimpse of this ritual but I tried to keep my distance.

I hope you enjoyed the walk

Pathways, Bridges & Walls

I've just finished reading a recent post at what is perhaps my favorite blog: Sexuality In The Arts. Its title is deceptive in the sense of what it implies about the blog. It's a lot about the arts, yes. But it's also about loving, living and how personal expression can have an impact on lives - privately, socially, politically and spiritually.

Perhaps because of the path I'm currently traveling, One More Option, the author of Sexuality In The Arts, has become a sort of teacher. As is typical, OMO's post is about a lot of things but what I've taken away from it most is this, the ending paragraph:

I’m not a big fan of traditional boundaries. When life has given me boundaries, I’ve often responded by building sustainable archways, gates, bridges and tunnels - anything that might help people avoid being confined.

Whether it be physical, political or spiritual confinement, I can think of nothing more hellish. I find it especially sad when people impose confinement and isolation upon themselves and resist those who, in good faith, attempt to offer another path. Perhaps that path is not where they think they want to go. And granted, there are paths of various lengths, that lead to many places; not all of them acceptable to all of us.

My feeling is that we can walk down a path that is not for us, perhaps by the hand of someone else and still hold tight to who we are and what we believe. If that path is not leading to a place we like, or the view is not what we want to see along the way, we can always come back to where we started or take another path that leads back to where we want to be. To me that doesn't necessarily mean we have to unconditionally accept the path that is not for us. What it means is that we walked it and that we attempted to do so in another's shoes. It could very well mean that the path was not for us but it does give us another perspective. Perhaps even some common ground with the person who invited us to walk.

What I hold as an ideal for myself is not always how I manage to behave. I try. I try so hard. Mostly I fail, as I consider myself much more of a student than a teacher or sage. When I see how very far I have to go, I feel infantile. It does not stop me from attempting those few first steps. When I read something like the post by OMO, I feel a sense of wanting to try even harder. That is why I look up to her so much.

Paths not walked, when we are invited to do so, are a type of confinement. I choose to walk the paths I'm invited to walk upon. There are bridges, many bridges, that I want so badly to cross and have no idea how. I want to learn how. Everywhere I turn there are walls. We can either curl up and accept our confinement or we can paint a picture, write a poem or compose a song. Others then can see what we have to say. If we're lucky, we can be invited to tear down the wall - together - when we can see what each of us have to say and where it may lead us.

One More Option: thank you for being my teacher.
Yours in Peace,
Pagan Sphinx

Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away

Because sometimes I believe in God and sometimes I doubt God.

"Faith is doubt"
Emily Dickinson

Namaste'

Pronounced NamaSTAY.

Rainmaker from Musings of A Creek Dipper by Victoria Williams

I'm not sure how the song fits in but somehow it does in my mind.

I'm not tending to turn into a new age spiritualist in any big way but this greeting and all that it implies, makes perfect, beautiful sense to me.