27 May 2005
Duane Keiser Interview
There is an interesting interview in two parts with Duane Keiser by Alexandra Silverthorne wich gives insights in the work and teaching of this great painter. "Seeing an F-14 take off at night using afterburners..." - I'd like too see that too. I am sorry for some harsh comments before. But thinking on the fact, that it is of course possible and legitime to paint a beautiful still life in war-torn times like ours, leeds to the reading of the Essays of Lawrence Weschlers "Vermeer in Bosnia" because this is of course a quite often phenomena in art: Painting a silent random part of life in the eye of the storm of conflicts. Goya and his Caprichos is not the neccessarily the normality, but there was a Morandi or Modigliani too.
Labels: Neue Kunst
¶ 10:30 PM
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Hello Hans,
I stumbled on your blog via anaba and read your comments with great interest.
I understand and respect your initial comments concerning one's duty as an artist during a time of war. I understand them because it is a question I've thought about myself, as have a great many painters throughout the centuries (after all, violence and war have been around a long time, and in far worst incarnations than we are currently witnessing) After 9/11 I found myself trying to paint a still life. I couldn't (or I could, but not well.) It seemed so trivial. Selfish. 3000 people died and here I was trying to paint a piece of fucking fruit! It is also sometimes difficult to reconcile the worth of what I do compared to say the sacrifices my father made during 30 years in the Marine Corps, or anyone who has made a deep sacrifice for something larger than themselves.
So what can a painter do to reconcile this with his conscience? It is interesting that you brought up the essays "Vermeer in Bosnia." I remember several years ago being moved very deeply by a New Yorker article about a member of the war crimes tribunal at the Hague. I believe it was by the same guy you mentioned though I'm not sure. Anyway, the just of the story was he would have to listen, at the trials, to the most horrific stories of cruelty and terror.. All day, Everyday. To keep his sanity he would go see the Vermeers. He would just stand there, looking, losing himself in the universe that Vermeer made. It redeemed him, like communion. It is interesting to note that there was a war raging while Vermeer made some of those paintings. It's been said that the letter the woman in blue is reading is perhaps a letter from a soldier at the front somewhere. Maybe Vermeer was thinking about our question too?
Perhaps it is not the subject matter that is important... perhaps the important thing is that it be the truth, or at least an honest attempt at the truth-- whether it be in a painting about the Iraq War, Las Meninas by Velazquez, or a small still life by Chardin. Surely there is value in seeing something, anything, that moves us to want to savor our lives a fraction more.
Just some thoughts. Thank you again for your comments, both the positive and negative.
Duane
I stumbled on your blog via anaba and read your comments with great interest.
I understand and respect your initial comments concerning one's duty as an artist during a time of war. I understand them because it is a question I've thought about myself, as have a great many painters throughout the centuries (after all, violence and war have been around a long time, and in far worst incarnations than we are currently witnessing) After 9/11 I found myself trying to paint a still life. I couldn't (or I could, but not well.) It seemed so trivial. Selfish. 3000 people died and here I was trying to paint a piece of fucking fruit! It is also sometimes difficult to reconcile the worth of what I do compared to say the sacrifices my father made during 30 years in the Marine Corps, or anyone who has made a deep sacrifice for something larger than themselves.
So what can a painter do to reconcile this with his conscience? It is interesting that you brought up the essays "Vermeer in Bosnia." I remember several years ago being moved very deeply by a New Yorker article about a member of the war crimes tribunal at the Hague. I believe it was by the same guy you mentioned though I'm not sure. Anyway, the just of the story was he would have to listen, at the trials, to the most horrific stories of cruelty and terror.. All day, Everyday. To keep his sanity he would go see the Vermeers. He would just stand there, looking, losing himself in the universe that Vermeer made. It redeemed him, like communion. It is interesting to note that there was a war raging while Vermeer made some of those paintings. It's been said that the letter the woman in blue is reading is perhaps a letter from a soldier at the front somewhere. Maybe Vermeer was thinking about our question too?
Perhaps it is not the subject matter that is important... perhaps the important thing is that it be the truth, or at least an honest attempt at the truth-- whether it be in a painting about the Iraq War, Las Meninas by Velazquez, or a small still life by Chardin. Surely there is value in seeing something, anything, that moves us to want to savor our lives a fraction more.
Just some thoughts. Thank you again for your comments, both the positive and negative.
Duane
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