ARTISTS
WILLIAM ANTHONY Ironic Icons II
Dear Picasso, I saw an art exhibition today that made me think of you. The small paintings in William Anthony: Ironic Icons II were done
Dan Tarnowski / The Brooklyn Rail
01 Apr, 2012
A LETTER TO PICASSO
FROM DAN TARNOWSKI
Dear Picasso,
I saw an art exhibition today that made me think of you. The small paintings in William Anthony: Ironic Icons II were done in a primitive style that reminds me of the stuff you were working on in the early 1900s. Remember when you became interested in African sculpture and started simplifying your forms in paintings like 鈥淟es Demoiselles d鈥橝vignon鈥� (1907)? Anthony captures a similar innocence, only I don鈥檛 see much African influence in his work. His work seems especially influenced by, well, you!
鈥淕ood artists copy; great artists steal.鈥� Remember when you said that? Perhaps not, but the day is bright as cadmium yellow in my memory. We were in your studio and you had just knocked off one of Matisse鈥檚 compositions鈥攁 woman leaning on a table with her head on her arm鈥攐nly you outlined the woman鈥檚 face with one circular zip of the brush and made the skin bright pink. I always wondered if Matisse was steamed by your attempts to one-up him! Anyway, Anthony seems to have taken your comment about copying quite literally because he has repainted many famous paintings in his own playful style here.
I wish you had been at the gallery with me, as you would鈥檝e had a good chuckle spotting the famous pictures. For instance, Anthony painted George Bellows鈥檚 鈥淒empsey and Firpo鈥濃�攔emember that painting of the boxers from 1924, back when some of those Americans began painting scenes of daily life in poorer neighborhoods? Bellows鈥檚 image of Luis Ángel Firpo knocking his foe clean over the ropes has always reminded me of how you described finishing a painting. Remember your remark? You said, 鈥淭o finish it means to be through with it, to kill it, to rid it of its soul, to give it its final blow, the coup de gr芒ce for the painter as well as for the picture.鈥� Anthony certainly gave Bellows鈥檚 painting his own ending, by turning his boxer into a harpy with pale green skin and hair on end, like Frankenstein鈥檚 bride from the 1931 Hollywood movie.
Anthony even copied your paintings! His 鈥淧icasso Pair鈥� (2011) is a recreation of your painting from 1901 of a young man in profile, the man curling his fingers around his face and sitting next to a young woman who looks at the viewer. I remember you were fascinated with harlequins back then. Anthony captured the same clownish lasciviousness with which you imbued your faces at that time, and he brought that cheekiness to many of his other pictures too. Do you know what the most amusing part of the exhibition was, Pablo? This artist鈥檚 style鈥攂right colors spontaneously layered over pale backgrounds, with figures surrounded by thin, dark outlines鈥攔eminds me of one artist in particular. Why, your old friend Matisse! Boy, I sure wish you had been there.
Your friend and apprentice,
Dan Tarnowski
FROM DAN TARNOWSKI
Dear Picasso,
I saw an art exhibition today that made me think of you. The small paintings in William Anthony: Ironic Icons II were done in a primitive style that reminds me of the stuff you were working on in the early 1900s. Remember when you became interested in African sculpture and started simplifying your forms in paintings like 鈥淟es Demoiselles d鈥橝vignon鈥� (1907)? Anthony captures a similar innocence, only I don鈥檛 see much African influence in his work. His work seems especially influenced by, well, you!
鈥淕ood artists copy; great artists steal.鈥� Remember when you said that? Perhaps not, but the day is bright as cadmium yellow in my memory. We were in your studio and you had just knocked off one of Matisse鈥檚 compositions鈥攁 woman leaning on a table with her head on her arm鈥攐nly you outlined the woman鈥檚 face with one circular zip of the brush and made the skin bright pink. I always wondered if Matisse was steamed by your attempts to one-up him! Anyway, Anthony seems to have taken your comment about copying quite literally because he has repainted many famous paintings in his own playful style here.
I wish you had been at the gallery with me, as you would鈥檝e had a good chuckle spotting the famous pictures. For instance, Anthony painted George Bellows鈥檚 鈥淒empsey and Firpo鈥濃�攔emember that painting of the boxers from 1924, back when some of those Americans began painting scenes of daily life in poorer neighborhoods? Bellows鈥檚 image of Luis Ángel Firpo knocking his foe clean over the ropes has always reminded me of how you described finishing a painting. Remember your remark? You said, 鈥淭o finish it means to be through with it, to kill it, to rid it of its soul, to give it its final blow, the coup de gr芒ce for the painter as well as for the picture.鈥� Anthony certainly gave Bellows鈥檚 painting his own ending, by turning his boxer into a harpy with pale green skin and hair on end, like Frankenstein鈥檚 bride from the 1931 Hollywood movie.
Anthony even copied your paintings! His 鈥淧icasso Pair鈥� (2011) is a recreation of your painting from 1901 of a young man in profile, the man curling his fingers around his face and sitting next to a young woman who looks at the viewer. I remember you were fascinated with harlequins back then. Anthony captured the same clownish lasciviousness with which you imbued your faces at that time, and he brought that cheekiness to many of his other pictures too. Do you know what the most amusing part of the exhibition was, Pablo? This artist鈥檚 style鈥攂right colors spontaneously layered over pale backgrounds, with figures surrounded by thin, dark outlines鈥攔eminds me of one artist in particular. Why, your old friend Matisse! Boy, I sure wish you had been there.
Your friend and apprentice,
Dan Tarnowski
