Life is cruel sometimes. And if you are sketching life you’ll become cruel yourself, especially if you cannot edulcorate the reality, if you cannot cheat and will not lie. This isn’t a nice, pretty sketch. Some gentle souls could be shocked or hurt looking at this. But I did not draw this without the model’s permission. I even draw 2 portraits of him and give him the choice of one… Probably it was something nobody gave him (a gift like that: a portrait of himself) and he was happy. (He chose the gentler version of himself, of course).
I did this sketch in 1995, when I came to Râul Vadului – a sort of a hospital for mentaly challenged (and they were a lot – from a few years old to 70-75 – a group of very divers and frightening faulty humans that nobody wanted). I was there with my friend, sister Mary Rose Christie and some of her helping friends from America. Generous people who sacrified their time and money to help people almost nobody would or could help. I remeber only the name of Ron but there were others too. The pacients knew them already and manifested a great joy to see them again, covering the guest with eager hands and sloppy kisses… I would never forget some of their faces. Even if I do not remeber their names. Just people, anonimous people, forgotten by man and, maybe, by God also… Their hospital was next to the national road to the capital and almost every year there were fatal traffic accidents. Some pacients managed somehow to get out on the road to beg for cigarettes from the motorists…
9 responses so far ↓
wrjones // November 1, 2007 at 8:58 am |
Nice drawing, sad subject.
I believe most of us don’t reflect often enough just how fortunate we are to live a normal life with freedom of movement and choices as to how and where we will live. Instead we think of the even bigger screen TV and the newest cell phone features.
Ion Danu // November 1, 2007 at 10:02 pm |
My opinion exactly… You cannot imagine how glad he was when I made his portrait, even if it wasn’t at all “sugarcoated”…
Miki // November 2, 2007 at 3:51 am |
Very good, Danu. Not shocking or offending at all, i find.
I was quite aamzed to see this picture and read your texts… any many years ago, in Germany I lived not far away from an hospital for such people. My dream was to go inside and sketch them, just because their faces and bodies expressions fascinate me, But I never dared asking… I thought, anyway, nobody would forgive me to draw them, and everybody would think it would be a kind of lack of respect for them… it was not… I gbuess I should have done…
iondanu // November 2, 2007 at 10:37 am |
There some illustrious precedents, miki: Franz Hals and Géricault, for instance…
Miki // November 2, 2007 at 1:00 pm |
I don´t mind precedences and don´t like instances…
Alfred // November 9, 2007 at 1:49 am |
Your work was different then. This is disturbing and powerfull in its simplicity. I like it better then the new ones, in those pink hues you discovered lately.
iondanu // November 9, 2007 at 12:10 pm |
Thanks, Alfred, even if I don’t really know which new ones you are referring to… I use sometimes a kind of pink but it’s not really my prefered color. I think…
Alfred // November 10, 2007 at 11:02 am |
You are right, it’s rather a light purple not pink. There are a couple of your paintings stuck in my brain, like this one: http://iondanu.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/les-creatures-de-la-nuit.jpg, or this: http://iondanu.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/marie-lise-12.jpg
I recently read the article on why you like bizarre things, how you became less conservative, less strict.
I think I am like that. I like art that takes itself serious. Art in yellows and pinks, sunny colors, caricatured figures, is not on my taste.
I like paintings that are troubled, disturbed, angry, in darker colors, exposing the unavoidable imperfections of life but chasing for the never found perfection of an ideal world.
It may look like I’m saying that I don’t like your paintings at all so let me state this out loud: I like art, I like the creative act. I like looking at paintings trying to understand what the person behind it felt or thought while creating.
I was merely describing the form of art that I would like to be able to create myself.
On the other hand, I am completely unable to create any form of art lately, so, what the heck am I talking about anyway ?
iondanu // November 10, 2007 at 2:14 pm |
Talk, Alfred, talk! And do not think I’ll be offended if you don’t like some of my paintings… Of course, I do some in yellows and pink (but not rose bombon which is THE pink) but I consider these exercises or stuff for selling (could be some good in them, maybe). But those I consider representative for myself – MOST representative, I should say! – are the troubled, disturbed, angry and dark ones – which, by the way, you can do also using yellows and such – I’m not sure I publish this but I will do it for you, even if it could turn away and revulse some friends of mine or some innocent bystanders who will stump over…
But an artist is acomplex being, very diverse, always contradictory – DA-NU – no les complex and contradictory as any other human being. I would rather say MORE…