An 18th-century Polish rabbi, Simcha Bunim, wrote, “For my sake the world was created; I am nothing but dust and ashes.” The artist, contemplating the rabbi’s remarks, came to the conclusion that his words were extraordinarily profound. This dichotomy allows people to do great things and still be altruistic to their fellow human beings. Balance was the key which allows one to go through life with as few regrets as possible and still be a decent human being. In his painting, Fenton has Napoleon crowning himself Emperor of France while simultaneously seeing Somalian children dissolving into dust and ashes. Fenton portrays himself in double portraits, depicting the juxtaposition of extremes.
Tag: while
My Conversation with Watteau
Fenton has a conversation with Watteau while the characters carry on their own conversation. In fact, two conversations, one visual and the other verbal, take place. Watteau used his friends as models for the stock theatrical characters in the painting Commedia dell’Arte, as did Fenton.
After Goya: Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters
Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters: This painting requires a little history. In 1797, Goya began a series of prints, Capriccios, in which he was critical of Spanish culture, avarice, greed, and the political climate that fostered it. Goya believed reason was asleep, and Fenton believes we too are asleep. Many of us are so involved in our little worlds that we fail to see all the problems that are descending upon us en masse. We are not talking to our enemies while conducting war and producing still more enemies; we are giving our freewheeling, well-greased economic machine a blind eye and a blank check; our powerhouse auto industry is producing energy-inefficient cars that are increasingly unwanted; we are damaging our environment by ignoring global warming; and we are ignoring the needs of the medically uninsured, contributing to skyrocketing medical costs. All the while, North Korea is building and testing nuclear weapons, and Iran is doing the same and threatening Israel. In Fenton’s painting, most of the figures are self-absorbed in their own world, with the exception of the little girl (Fenton’s granddaughter Leila), who is peeping around the corner. The little girl is in the process of expanding her world, and her image suggests that hope is around the corner when the predator birds are descending. Her awareness is the inspiration for this painting and our hope around the corner as well.