Agreed. His work is a good metaphor of the forthright American spirit that may be more myth than reality but it has verve and conviction through and through. WC
--- On Mon, 3/2/09, Chris Miller <[email protected]> wrote: > From: Chris Miller <[email protected]> > Subject: For those who have televisions > To: [email protected] > Date: Monday, March 2, 2009, 9:38 AM > Those who have televisions might agree that last night's > documentary on > Rockwell Kent was about as good as it gets. > > Perhaps that's because there was so much photography to > document each episode > of his life -- letting us see every life threatening > expedition as well as > every girl friend (or -- at least some of them) > > And because his bold style of painting translates so well > to the small screen > -- providing a much better vision of his adventures than a > photograph ever > could. > > What a life ! What a painter ! (I became a fan a few > years ago at a large > exhibition at the now defunct Terra Museum.) > > And... I had no idea that Herman Melville was another > blockhead who didn't > write for money ("Moby Dick" only sold a thousand > copies in his lifetime) > Or... that Kent designed the logo for two fledging > publishing houses: Viking > and Random House. > Or... that Kent was involved in a jury's decision to > exclude DuChamp's > "Fountain" from an exhibition > > But.. since I was a teen, I've always loved his stark > illustrations for Moby > Dick -- each and every one of them -- and am quite sure > that the images he > created were always on my mind, even while later reading > editions that didn't > have them. > > The documentary didn't touch on his dreadful life as a > Communist and Bolshevik > sympathizer -- but it did make it clear that he liked to be > ornery and get his > patriotic neighbors upset. > > > > ____________________________________________________________ > Click to find the right international program for you. > http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2231/fc/BLSrjnxcaA6lY53wSQ6wVgwaiktIIa > NuNPSy2Q78hxUE0T92fC24RntEC5a/
