Artnotes: A Prayer from Man Ray

 

Carlo’s Trees  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas  14  x 9”  35 x 23cm  290.00   Fall us upon us.  The trees are bright yellow and red, and the air is crisp and smoky.   Blair is blocking up holes in  our warm house where the mice are launching an invasion.  I know I could likely train Berlino to intervene in that department, but I hesitate to encourage aggressiveness.  He is a docile bird dog with a soft mouth (never muss the feathers) – his idea is just to catch whatever it is and walk around with it.   The pine tree is sowing its pine nuts and the yard has been flooded with small birds (peacefully) cashing in on the haul. Diner (first in a series)  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas  390.00 We recently drove to the foundation Magnani-Rocca, near Parma, to see a show of Man Ray photos, sculptures, and film.  There were some paintings and prints in there as well.   It was a large and interesting show – Man Ray was a surrealist, Dada-ist and his work was both thought-provoking and funny.  Take for instance, the “palatable” – a table made out of an artist’s palette; or the “Ballet de Paris” – a play on the word for broom in French (balai) painted and mounted like a sculpture.   I didn’t think the museum really thought through or understood the work – they downplayed his time with Kiki in Montparnasse in favor of some interesting but commercial fashion photography.  Were we not somewhat literate in Italian, French and English we would have never “gotten” those artistic pieces.   For us, it was a fabulous, comprehensive retrospective of his work, culminating in his film of the renovation of the Nouilles chateau “of the dice”.  At Cezanne’s Studio  (Keith) Blair Pessemier Acrylic on Canvas, unstretched 12 x 16” 30 x 40cm  390.00  The museum itself seemed to be reeling from the (recovered) thefts which took place recently – we both checked, and sure enough the Cezanne pieces in the regular collection were back in place.  The 14th century gold paintings of the Madonna were looking unusually beautiful.   The grounds of the estate were a little less pristine, and we were asked to fill out a survey that one often sends out before making changes.  We decided to lunch elsewhere because the restaurant equally seemed off its game.  We drove to a restaurant nearby and ate the workers special – spaghetti and a main course for 15 euros.  A Drink with Man Ray (from the diner series)  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/newspaper   20 x 27”  50 x 70cm    275.00 We had to make a trip to Modena this week to get my glasses repaired.  I leaned on them, and one lens was significantly displaced.  We have been going to Modena more often to visit our friend, but this week he was busy, and we spent the afternoon walking around on our own.  There are the most wonderful store windows there, from dishes, to salami, to buttons – Modena is a unique city in Italy.  Usually, we are just walking toward a coffee shop, but this time I really stopped to look.   We saw our first very lovely Christmas decorations hung over the street, and we went into the cathedral to look around.  The large, polychromed Nativity was there, and the frescoes were cleaned and brilliant.  I ask god that my friend Sal in Seattle sells his airplane.  It sounds like a prayer from Man Ray. At the Modena Cathedral  Lion sees a mouse Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas 10.5 x 14”  27 x 35  390.00 sign up for Artnotes, our weekly art missive, by contacting me at lfpessemier@gmail.com or https://mailchi.mp/341f508cecf8/artnotes INVITING All Artists to present their Work:   Paint, Literature, Crafts, Food.... Pessemier's Sunday Salon Weekly on Sunday  No Reservation Necessary   How it works: Bring a piece of your ART: that could be visual, like painting or printmaking; or literary, as in poetry or prose; or crafts, like metalwork or knitting; or food, or music.  Something you made, or feel particularly inspired by.  You have about 5 minutes to present, and we'll ooh, ahh, or answer questions you have.  You can also come and see how we work before diving in.  Just show up on Zoom at a minute or two before the hour.    No selling, no networking until after everyone has presented.  No politics, no sales pitches, please. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88093708954?pwd=M04zNHB4dFZkREp3bThweUd1YnVDZz09 Meeting ID: 880 9370 8954 Passcode: 886402 Rome 8 PM   NY 2 PM; LosAngeles 11AM