A Painter of Spanish Life: Manet's Portrait of Madame Brunet

by Gregg Chadwick

Édouard Manet

Portrait of Madame Brunet

52 1/8" x 39 3/8" oil on canvas 1860-1863 (Reworked in 1867)

Recently Purchased by the Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Courtesy Getty Museum

In 1862 in Le Boulevard, a Parisian news sheet which was a sort of precursor to the L.A. Weekly or the Village Voice, the poet Baudelaire wrote a small article entitled Painters and Engravers. This was one of the few times that Baudelaire, who in his essay The Painter of Modern Life called for artists to search for subjects in the rancor and din of the urban street, wrote expressly about the art of his friend Édouard Manet. Baudelaire wrote,"M. Manet is the author of The Spanish Singer, which caused a great sensation in the last Salon. We will see in the next one a number of paintings by him imbued with the flavor of Spain, which leads one to believe that the genius of Spain has fled to France."

With the news that the Getty Museum has purchased Édouard Manet's Portrait of Madame Brunet, art viewers in Los Angeles will be able to answer for themselves: How did Spanish art influence Manet?

Francisco Goya after Diego Velázquez

Portrait of Ferdinand, Cardinal Infante of Spain and Archduke of Austria

etching and drypoint on paper 1778

Courtesy British Museum, London

The composition of Manet's Portrait of Madame Brunet seems to be modeled after Goya's etched version of Vélazquez's Portrait of Ferdinand, Cardinal Infante of Spain and Archduke of Austria. Madame Brunet holds her hands in a position similar to Ferdinand and her dark dress stands out against a light filled landscape in a manner that echoes Vélazquez. Further emphasizing the Spanish influence, the background of Manet's Portrait of Madame Brunet bears a striking resemblance to another Velazquez related work - Philip IV as a Hunter which had been acquired by the Louvre in 1862. At roughly the same time that Manet was painting Madame Brunet he was busy at work on an etching based on this very painting.

Édouard Manet

Portrait of Philip IV after the Workshop of Vélazquez

etching, aquatint, and drypoint on paper circa 1862

Even more striking than his compositional borrowings was Manet's use of oil paint. Manet applied the pigment thickly with spontaneous brushstrokes and flowing form that was inspired by the richness found in the paint-work of Vélazquez. In 1865, Manet visited Spain and reveled in the works of the Spanish masters at the Prado Museum (then known as the Real Museo de Pintura y Escultura).

From Madrid, Manet wrote to Baudelaire, "I've really come to know Vélazquez, and I tell you he is the greatest artist that has ever been." Open brushstrokes full of suggestion allow the viewer to enter imaginatively into Vélazquez's paintings and in a sense finish them. Manet applied this idea to subjects of modern life and created a new way of painting.

Édouard Manet

Portrait of Madame Brunet (Detail)

Courtesy Getty Museum

Édouard Manet

Victorine Meurent

16 7/8" x 17 1/4" oil on canvas circa 1862

Courtesy Boston Museum of Fine Arts

Scott Allan writes in the Getty Museum's blog The Iris, a rich description of Manet's technique in the Portrait of Madame Brunet:
"The signature elements of his original style are blazingly evident: in the brilliant summary execution of the mesmerizing gloves, the subtle wielding of a nuanced range of blacks in the dress, the sharp silhouetting of contours, and in the radical suppression of half-tones and shadows on the pale oval expanse of Mme. Brunet’s strongly lit face."

Perhaps because of the strength of the painting and the lack of nuanced delicacy, the art critic Théodore Duret recounted that, when Madame Brunet first viewed Manet's painting of her she "began crying and left the studio with her husband, never wanting to see the portrait again."

The soft atmosphere found in the painting of Vélazquez is missing. This suppression of delicate halftones coupled with sharp contours took a number of viewers of Manet's work in the 1860's aback. To many the paintings seemed flat, almost like playing-cards. What was Manet up to they wondered?

The immediacy of Manet's subject matter seemed to call for an immediacy of paint handling. Like a Zen clap, Manet's simplified tonal gradations from light to dark emphasized the force of light.

Other influential examples of flattened spacial compositions made their way to Paris. As Manet was reworking his rejected portrait, the 1867 Universal Exposition opened and the artworks, performers and cultural objects in the Japanese pavilion would inspire new directions in the arts.

Édouard Manet

Portrait of Émile Zola

57"x45" oil on canvas 1868

Manet painted a view of the exposition grounds and included a Japanese screen and a woodcut of a Sumo wrestler by the Japanese artist Kuniaki in the background of his Portrait of Emile Zola.  Hanging next to the Kuniaki print in Manet's witty portrait is an engraving after Vélazquez's painting of Bacchus as well as a reproduction of his own Olympia. In another cross-cultural engagement, less than one hundred and fifty years later Japanese artist Takashi Murakami would bring his own superflat paintings to Versailles.

Kawaii- Vacances, Summer Vacation in the Kingdom of the Golden and Untitled Carpet in the Salle des Gardes du Roi at the Chateau de Versailles by Takashi Murakami, via Artinfo

Édouard Manet's painting Portrait of Madame Brunet will go on view at the Getty Museum on December 13, 2011. After writing this piece, it dawned on me that my painting Tokyo Lolita could be a 21st century Ms. Brunet ...

Gregg Chadwick

Tokyo Lolita

24"x18" oil on linen 2010

Manifesta Maastricht Gallery, Maastricht, The Netherlands

More at:
A French Mona Lisa Comes to L.A.
Getty Acquires Moody Manet

A Day of Remembrance and Hope: World AIDS Day

"So often we think that when we're talking about the AIDS epidemic … we should be focusing mainly on the contributions that people in medicine can make—and we need those contributions…. But what I want to suggest is that we also need artists to enter the conversation, to enter the mix."
 - David Gere, project director for the Art/Global Health Center and an associate professor and World Art and Cultures co-chair.


Today we join as a global community and pay tribute to the millions of lives lost and families affected by HIV/AIDS on World AIDS Day. We also pay tribute to the nurses, care givers and doctors who have cared for those afflicted and all those working for a cure.

People light candles in the shape of a red ribbon, the symbol of the AIDS awareness campaign, during a rally to mark World AIDS Day in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009. 
AP PHOTO/ACHMAD IBRAHIM

This morning the Washington Post sponsored an online chat with UCLA's Dr. Michael Gottlieb who in 1981 was the first physician to describe the new disease that would become known as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). That year Dr. Gottlieb and his UCLA colleagues described the CD-4 cell deficiency associated with HIV.

The chat was incredibly informative about the history of the disease, current research, and future treatments. Dr. Gottlieb took great care in clearing up misunderstandings. It is well worth the time to scroll through the chat. Please visit the Washington Post for the complete feature
I am posting highlights below for quick reference.:

Dr. Michael Gottlieb

MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
Good morning. This is Michael Gottlieb in Los Angeles on this World AIDS Day. I appreciate your interest in HIV/AIDS and am looking forward to your questions.

Q.
AIDS
Who was patient "ZERO?"

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
Good question. Patient "Zero" was a patient in Randy Shilts book. Not really the first patient. He was an early case who may have spread HIV to a number of others. Part of the LA-Orange County cluster investigated and reported by CDC in the early days.

Q.
HIV
Is the transmission of the virus from female to males rare?

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
Not rare. Less common than male to female in developed countries. Very common in Africa and resource poor countrues.

Q.
PERSONAL FEAR OF CONTRACTING DISEASE BY CASUAL CONTACT WITH PATIENTS
How much confidence did you have during the first few months of seeing the initial patients that the illness was not being passed through casual contact or proximity? THANKS, Paul

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
There was some worry in the first days, weeks and months and we did take some chances. But it quickly became clear that the transmission pattern was the same as type B hepatitis which is spread in well defined, non-casual ways. One good thing to happen from the HIV epidemic is universal precautions followed by all health workers.


Q.
PUBLIC ATTITUDES
How have public attitudes and opinions toward the disease affected your work over the decades, and how has that changed? Have there any setbacks or difficulties in research regarding treatment of the disease? Likewise, what improvements have there been as the stigma over the disease shifts?

Photo: Rock Hudson in 1961. Credit: Leo Fuchs, courtesy of the John Kobal Foundation

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
Things were very difficult in the first few years. The public and press ignored the first several thousand cases and woke up after Rock Hudson. Then there was fear and rejection. Our President and world leaders did not speak about AIDS. Things have improved slowly but there is still stigma. I dont know too many patients who feel comfortable disclosing their status to family and employers for fear of repercussions.

Q.
ORIGIN OF AIDS
It was rumored that AIDS had its origins in monkeys. Truth or Rumor? What is the story?

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
It's not just rumor but a fact that HIV originated in chimpanzees in Africa. There is elegant science from Prof. Beatrice Hahn at the University of Alabama that documents this. The virus SIC cpoz is the ancestor of HIV and proabably crossed over when hunters butchered chimps for food and were exposed to blood.

Q.
HIV/AIDS ERADICATION
What do you believe will be the method by which HIV is cured and what is required to achieve it? Thanks.

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
There are two strategies for cure. One is eradication, which is difficult because the virus enters a state of latency in very long-lived cells where it is integrated into the chromosome of the host. The drugs we have today don't touch that reservoir. The other strategy is "functional" cure where the persons own immune system is improved to better keep the virus under wraps. Kind of link what happens with some cancer cures where the tumor is in remission under the influence of the immune system.

Q.
HIV GENE THERAPY
How close is gene therapy for this disease?

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
There are studies in progress which can be found at the website clinicaltrials.gov. I don't think that widespread cost effective application of this in the epidemic is just around the corner. People should be encouraged to participate in trials though.

Q.
THE FUTURE OF AIDS
Hi there Dr. Gottleib. I recognized you and your work from the Frontline Television Series about HIV and AIDS. Currently, I am in the process of applying to medical schools and your experiences with HIV/AIDS have inspired me pursue a career in infectious diseases. My questions: 1. What emotions and thoughts crossed in your head as you began to realize how big a pandemic HIV/AIDS was? 2. Do you feel that cancer research has taken precedence over HIV/AIDS research? 3. What do you think are the major obstacles to annihilating HIV from the world? Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. Sincerely, Andrew Sou

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
My first reaction was amazement that in medicine there was something new and dramatic. I felt very badly for the first patients who were very ill and we were not able to tell them what they had or what to do about it. I became angry later when society at large did not seem to care. At the start it never dawned on me that this was the start of a global pandemic that would kill tens of millions.

Q.
AIDS
Can you predict that the day will come when an actual "cure" will be found for AIDS??

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
Sorry. My crystal ball is not working very well. In 2001 I predicted an HIV vaccine by 2010 and was reminded of that earlier this year by reporters. No more predictions.

Q.
FREQUENCY OF TEST
How often should one be tested for HIV?

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
It all depends on what you are doing sexually. If you are having multiple partners, not practicing safer sex, having anonymous sex, or having sex with someone who is HIV+ you should get frequent tests, maybe twice a year. But a better idea is to reduce the number of partners and know your partners HIV status, and practice safer sex, ie condoms.

Q.
THE LANGUAGE OF HIV
HIV is stigmatizing and people with HIV discriminated against. I increasingly see language at state/federal level refer to people living with HIV/AIDS as 'HIV infected'. Does an emphasis on viral load suppression as a way of decreasing 'infectiousness' increase stigma?

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
I don't particularly like the language HIV-infected. But getting the viral load undetectable is the new gold standard for success in treatment and I view it as a step toward people feeling better about themselves.

Q.
FIRST KNOWN CASE IN US VS FIRST ACTUAL INCIDENCE
I have heard that the US Military has blood samples from 1950's they retained from GI's that had HIV. Is there or has evidence been found that HIV/AIDS/ARC/GRIDS was in US before 1980's? I have a friend whom had active AIDS Complications (GRIDS Diagnosis due to PCP and with T-Cells below 100) in 1982. Person had been in literally World Class Athletic Shape in 1980, so seems person had to get HIV much prior to 1980 with HIV taking so long to become AIDS; especially when it was a low active HIV Infection. Blessings and Warmest Regards....

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
HIV was in the US blood supply (rare instances) as early as 1977. It may have been in North America as early as the late '60s. So the patients like your friend and my first patients may have been infected in the late '70s and it took 3-4 years to progress to an AIDS diagnosis and be noticed.

Q.
WORLD AIDS DAY
With 22.5 million people in sub-Saharan Africa HIV+, high prevalence rates among women and especially girls, high numbers of people unable to access ARVs, millions of orphans, and more, do you think it is realistic to speak of zero's? I have a very hard time with this theme. Susanna Grannis West Townshend, VT

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
Maybe not zero's, but we can achieve dramatic reduction in numbers. While a formidable problem, HIV in Africa should not be thought hopeless. Secretary of State Clinton spoke about an AIDS-free generation in November and that can be achieved through theknow-how that we already have. Prevention of mother to child transmission, voluntary male circumcision, and providing treatment, which reduces the risk of transmission. We just need to make it more available and this is threatened by proposed cuts to the US and other countries cuts to their committments to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria. I hope that the Administration will reconsider.

Q.
FRENCH DISCOVERY
Did you steal the research on HIV from the French?

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
No. All I did was report the first cases and describe the syndrome, not the isolation of the virus. Thanks for the opportunity to clear that up.

Q.
WORLD AIDS DAY - 12/1/2011
Dr. Gottlieb, How far away is the medical world to see a prevention/cure for HIV/AIDS? -Michael in San Francisco, CA

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
The best route to prevention is a vaccine and that research has been frustrating. That deserves a very high priority for funding and many scientists are working on it full time.

There are some promising approaches in the works.

Cure is more difficult. The Berlin patient appears cured but treatment was radical, life-threatening and expensive, not feasible for the masses. Patients should not think it is right around the corner. Suppression of the viral replication with ARV's taken religiously is the best approach despite its obviuous problems of side effects, cost, etc.

Q.
ONE POSITIVE OUTCOME?
AIDS appeared about the time that the religious right was rising to prominence, and that group used the disease as proof of its hateful idea that homosexuality and gays are a threat to society. Back then I was very pessimistic about the future of gays in American society - I had expected all sorts of limits on their freedoms "for the sake of public health." Not only did that bleak future fail to materialize, gays and lesbians have actually made more gains toward full equality. Why do you think that happened? Did the religious right's rhetoric have the effect of galvanizing gay activists?

Keith Haring

Silence = Death 1989

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
I agree that it did not materialize although it was scary for awhile in the late '80s with LaRouche and others proposing draconian measures. I think what did happen speaks to the strength of our system in protecting the rights of minorities.

It is a good thing that activists were able to move the research agenda forward working through legislators and by some civil disobedience as with ACT-UP. The community of activists played a huge role in producing the gains in treatent we have today. And Elizabeth Glaser whose own kids were affected made progress happen for children with HIVand for prevention of mother to child transmission. Her foundation EGPAF carries on that work today in Africa and other resource poor settings.

Q.
QUESTION
If one wishes to get pregnant and one partner has AIDS, was is the risk of the disease being transferred to other partner?

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
This can be done. There are clinics who will "wash" the male's semen clean of HIV and then do in vitro fertilization.

I have several patients in my practice who did that and have healthy kids and an uninfected mom.

Q.
NYC TO SAN FRANCISCO AND POINTS BEYOND
Dr. Gottlieb, seeing you on this chat is so exciting (coming from someone who read "And The Band Played On" from cover to cover and then immediately started over). Thanks for doing it. In the book, Shilts used startling imagery to convey the idea that AIDS was brought to the US during the bicentennial celebration in NYC in 1976. Is this still an accurate hypothesis, or has it been discredited?

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
I loved that book, but Randy did take some poetic license to make the story nmore dramatic. Maybe patient zero and the bicentennial are examples of this. I just don't think there is any data to support but did make a great story.

Q.
REAGAN ADMIN
Hello Dr. Gottlieb. Thanks you for your work. Do you feel that if the Reagan Admin had not failed to fund and address the early days of this epidemic we would be in an even better place today? Do you tink teh stigma against HIV+ people throughout the world is as big if not a bigger hampering to progress in defeating this virus?

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
I do think that many of the 700,000 who died here and the 1.3 million in the US now living with HIV might have been spared if their had been a clear message coming from the highest levels of the federal government from the get-go. But Reagan's advisors were very conservative and not about to have anything to do with a disease that had a homosexual or drug use association. Stigma remains a major force today in every society where HIV is present. For a while we saw HIV+ characters on TV presented sypathetically but that and media coverage in general has faded here as there is a sense that the crisis is past.


Q.
VIRUS MUTATION?
Does the HIV virus mutate quickly (like a cold or influenza virus) or slowly? Is that one of the challenges in creating a vaccine against HIV/AIDS?

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
That is one problem but there are others such as the way HIV hides some of its vital structures from the immune system until after it infects a cell.

Q.
HIV/AIDS
My boyfriend disclosed to me that he's HIV+ and he did so before we had sexual relations. How cautious should I be? We are both gay men... I don't stigmatize him, but I want our intimacy to be as normal and as safe as possible.

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
Disclosing is the right thing to do. The next question is whether he is on medicatiion and has an undetectable viral load, takes his medicine, and does not do drugs like crystal that could affect his adherence. Sex is safer if the viral load is undetectable but no one can guarantee that it is totally safe and that is why the use of condoms is still recommended.

Q.
MAGIC JOHNSON
Magic Johnson has announced he's cured of HIV/AIDS -- wonderful news! What can immunology and virology learn from his case, and those few others where patients appear to have made a full recovery?

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
I don't think he has announced anything of the sort. I saw him interviewed the other night on CNN where he said that he was taking medicine twice a day to suppress his HIV.

Q.
AIDS/HIV
Dr. Gottlieb, While many people blame The Reagan Administration and homosexual stimga, isn't it true that early research was impeded in part by the medical community by the National Institutes of Health, a prominent institute in Paris and the medical agendas of the doctors who wanted to be credited with isolating the disease?

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
I don't think so. Scientists at NIH worked hard on AIDS from the get-go and the NIH under the incredible leadership of Dr. Anthony Fauci has produced many of the gains we have today in treatment and prevention.

Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.

NIAID Director

Q.
NEW T-CELLS
Some whom had AIDS have regained high T-cell numbers; are the New T-cells the same, better or worse in fighting infections....

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
Good question. Actually doubt that they are functional and as diverse as T cells in people who are not HIV+. But today T cell number is less important than having the viral load undetectable. There are some patients with undetectable who have CD-4 counts less than 200. They do well clinically but we all would be more comfortable if their counts were higher and strategies to raise then are being studied.

Q.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA
Does medical marijuana have any use for AIDS patients?

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
Does not affect T cell counts or viral load in my experience. Some patients are helped with their neuropathy (nerve pain) from previous toxic meds or with sleep and anxiety.

Q.
EARLIEST PATIENTS
When AIDS was identified and reserach worked backwards, did the earliest AIDS patients appear to be concentrated in Manhattan, LA, or from where?

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
Earliest patients were in large cities. NY, LA, SF, Houston and Miami.

Q.
TREATMENT
Which do you think is more likely to be developed first: a cure for HIV infection or a vaccination to prevent it? I am a young gay man in Washington DC and despite the fact that I always use protection, I am petrified by the knowledge that HIV infection rates here are so high.

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
There is also the emerging area of PREP, pre-exposure prophylaxis, where a young man can take an antiviral to prevent establishment of HIV if he is exposed. Best advice is careful selection of partners and if the partner is HIV+ that he be undetectable and practicing safe sex. But ask an expert about PREP or keep following that story.

Q.
ORIGINS TO BREAKTHROUGH
There are many theories ranging from cross-contamination of blood supply while searching for Polio vaccine to eating monkey. What do you believe is the origin of AIDS and do you see promising breakthroughs in CCR5 gene mutation being something that can be pilled for easy access to the poor?

A.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
I don't buy the polio story. Yes, exposure to the blood of chimps probably explains the crossover to the human species.

More widepread use of needles (re-used) in Africa may have played a role in transmission.

MICHAEL GOTTLIEB :
Gotta go. Thanks for chatting.

U.S. President Barack Obama greets singer Bono after making remarks at a World AIDS Day event hosted by the ONE Campaign and (RED) at George Washington University on December 1, 2011. 

UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg

More at:
Michael Gottlieb's Homepage
Art and AIDS
World AIDS Day 2011 in Washington DC

Zach Wahls Stands Up for His Family

In this moving, much watch video, shot in February 2011, Zach Wahls - a 19-year-old University of Iowa student - addresses a public forum on House Joint Resolution 6 in the Iowa House of Representatives. Wahls has two mothers, and came to oppose House Joint Resolution 6 which would end civil unions in Iowa.

The fight to to keep marriage equality continues in Iowa and across the country!




Above is Talking With's interview with Mr. Wahls in which Zach speaks about what it was like growing up with two mothers, what led him to decide to go and speak before the House of Representatives, how his life has changed after this speech thrust him into the public eye, and what other young people can do to fight for equality and speak out against intolerance.

Thanks to Talking With for the comment and link!

New Film on the Life of Burmese Activist Aung San Suu Kyi Opens This Week in Los Angeles

by Gregg Chadwick

The Lady, a new film by director Luc Besson inspired by the life of Burma's courageous Aung San Suu Kyi and her husband Michael Aris, opens for a limited release this week at Laemmle's Music Hall Theatre in Beverly Hills. This engagement will run from December 2 - December 8, 2011.



The film stars Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh as Suu Kyi and David Thewlis as her husband Michael Aris.

The Los Angeles Times explains that the film is "a timely political drama" about the volatile political events in Burma as well as "a love story about the uncommon bond that existed between Suu Kyi and her late husband, Michael Aris ... an Oxford University scholar and Asian specialist, Aris took charge of raising the couple's two sons in England while his wife was held captive in her homeland, and he worked tirelessly to raise Western awareness of his wife's fight for democracy."

The Lady was shot mainly in Thailand using Burmese refugees as extras. In a further bid for artistic authenticity, director Luc Beeson used footage furtively shot in Burma and then bravely smuggled out. Some of this footage was shot by Besson himself. He explained to the French media that,"I filmed 17 hours of rushes, sometimes with a soldier three meters away." The film's actors were then integrated into the Burmese scenes with the use of Chroma Key or Green Screen technology.

Photo: Cast members Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis at the premiere of "The Lady" at the AFI film festival. Credit: Robyn Beck / AFP/Getty Images

For The Lady, Shepard Fairy was asked to repurpose his benefit poster Freedom to Lead which portrays Aung San Suu Kyi. In the film poster actress Michelle Yeoh portrays the Burmese activist.

Shepard Fairey
Freedom to Lead
(Portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi)


”In a world in which we all too often focus on differences, Aung San Suu Kyi is a unifying figure that people of all political persuasions can work to support. Shepard’s image encapsulates that very point beautifully. The Burmese people have appealed for our help – let’s give it to them.”
 - Jeremy Woodrum, director of the U.S. Campaign for Burma. 

More at:
U.S. Campaign for Burma


Gregg Chadwick
Road to Mandalay
40"x30" oil on linen 2011

Miley Cyrus Releases Video in Support of the #Occupy Movement

by Gregg Chadwick

In this Nov. 18 photo, UC Davis officer John Pike uses pepper spray on unarmed and non-threatening protesters.
(AP Photo/The Enterprise, Wayne Tilcock, File)






Miley Cyrus Releases Video in Support of the #Occupy Movement:

The clip pairs a remix of Cyrus' 2010 song Liberty Walk with footage from the global #Occupy protests. The video begins with an overlay indicating that the clip is "dedicated to the thousands of people who are standing up for what they believe in." Cyrus' video features powerful images of police crack downs on citizens taking a stand against economic inequity wedded to an infectious beat. Rolling Stone writes,"It's a bold move for the singer – while most of the artists who have thrown their support behind Occupy Wall Street are pretty much the usual lefty rocker suspects, Cyrus is reaching out to an audience who are likely to be either apolitical or outright hostile to her message."

As an artist, I know well the risks involved in taking political stands that might discomfort your audience. I am a fierce advocate for social justice and I believe in the sanctity of all life. I have lost sales and clients because of my activism, but life for me is much more than my bank account or social standing. With these thoughts in mind, I applaud Miley Cyrus' gutsy move and hope that more Americans will be emboldened to take a stand against the growing economic inequality in the United States.

Miley Cyrus' video also calls attention to the growing militarization of our civilian police forces. I agree with former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper "that the current epidemic of police brutality is a reflection of the militarization of our urban police forces, the result of years of the "war on drugs" and the "war on terror."

UC Davis professor Bob Ostertag writes,"These issues go to the core of what democracy means. We have a major economic crisis in this country that was brought on by the greedy and irresponsible behavior of big banks. No banker has been arrested, and certainly none have been pepper sprayed. Arrests and chemical assault is for those trying to defend their homes, their jobs, and their schools. These are not trivial matters. This is a moment to stand up and be counted. I am proud to teach at a university where students have done so."

More at:
Miley Cyrus Takes Her Party In The USA To Occupy Wall Street

Miley Cyrus
Supports Occupy Wall Street
Militarization Of Campus Police

Mitt v. Mitt: The Story of Two Men Trapped in One Body

Learn more at MittvMitt.com

Thanksgiving Message from Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh at UCLA
photo by Gregg Chadwick


“We like the idea of being thankful to the cosmos, to everything that offers itself to us as food. That is why in Plum Village we organize a Thanksgiving Day, and we address our thanks to four objects: first of all to our father and our mother, who gave us life; to our teacher who gave us spiritual life and helped us know how to live in the here and now; we thank our friends who support us, especially in difficult moments, and we thank every being in the animal, vegetable and mineral world for our support and maintenance.

So the Buddhists also celebrate Thanksgiving, with that kind of insight. And while we celebrate Thanksgiving, we relate to everyone who is there, and this is a very good practice so that we don’t cut ourselves off from reality. The feeling of gratitude can help us to remember and to cultivate the element of compassion and loving kindness in us.”

Thich Nhat Hanh, Plum Village, 27th July, 1998

Leonard Cohen's Haunting New Song: Show Me the Place

 Show Me The Place by leonardcohen
Leonard Cohen's Haunting New Song: Show Me the Place

The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen -- A Tribute to John Neville (1925-2011)

A tribute to the great Shakespearean actor John Neville, who died this week, and the magical  Terry Gilliam film, The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen, which stars John Neville, Eric Idle, Jonathan Pryce, Winston Dennis, Jack Purvis, a very young Sarah Polley, a teenage Uma Thurman, Oliver Reed, Robin Williams, Valentina Cortese, Sting, and a universe of all-star talent.

John Neville as Richard II

photo by Angus McBean, via Hurok Attractions

The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen is the fantastic fable of an 18th century German aristocrat, his talented henchmen and a little girl in their efforts to save a town from defeat by the Turks. Their thrilling adventures include a trip in the gullet of a a giant sea-monster, a voyage to the moon, a dance with Venus who arrives on a half shell and an escape from death himself .A marvelous, under-appreciated film.


Featuring music from the Michael Kamen score: The Munchausen Waltz.


Thanks to  the screen siren for the poignant youtube tribute.

More at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/theater/john-neville-shakespearean-actor-dies-at-86.html?hpw

The Airborne Toxic Event - Missy·I'm On Fire·I Fought The Law·Medley [HD] LIVE

The Airborne Toxic Event - Missy·I'm On Fire·I Fought The Law·Medley [HD] LIVE
Nice medley from Los Angeles' Airborne Toxic Event

Gotye Live on Santa Monica's KCRW: Somebody That I Used to Know

by Gregg Chadwick


Santa Monica College's KCRW is a national treasure. The list of emerging talent that has appeared live on the station is remarkable. I first heard Peter Himmelman on KCRW'S compilation disc Rare on Air 1 in San Francisco in the early Nineties. This month I wrote a song with him. (More on that in an upcoming post.) The latest newcomer to KCRW is Australia's Gotye performing Somebody That I Used To Know. You can hear Gotye's full set on KCRW.

Gotye will be playing a Feb 2nd show at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. Tickets are on sale now at: Gotye at the El Rey Theatre

Making Making Mirrors - a short documentary from Gotye on Vimeo.

A short documentary about the recording of the Gotye record Making Mirrors.
Directed by James Bryans and Wally De Backer
Filmed and edited by James Bryans between January 2010 and July 2011, on the Mornington Peninsula, VIC, Australia

More at:
Gotye's Website
Gotye's Full Set on KCRW

The Saffron Curtain Opens: Hope and Change in Burma

by Gregg Chadwick


Gregg Chadwick
Road to Mandalay
40"x30" oil on linen 2011

“For decades Americans have been deeply concerned about the denial of basic human rights for the Burmese people. The persecution of democratic reformers, the brutality shown toward ethnic minorities and the concentration of power in the hands of a few military leaders has challenged our conscience and isolated Burma from the United States and much of the world. After years of darkness, we’ve seen flickers of progress in these last several weeks as the president and Parliament in Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, have taken steps toward reform.
Of course there’s far more to be done."
-President Barack Obama, November 2011
(Statement on Burma delivered at the 2011 Pacific Rim Meeting in Bali, Indonesia)

Four years after the Saffron Revolution in Burma, enough progress towards a free Burma has been made that President Barack Obama is sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on a trip to the often troubled country next month. It has been more than fifty years since a secretary of state from the United States has visited Burma.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi After Her Release From House Arrest in 2010

Also announced today was the news that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s most prominent human rights activist, would rejoin the political process and run for office in the upcoming special parliamentary election.

The New York Times writes that "the twin events underscored the remarkable and sudden pace of change in Myanmar, which has stunned observers inside and outside the country. The changes followed a transfer of power this year from a military junta to a nominally civilian government."

Four years ago, as Buddhist monks were bloodied and murdered by the brutal military junta, an outcry was spread by artists across the globe as we painted, drew, and stenciled images of Burmese monks. At that time I wrote that in solidarity we should all march, paint, write, meditate, work, pray, and hope, to create a free Burma. Today we are one step closer to that goal.

President Barack Obama has not forgotten the people of Burma. During his July 24, 2008 campaign speech in Berlin, Obama said, "Now the world will watch and remember what we do here – what we do with this moment. Will we extend our hand to the people in the forgotten corners of this world who yearn for lives marked by dignity and opportunity; by security and justice? Will we lift the child in Bangladesh from poverty, shelter the refugee in Chad, and banish the scourge of AIDS in our time? Will we stand for the human rights of the dissident in Burma, the blogger in Iran, or the voter in Zimbabwe? Will we give meaning to the words “never again” in Darfur?"

President Obama's words are a call to action for all of us. It is easy to criticize from the relative safety of a computer screen. It is much more difficult to dive into the maelstrom of events and create art that inspires. I recently presented lectures on Art and Social Justice at UCLA and Monterey Peninsula College. My painting, Road to Mandalay, provided a key element in the presentations.

President Obama was presented with a personally requested book of my paintings at a Pentagon dinner in 2009. My good friend from UCLA, Adrienne Thompson attended the event where she hand delivered the book to President Obama and witnessed Barack and first lady Michelle Obama as they pored through the paintings. Today, I am honored to say that the President's favorite painting of mine is Road to Mandalay.

Perhaps Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could take my painting Road to Mandalay with her and present it as gift to the courageous people of Burma.

From the 99%: Another World Is Possible

Full Video Captured From a Helicopter of Tonight's #OWS' Gigantic Bat Signals Projected onto the Verizon Building in Lower Manhattan
(Thursday, November 17, 2011)

Los Angeles Mayor Issues Statement in Favor of Gay Marriage

MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA ISSUES STATEMENT ON CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT’S PROP. 8 RULING

LOS ANGELES – Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa issued the following statement today on the California Supreme Court’s decision to allow the sponsors of Proposition 8 to defend the ballot initiative in federal court:

"Today's California Supreme Court ruling is the latest step in guaranteeing that all gay and lesbian Americans have the fundamental right to marry the person they love.  The Court's ruling that proponents of Proposition 8 may defend the initiative before the 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals gives the federal court the opportunity to right this injustice.
I am confident that the 9th Circuit Court will affirm marriage equality and right the damage Prop. 8 has done to our fellow Californians and their families.  I look forward to the day when all Americans enjoy the freedom to marry."

More at:
Villaraigosa on Prop 8 Ruling

Bach in a Japanese Forest Played on a Gravity Marimba

 Deep in the tranquility of a Japanese woodland, the movement of a wooden ball plays Bach on a gravity marimba. The ball gently rolls down an elevated wooden incline striking a series of wooden bars each  tuned to play a single note of the 10th movement of Bach’s Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147, commonly known in English as, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. A rare example of an advertisement that evokes wonder. Enjoy!




Hat tip to Makezine.

Goodbye to UPS: Hello to FedEx and Independent Art Shippers

by Gregg Chadwick


I am often asked by fellow artists and gallerists about shipping art locally and internationally. As of today due to UPS' gross negligence in a guaranteed, i.e. expensive,  delivery, I will no longer use their services and I recommend that others shift their services elsewhere. 
I am heartbroken that my donation will most likely not be at  The 9th Annual Oak Grove Golf Classic 2011 & SO-CAL Chef Open  to benefit the Oak Grove Center for Education, Treatment and the Arts. When a company no longer guarantees their guarantee the little guy loses out. We need to stand together. #OccupyUPS anyone?


Please read the  Open Letter to UPS CEO Scott Davis:

Dear Scott Davis,

On November 11, 2011 while you were chatting on the radio how UPS works on a day when the USPS is closed, I found that because of a shortage of UPS workers my Guaranteed package was not delivered as promised to the Oak Grove Center for Education, Treatment and the Arts. 
The shipment contains an important artwork to be auctioned on Monday, November 14, 2011 at the The 9th Annual Oak Grove Golf Classic 2011 & SO-CAL Chef Open  for the benefit of Oak Grove's students. Many of the children have suffered physical and/or sexual abuse. Other are victims of violent traumas. The school effectively cares for children with social, emotional or behavioral challenges. 
When I was asked by Kevin Keller to donate an artwork for such an important cause, I didn't hesitate. I went through the time and expense of creating the artwork, framing the artwork and chose what I thought was a reliable service to deliver this gift of hope.
 I am shocked that UPS has failed me and will not even provide delivery on Saturday, November 12, 2011 - which will make it in time for the auction. 
Words can not express my disappointment. I spent most of Friday, November 11, 2011 on the phone and twitter with less than helpful UPS representatives - The first of which hung up on me instead of transferring my call to a supervisor. 
I paid just under $100 to have an insured and guaranteed delivery on November 11, 2011 by 4:30 pm. UPS failed in a major way. 
I have used UPS in the past for many shipments for my art business, but if this situation is not rectified before it is too late, I will take my business elsewhere.
I expect a prompt response.

With Great Disappointment,

Gregg Chadwick
www.greggchadwick.com

Gregg Chadwick

Along the Arno

22"x30" monotype on paper 2011

(Donated to the Oak Grove Center for Education, Treatment and the Arts to be auctioned at the The 9th Annual Oak Grove Golf Classic 2011 & SO-CAL Chef Open )

Current Location Unknown - On Hold in a UPS Processing Center 

This holiday season please give Oak Grove a call and give to an organization that protects and nurtures the most vulnerable.  


 For information, please contact:
Cheryl Lievsay at 951-677-5599 ext 2238 or cheryll@oakgrovecenter.org

On Oak Grove And What They Do:

Oak Grove is a nonprofit 24-hour residential and educational treatment center that serves 76 children who live on campus and an additional 80-90 day students who attend our nonpublic school day program. Oak Grove is located in Murrieta, Southwest Riverside County. Oak Grove also operates a second campus in Perris, Oak Grove at the Ranch, serving an additional 50 students. Children and youth are admitted with a variety of psychological, social, emotional, behavioral, medical and neurological problems with concurrent behavioral difficulties, school problems, family dysfunction and alcohol or substance abuse. Many of the children have suffered physical and/or sexual abuse, other traumas or experienced many other social, emotional or behavioral challenges.

We are licensed as a level 12 group home and have the additional distinction of being accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), as well as the non-public school on grounds having accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

Oak Grove works with children and adolescents whose needs and problems can be quite complex. One of our greatest assets lies in the sophistication and experience level of a team of clinicians comprised of psychiatrists and licensed independent practitioners (MFT, LCSW, Psy. D), as well as our nursing staff, behavior intervention specialists, teachers, milieu and activities staff that together make up the Treatment Team.

Accreditations/Memberships/Licensure:

• Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
• California State Department of Education Non-Public School Certification
• Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC)
• California Alliance for Children & Families
• Licensed by the State Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing Division
• http://www.OakGroveCenter.org/index.php?p=1

Veterans Day 2011: Honoring our Nation's Veterans for their Service and Sacrifice

President Barack Obama's Veterans Day Message

Happy 236th Birthday United States Marine Corps

by Gregg Chadwick



Gregg Chadwick
Memory Wall: My Father at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
24”x18” oil on linen 2011

At the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam last October on my birthday, I was able to visit the painting I first remember: Rembrandt's iconic group portrait The Sampling Officials of the Amsterdam Drapers Guild. As a six year old, I stood before the painting and recognized it as the same image on the Dutch Masters' cigar box, my father's go-to brand. The connection was phenomenal; I was hooked.

My dad had just finished his tour in the Vietnam War, where he had been serving as a JAG officer in the United States Marine Corps, and we were traveling around Europe. To this day, I recall most everything about that European family reunion. A lifelong love of Rembrandt ensued.

Rembrandt's intellect and courage allowed him to move beyond a search for a mere likeness. Instead, Rembrandt pushed deep into the work to seek the inner selves of his sitters.

I thank my father for introducing me to Rembrandt. As an homage to that day and to many years of love and friendship, I painted my father as I remember him, both in the past and the present. In Memory Wall: My Father at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, I gather these memories to paint a portrait of accumulation. Each mark and each layer on the painting echoes a moment or conversation shared.

Today, on the 236th anniversary of the founding of the United States Marine Corps, I am honored to post my painting of my dad in uniform.

Peter Clothier has written on this painting:

Particularly moving to this one viewer is "Memory Wall: My Father at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial" ... a portrait of the artist's father in U.S. Marine dress uniform. The face is seen in three-quarters profile, pale and stern, lips full, eyes gazing upward, as if respectfully, toward an unseen flag or deity. The uniform, complete with medals, speaks loudly of his pride and service. The portrait speaks of duty, unwavering loyalty, discipline. The man is tough. And yet... we see him through the eyes of a son, respectful, yet aware of the vulnerabilities, the softer side of real humanity that lurks behind the outward show of strength. We are reminded, as men, of our own experience with fathers--giants for us as little children; imposing, distant, to be feared for their infinitely superior strength and wisdom. We may come to resent the discipline they impose on us, but accept it grudgingly because, like God, our father can't be wrong. As we grow, however, if we're fortunate and strong ourselves--if that father has managed to share his strength with us--we come to see the uncertainty, the self-questioning, the doubts and fears that assail even the toughest of men, and to recognize the deep bond of love between us.

USMC Billboard, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 2011
photo by Gregg Chadwick

I am proud of my father's career in the USMC and thankful for the opportunity I have had to meet Marines across the globe. Today I greet all Marines with a fervent, "Happy Marine Corps Birthday!"

More at:
Peter Clothier on Theater of Memory
236 years of Semper Fi

Free Sunday Admission at UCLA's Hammer Museum Through January 8, 2012

FREE SUNDAYS
November 6, 2011 - January 8, 2012

Starting this Sunday, November 6, the Hammer will offer free museum admission for all exhibitions every Sunday until the closing of the exhibition Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles 1960-1980 on Sunday, January 8, 2012.

Admission is ALWAYS FREE for Museum members, students with ID, UCLA faculty and staff, military personnel, veterans, and visitors 17 and under accompanied by an adult. Free on Thursdays for all visitors.

For hours, location, and parking information, click here.

Theater of Memory Catalog Now Available in the iTunes Bookstore

I am pleased to announce that the catalog for my exhibition Theater of Memory at Monterey Peninsula College is now available in a digital format in the iTunes Bookstore.

Please click on the iBookstore Logo for more info.

The River Opens

Gregg Chadwick
Los Sueños del Río
38"x76" oil on linen 2011

Into the Reason of Things: Jonathan Moreno's "The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America"

By Gregg Chadwick

Are we making monsters in university laboratories? How much is a life worth? Where does science start and religion end? When it comes to contemporary advances in science, the general public can feel lost on the margins as new discoveries whizz past like speeding rockets on the Bonneville Salt Flats. As humans we are primed to distrust or misunderstand unfamiliar things or states of being. Is it any wonder that popular culture since the dawn of the modern era is full of out of control scientific experimentation such as that found in Mary Shelley's cautionary novel Frankenstein?

Fear of the unknown may often be polarizing. Knowledge may be liberating. Jonathan Moreno's new book, The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America, shines a light on the issues surrounding contemporary scientific explorations. Moreno focuses on the current place of science and politics in the United States, yet Moreno also deftly explores through a long lens, the philosophical history of scientific thought and the political debates that have ensued


Gregg Chadwick
Slipstream
30"x22" monotype on paper 2011

Moreno argues in a balanced fashion, as his book considers the debates over the ethics undergirding contemporary scientific discoveries and explorations. Should the government fund scientific projects? Is there a limit to scientific advancement? The discussion becomes especially heated in the political sphere, when advancements in current Biology are considered. At times, the rhetoric adheres to a standard Red State vs. Blue State pattern. Moreno explains that, when considering science, alternatives exist to the stagnant polarization often found in the political sphere. Moreno quotes Charles Peirce's definition that science "does not consist so much in knowledge...as it does in diligent inquiry into truth for truth's sake, without any sort of axe to grind, nor for the sake of delight of contemplating it, but from the impulse to penetrate into the reason of things...."

Moreno's The Body Politic delves deeply into the battles over science in our era and ultimately calms our irrational fears by questioning the mad scientist trope: "The notion that science is an enemy of moral and civic education is puzzling. How then to account for the coincidence of the development of science with the growth of liberal democracy and the recognition of human rights since the eighteenth century?"

Jonathan Moreno's groundbreaking book, The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America, should be required reading for all students in the sciences and all those interested in our place in the universe. Highly recommended.

Introduction:
Neera Tanden, Chief Operating Officer, Center for American Progress

Distinguished Panelist:
Jonathan Moreno, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress; David and Lyn Silfen University Professor, University of Pennsylvania; and Author, The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America

Moderator:
Andrew Light, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress; and Associate Director, Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy, George Mason University

Happy Halloween From Speed of Life and Google!

Time-lapse video of the Google doodle team & friends carving giant pumpkins in the Halloween spirit. Shot on location at Google's Headquarters in Mountain View, CA. Music by Slavic Soul Party! Composed by Matt Moran.