Joaquin Torres: 'In the Next Room' at the Berkeley Rep

If you haven't yet done so, follow Jon Carroll's advice and see "In the Next Room" at the Berkeley Rep. It closes March 15th. This delightful new play by Sarah Ruhl, set in the 1880's, is less a historical reconstruction of that period than a bemused examination, from our 21st century vantage,  of the mores of our predecessors. The denial by the nineteenth century medical establishment that the use of electric vibrators to treat 'hysteria' was connected in any way with normal sexuality or, god forbid, might serve as a tool for liberating female sexuality strikes us as extremely odd.  Sarah Ruhl probes this conundrum with gentle humor.

So of what truths is our 'enlightened age' in complete denial? I can think of one or two that will undoubtedly provide grist for future generations of playwrights - if we're still around in a 125 years! .

I had the pleasure of being shadowed for a couple of afternoons by actor Joaquin Torres who was preparing for his role in the play as the English oil painter, Leo Irving, just returned from Florence.  My son remarked wryly when we viewed the play that I was the perfect object of study for this role - being an English oil painter obsessed with Florentine culture!

Madelaine Oldham ( Berkeley Rep's 'dramaturg') put me in touch with Joaquin who expressed a desire to observe me in action. I gave him my street painting schedule. He caught up with me at the Old Oakland Farmers' Market one Friday as I was working on this painting.

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Old Oakland Farmers' Market # 4

Joaquin didn't betray his presence until he'd  had the opportunity to study me surreptitiously for some time. When he introduced himself I was impressed both by his charm and his penetrating intelligence. It was an odd experience for someone who spends his time observing and delineating others to be the object of such intense scrutiny.

He  joined me for an afternoon on Bernal Hill where he grilled me on technique and art history.

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On Bernal Hill # 1

At my suggestion he also attended a painting class. He proved to be a 'quick study' mastering basic concepts in a nonce. We were both sorry that his rehearsal and performance schedule didn't allow him to continue his painting.

I didn't recognize much of myself in Joaquin's portrayal of the flamboyant Leo Irving though my son claimed that he'd adopted several of my mannerisms in the painting scene. I was impressed by his complete assumption of the role of painter. I also appreciated the way Sarah Ruhl had made this willfully eccentric artist the catalyst who precipitates a moment of clarity that frees Cathrine Givings to speak and act her truth.

A Conversation with Spain Rodriguez: L. A. Paint at the Oakland Museum of California

When the rains drove me off the streets a couple of weeks ago, I proposed to  Spain Rodriguez, that we paint each other. The resulting works are still incomplete, but I am posting them anyway because one of our concurrent conversations dealt with a show at the Oakland Museum of California that closes March 8th. I'm hoping we will inspire some of you to visit the exhibition 'L.A.Paint'. It will be worth your time.

Spain was in the midst of a project illustrating the life of the American soldier, Smedley Butler. Smedley's career enforcing America's global power is a perfect example of why the world needs heroes like Ché Guevera.  There is  poetic symmetry to the fact that Spain's last published work was Ché: A Graphic Biography which he wrote and illustrated himself.  It is is already being published in seven languages.

Working with Spain for a couple of afternoons was a great experience. We share a passion for history - history in the Italian sense of the word 'storia' which in Italian signifies both history and story. Spain inhabits history in an immediate and personal way.  A long time ago, he rode with a motorcycle gang. He chronicles that period  in the same way he chronicles the life of Ché or Smedley Butler. These are all  men of action. Spain may prefer one to another. But he doesn't let on. He permits them to tell their story. The stark elements of his design: white and black add verve and depth to his riveting compositions.

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Portrait of Anthony Holdsworth by Spain Rodriquez, Work in Progress,

Somewhere in the middle of the afternoon Spain grabbed his paper and pencil and began sketching me. He'd been waiting for an image to gel in his mind.  I'd been painting him all along. While we worked we talked about Zap Comix and one of Spain's partners in that enterprise, Robert Williams, who is currently showing paintings with ten other L.A. artists at the Oakland Museum of California.

Phil Linhares, who curated this show, writes that Robert's work was denigrated as 'illustration' by the faculty of the Chouinard Institute. Spain and I both chuckled over the strictures of the contemporary art establishment. I remarked that Giotto was criticized  for his illustration of the biblical stories which brought religion down to earth, drawing on local models rather than stylized Byzantine traditions. The local congregation  flocked to the Arena Chapel in Padua to see themselves depicted as biblical figures on the walls.  Their donations enriched the Vatican's coffers.  The Vatican, consequently, sided with Giotto against his critics.  In our time, Robert Williams and other gifted artists side stepped the art establishment and made a living producing underground comics. Spain and I agreed that comics are direct descendants of Giotto's frescos.

Esther Pearl Watson was another favorite of ours. I was impressed by her use of color which creates an atmosphere at once mundane and magical; a perfect foil to the story of her eccentric father obsessed with building backyard spaceships. This story delighted Spain who is also familiar with her comic illustrations.

Spain also praised Steve Galloway's work.

"It's a little too polished for me, lacking grit...It isn't derived from direct experience. It's  an alternate reality." I responded

"But I enjoy alternate realities."

"Well I suppose we're going to need alternate realities to escape into, soon." I admitted.

"Yeah, the way our present reality is collapsing."

I showed him the reproduction of Hyesook Park's work. He shrugged.

"Look, I studied abstract work at school. I know what it's about. Maybe they're right. But I've never wanted to do it.'

"I feel much the same. It definitely has an effect. But to take up so much space achieving this effect. I've never wanted to work like this either."

We both agreed that Don Suggs concentric circle paintings are riveting. Even though his process of selecting his colors from western masterpieces struck us both as absurd, neither of us could argue with the results. I noticed when I was visiting the exhibition that middle school children were equally struck by Suggs' work.

The school kids had a very different response to Loren Holland's work.

"What's that lady doing without her clothes?" one of them asked as they all hurried on to Robert William's work.

Spain liked the juxtaposition of the female figure with all the modern consumer detritus.

We both agreed that this was an excellent and thought provoking exhibition. Try to find the time to see it before it closes.

Global Warming and the United States of Denial

My father, Dennis Holdsworth, who was one of the principle developers of airborne radar in England during the war, introduced me to the concept of global warming in the late 50's. In those days it was called 'the greenhouse effect'. The long term effects were not as clear then as they are today, but the scientific community was already aware of an impending crisis.

So with more than fifty years notice, why has the world's preeminent power still not grappled with this issue? Why have we, who have benefited the most from science and technology dragged our feet on  the issue of Global Warming?

Saul Landau tackles the issue in a hard hitting piece in the 'progresso weekly' titled 'The crisis unseen'. He asks rhetorically if "...President Obama need(s) a 'Department of Future Planning and Office of Dealing With the Crisis of Climate Change' to assemble a team of thinkers to put questions to the public and challenge lawmakers to deal with the overarching crisis that threatens the future of life?" I think the answer to this question is a resounding 'yes!'

But we need more than a government agency guiding policy at the top. In an age where science and technology are changing the fabric of life on this planet, citizens need to be educated in science and alert to the effects of our technology. Clearly science needs to be placed front and center in our public education and national discourse.

But there is another dimension.  Artists, whose role it is to open peoples eyes, need to address this issue in a way that will awaken people to the emerging reality. My Global Warming Triptych is my first effort in this direction. I'm following it up with Global Warming Triptychs for Oakland and San Jose.

Painting Workshop in Tuscany, Italy

Every other year I teach a painting workshop on a farm, near Florence in  the Tuscan countryside. The farm makes its own organic olive oil, chianti and grappa. Its young owners and  a mutual friend, Carla, cook for us most evenings. Would you like to join me?

If you are interested visit Classes to sign up.

Apart from these evenings of wine and conversation with, maybe, a short passage of Vasari, or Dante we explore Florence and other towns. I lived in Florence for nearly two years after the biblical flood of November 1966. I was Head of Outdoor Restoration for the Uffizi Gallery so I am very familiar with Italian culture.

And, yes we paint. Even beginners  bring home something of which they are proud.

More important: the act of painting encourages  an observation that changes and deepens our experience.

In 2007 several of us painted an abandoned farmhouse. It was typical of the farmhouses throughout Tuscany in the sixties. In those days these were thriving operations. Large families, oxen and other animals, market gardens, orchards as well as grapes and olives. Now they have mostly been turned into fancy homes. This one remained in its original condition and prompted some interesting conversations with locals. I cite one below:

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August 30, 2007

Today another visitor stopped on a motorbike called Stefano - a gracious young man.

“Compliments! Especially for your colors that truly reflect reality…If I listen it seems to me that this traditional house tells the story of the generations who lived here. The seasons. The war passed right through here, you know.”

We talked about the economy that is weak in Italy when he introduced me to a new Tuscan phrase ‘to extend the broth’ (allungare il brodo). Talking about the thirty percent of Americans who cannot pay their debts, he explained that in Italy if a person couldn’t pay:

“The creditors take everything and don’t give any further credit. I understand that in the United States, on the other hand, they ‘extend the broth’. But it seems to me that you can only ‘extend the broth’ for so long because in the end it won’t be broth anymore.”

These words of Stefano seem prophetic today.

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But before you are bummed out by thoughts of our looming depression and the loss of traditional agriculture in Tuscany consider this other conversation I had in Florence in Piazza Santo Spirito:

August 14, 2007

My friend, Carla, introduced me to an ‘aperitivo’ in the piazza. If someone buys a drink for three or four euros he has the right to take the food, simple but delicious, that is available. Every night there is a crowd of young Florentines here.

Today I met Lucca while I was eating at the ‘aperitivo’ a fascinating Florentine of around forty who talks rapidly accompanying all his words with gestures. He says that the Florentines have lost the greater part of the center of Florence to the tourists and merchants.

“Here in San Frediano there remains a vestige of the spirit of the old city. However, not even here remain many of the artisans of years past. One needs to go to certain neighborhoods in the periphery of the city or even further out to the small towns to find them. In those places there are people and collectives who want to create quality products in a calm environment. They work outside the global market and for this reason they can offer the products at low prices to the community. When the global market collapses, perhaps these groups can take over. I also have faith in the intuition of the youth. They’re great.”

Artisans working outside the global economy, the 'slow food' movement, 'agriturismos' like the one we visit where a new generation can afford to continue farming: all these are indications that Italy, at the grassroots, is turning away from the consumer model that it has pursued, in its infatuation with everything American, since the last world war.

Those of you who have read this far might be interested in viewing my illustrated, bilingual book "Due Mesi in Italia e Istria, Two Months in Italy" online at lulu.com

Shoeshine at 13th and Franklin, downtown Oakland

"Interesting painting." the old man said as I was working on this canvas today. "Well it's an interesting place to work. Shoeshine stands are like barber shops. Always good conversation."

"That's what I tell my friends. Forget the soaps on TV. Go to downtown Oakland: it's a lot more entertaining."

The old man is right and here are a few excerpts from my diary which prove it.

Holdsworth Painting Shoeshine 13th Franklin Oakland Jim Hines

January 14th

I started my painting of the shoeshine stand today just a block away from the site of my last Oakland painting. Early afternoon a handsome, elderly gentleman sat down to have his shoes shined. Glenn had barely started when an older guy, a retired shoe shiner, came up and started criticizing his work.

"Not like that! You gotta clean em properly first!"

He began working on the customer's other shoe. Two shoes. Two shoe shiners. Quite a sight. Glenn finally stepped aside and let him finish the job. The handsome gentleman stepped down and looked approvingly at  his sparkling shoes.

I'd only been partly attending the conversation but my ears perked up when I heard the retired shoe shiner say "...two Olympic gold medals right?"

"Right."

" This man was the fastest man in the world at the Mexico Olympics in '68. He held the record for fifteen years. We both went to McClymonds High School here in Oakland."

Turns out the man with the sparking black shoes was Jim Hines.

The conversation moved on to his running against race horses in '85.

"I won four out of the five races. The fifth race was at Golden Gate Fields. If I'd won that race I would have collected a large jackpot. But they set me up. You see I was supposed to run on a wooden track next to the horse. There's no way a man can run on the same surface as the  horses at the track. But when I got to Golden Gate Fields they told me the trucks carrying the wooden track had been delayed. Delayed. Can you believe it? I lost that race. Golden Gate Fields got a full house and they never had to pay me the jackpot."

January 20th

It's Obama Day in Oakland. People are in a festive mood. There's a preacher who stops by everyday. He's explaining the numerical significance of Obama's election.

"Forty years from Martin Luther King's assassination to the election of Obama. We've been wandering in the wilderness like Moses for forty years, but our time has come." He goes on to cite the forty days and forty nights that led to Noah's flood." Then on to many other instances that illustrate the significance of this number. His numerological musings become abstruse, talmudic. My head starts to spin and I turn all my attention back to the painting.

Feb 3rd

Today, just back from Clearlake, I hurried out onto the street to continue the shoeshine painting. I'd been interrupted by rain and couldn't finish it before I left. I was hoping to put Glenn in the picture but neither he nor his stand were here. People told me he wasn't here yesterday either. Someone suggested he might have gone to visit relatives in Chicago. How am I going to finish this painting? A shoeshine stand with a customer already in the seat and no shoeshine man. I suppose I could title it "Waiting for Glenn."

Feb 4th

I phoned Blade, the barber, this morning. His business is a couple of doors down from Glenn. He told me Glenn was back so I returned to my site. While he posed I asked him where he'd been.

"I was asleep."

For two days?"

"Yeah."

Turns out he wasn't feeling so good Sunday night so he took a Tylenol and a Vicodin to relax and go to sleep. The preacher arrived as he was explaining this to me.

"Did you know Glenn just slept for forty eight hours?" I asked him.

"Yes, I had to tell him what day it was this morning. He thought it was Tuesday."