Note on Art

Note on Art

A note from LeRoy Neiman on a selection of his works and his European travels.

LeRoy Neiman

LeRoy Neiman Foundation

LeRoy Neiman Foundation

c. 1993-2011

LeRoy Neiman

Property of the LeRoy Neiman Foundation; please consult the organization's archivist for further details.

Notes

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English

Document

LN_Notes_1764_01; LN_Notes_1764_02; LN_Notes_1764_03; LN_Notes_1764_04

New York (N.Y.) New York

[II. COMMENTS ON OWN PAINTINGS / 1. N.Y. PRESS ROOM DAILY NEWS Date?] painting commission [What looks like sailors in the engine room of a big battleship well below deck is the fact a scene deep in the bowels of an urban newspaper building. Here the action in the pressroom of a large daily is as urgent as the immediacy of the latest news be it the early or late edition. The scene is orderly and precise. The men are watchful, alert, knowledgeable and quick in their moves. They seem immune to the constant throb and vibrating of the huge presses and their deafening incessant roar. This is the last checkpoint at the end of the run - rom here to editions are swiftly conveyed to the waiting trucks, loaded and hustled out into the streets. / 2. STILL LIFE AT REMINGTON HOTEL Date / The still-life at Remington Hotel in Dallas resembles the [Pomegranate] Gardens in Armenia (+ [pomegranate] description). Made at Christmas time. Menu sketch. / 3. THE GINZA IN TOKYO / The city as jewelry: flashing tiaras, electric lights - sapphire, ruby, emerald, fuchsia. The violet, rose, turquoise, orange neon lights were first seen by Neiman in Tokyo before U.S.A. / 4. FACADE OF THE PARIS OPERA / RAYONS DE SOLEIL: Sketching the facade of the Paris Opera. At 5 A.M. I walked from Ritz to the Opera in order to do a pen and ink sketch of its facade before the start of day. The day in question was in early September. As I worked and a good hour had elapsed, the sun was on the point of making its appearance. Paris was beginning to stir - in a very little pure light will take over. All sorts of traffic sounds start to cut the silence and its fumes sabotage the fresh morning air. Then the first burst of sunlight slants rays across the scene. Then low cloud passes and blocks out the sun. The long rays of start light are gone and a grey hue settles in. The sun from then on peeks in and out. This is a typical dawn in Paris. Street sweepers sweep down on Paris and start sweeping away. As Victor Hugo put it in "Notre Dame", 'Kings like Louis XI take care to clean the pavements quick after massacre'... Hordes of people are coming and going, to and fro. I am part of the crowd and yet not part of it: I am stationary. Carpeaux' sculpture on the facade (namely "La Danse").] /

[5. LE GRAND VERFOUR / A. PERSONAGES:] IN LN Painting '93 [- Victor Hugo (1802-1885) [83], romantic. Influenced by Francois-Rene de Chateaubriand. Poet of the common man. Lived on Jersey and Guernsey. / - Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870 [68], most popular 19th Century French author. Wrote 'Le Comte de Monte-Cristo' and 'Les Trois Mousquetaires' without ever attaining indisputable literary merit. In 1830 wrote the play 'Napoleon Bonaparte' which played its part in making a legend of the recently dead emperor. / - Alexandre Dumas Fils (1824-1895) [71], illegitimate son of former, moralist and family preservation writer. Wrote 'La Dame aux Camelias' (Camille) in 1848. / - Honore de Balzac ( 1799-1850) [51] wrote 'La Comedie Humaine' (24 volumes) in 1834 + 90 novels and novellas. Frequently his villains are more vigorous and interesting than his virtuous characters. 2,472 of his characters were recurring and 566 unnamed. Described the whole of society, all kind of people from different spheres. He was the creator of realism and naturalism in the novel (= the Shakespeare of the novel). Showed the relation of the cause and effect between social background and character. / - Theophile Gautier (1811-1872) [61], poet-novelist-critic-journalist, ballet critic unrivaled, collaborated on 'Gisele". Wrote the set of poems called 'Emaux et Camees'. Went from romantism to naturalism. Advocate of art for art's sake and of the sovereignty of the beautiful. In is last years, to ease his financial strain, became a librarian. Was a friend of Balzac and Baudelaire paied tribute to him in the dedication of 'Les Fleurs du Mal'. / - Sidone Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954) [81] wrote 'La Chatte' (1933), 'Gigi' (1958??) + all the 'Claudine', 'Dialogues de Betes', 'Cheri', 'Le Ble en Herbe' etc. / - Jean Cocteau (1889-1963) [74], poet-librettist-novelist-painter-actor-film director. Wrote 'Orphee', 'La Belle et la Bete', 'Le Sang d'un Poete', 'Les Parents Terribles', 'Les Enfants Terribes'. / - King Louis-Philippe,
former Duc d'Orleans (1773-1850) reigned from 1830 to 1848 as 'Le Roi des Francais', Roi-Citoyen. Lived in the U.S. two years, till 1800 was in England and Italy.] /

[- George Sand's real name was Amandine Aurore Lucile Dudevant (maiden name = Dupin). Born July 1 1804, Died JUne 8 1876 [72] She wrote 'Valentine' (1832), 'La Mare au Diable' (1846), 'La Petite Fadette' [(]1849), 'Historie de Ma Vie' (1854-55). Romantic. Subjects = peasants, workmen, the poor. Storyteller of peasants (good and kind, happy endings). Was romantically involved with Prosper Merimee, Alfred de Musset and Frederic Chopin. / B. SETTING OF TABLEAU: / OWNER JEAN TAITTENGER / DUMAS COLETTE GAUTIER/ HUGO SAND / KING BALZAC / COCTEAU] /

[6. THE ASCENT / This painting, owned by Robert Byrne of Virginia, about explains were I was heading. Rubens and Michelangelo painted descent paintings. Mine was the opposite in ascent. "Ascent" (6' x 4') represents people clawing, reaching, scratching, grappling, clinging to one another, casting each other off into space - people falling through space - others climbing up one to the other, hanging on, some helping one another to ascent, others competitive. To make it, some are way up at the top, but where is the top? How many more are struggling up there beyond our vision? From any point the desperate [gyrating], spiraling mass of humanity extends up to infinity. An infinity of humanity - millions of bodies and souls, to be sure, and then, looking below, it is the same. And these only make up the living... I did believe that this is the destiny of man at his finest and most desperate; I have been [consistent] in this regard ever since through Viet-Nam, assassinations, terrorists, etc. I believe man can improve and go higher, despite himself and his times. We go to age of excess - with more education, advantages, stretched bodies, endurance records, speed records, spece expenditures - and more, more, more excess. I believe moderate attention for a general condition. A Chicago collector named Shapiro (with a collection of highly regarded surrealist works) who discovered and purchased young artists, stopped by "Ascent" on exhibit in the Chicago Art Institute and said to me, "Good to see you are doing a serious painting". This was intended as a compliment, but the work was not unlike most of the paintings I was doing at that time (or today). I thought that all my work was serious, dealing with man's struggle (could be business, gambling, sports, sex, money or just his own head, recreation, politics, etc.)]

Typewritten on paper.