Momo le Homo (and other literary dribblings)

To He, who shall remain nameless (a worthy point of contention)

Thank you for vindicating the, Momo le Homo (Butt Bandit from Zanzibar) piece submitted by our mutual friend. You have singlehandedly reinforced the belief (to my dismay), that small minded / short sighted and gender intolerant journalists are alive and well in lieu of Almost Dead and Forgotten!

Your level of insightful journalism is of the sort that seeks divine meaning in lint-less naval cavities. I am certain that somewhere in your bathroom are countless quantities of Sani-wipes, organic brain bleach and blinker hoods.

What is clear, you are an overeducated dilettante that has acquired a minor station of visibility either through family, the like-mined, bending over a copy machine (the compromise) or quite possibly marriage. Regardless, your vacant expounding on the nation’s economic recovery (five weeks after President Obama’s inauguration) will serve future generations of writers as a barometer for the must to avoid.

People do not want “another” premature opinion, they want palpable results!

While many progressive thinkers attempt to expand their consciousness and universal understanding of “all things considered or being equal", as a reference point for new beginnings. Quite to the contrary, preconception and common claptrap (laced with archaic notions of urban legend) appear to dominate the origins that determine the continued worthlessness of your work.

The question is, have you ever considered astrophysics as a possible career change? Imagine for one moment the exhilaration of exploring a massive black hole (and never returning) or seated comfortably, straddled to a gamma ray pulsar . . . are you feeling the love!

Les orbis de la féminité – The Orb of the Feminine (defined)

Women have always had a unique inner strength and depth, far beyond the capacity of most men. As a young boy growing up in Brooklyn, the condition became an apparent oddity.

It was a blistering-hot midsummer day in New York’s Greenwich Village. Pedestrian traffic was somewhat lively, there was a mist hovering above the hot asphalt as the cooling rains fell upon the urban landscape. I was sipping a double espresso at the Café Rienzi while browsing copies of the Village Voice and the East Village Other for local events and book reviews. On that day, Robin and I were seated at a corner table overlooking MacDougal Street when she asked for my thoughts on common gender behaviors.

It was that isolated moment that inspired the concept for the painting and allowed for a greater understanding of the spherical symbolism as well as the use of varying levels of sharp-to-softened focal points.

Neoclassical Abstract Automatism

New York City artist Ron Maubidea is currently working on a new series of portraits for his upcoming show in Connecticut titled, The New Wave of Abstract Automatism.

His striking portrait of Charlotte Corday (Dreams of the Revolution ~ Virgin Death in Paris) is a fusion of 17th-century French classicist sensibility and depraved isolationism, a common condition amongst the inmates of Charenton Asylum. The image reflects her repugnance for the likes of the Marquis de Sade and Jean-Paul Marat, a radical journalist and proponent of a period known as The Reign of Terror.

Beginning in September 1793 and ending in July 1794, as many as 40,000 people (enemies of the revolution) were executed or guillotined for which she held Marat directly responsible. In a dream, both the Marquis and Marat get their “just rewards” as they pleasure and feed from Charlotte’s derriere.

The inspiration for the piece was the 1963 play by Peter Weiss, (The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade) which in 1967 was adapted for the screen as Marat/Sade.

Marie-Anne Charlotte de Corday d'Armont was found guilty for the stabbing death of Marat and executed under the guillotine on 17 July 1793 in Paris, France.

Donna Berlanda, Publicist
Cassandra Landau, Gallery Coordinator

The Brushless Evolution in Digital Painting by Ron Maubidea

Abstract Automatism – (automatism abstrait du moment)

A style of painting that applies primarily to works of art created in the digital domain. Abstract Automatism or Automatism abstrait du moment, can best be described as an exercise to develop rapid “sculpting” techniques and instant recognition of emerging forms within the abstract composition.

Abstract Automatism is a modern adaptation and an extension of Automatic Drawing and Surrealist Automatism and is defined by several factors. Unlike many of the works created by the genre’s philosophical predecessors, there are no sketches from which to build. The work must be completed within the time constraints of a fleeting inspiration and is ultimately defined by the absence of touchups. It would be simpler to approach this style of painting as digital sculpture.

Automatism Abstrait du moment

English translation: Abstract Automatism of the moment can best be described as a sculpting technique as it applies to digital painting. The origin of the term "du moment” is an homage to the French cooking method a la minute. A style of preparation wherein the foods are prepared to order and served immediately.

Quote: To reopen a file (once it has been saved) or to resume painting in the classic manner “after additional thought and preparation has occurred” would defeat the purpose of the exercise. I do not wish to imply that changes in design or refinement (touchups) are prohibited while the concept is evolving.

Example: At the improvisational moment of a jazz solo, there is a given amount of time in which artists can express themselves. When that time has elapsed and the energy of the creative impulse has exhausted, the artistic statement is complete. The same rule applies to this exercise.

The qualities most emphasized are spontaneity and improvisation. I strive to develop an emotional colour, if you will. Sensing the emotional architecture in each work as a concept develops, is tantamount to the perceptual light energies or lack thereof. Equally crucial are the energies of exploration and experimentation. Too much preparation results in a taciturn proficiency common to an abundance of structure and predetermination. For the greater part, these are characteristics germane to architecture and portrait painting.

The impulse to “add or redo something”, after a file is closed is a natural continuation of the creative process. Although the extended vision is part of a developing image, it does not apply in this context. There are two distinct groups within the style of Abstract Automatism as it pertains to digital painting. The first, being an artwork that is generated without the use of sketches or an existing image. This is the essence of creative expression in any medium of painting. Two examples of this technique are Floating Aberration and Résurrection du sphincter de explosion which can be referenced on the website.

The latter is that which applies the technique to an existing form. Cycle of Life: évolution simplifiee is a photographic example of the sculpting technique and how it was applied to this particular theme. However, the work must be completed before the file is closed as the same rule applies in both groups. What makes this approach unique is; when applying the technique to an existing image, the results are generally unpredictable as the painting is of the moment and subconsciously driven. That is the purpose of the exercise. The resulting image treatments are only limited to the styles in which the painter is adept.

IndiMusic Custom Theme Artwork

Galerie de Maubidea provides a wide variety of original “print ready” and custom theme artwork for CD / DVD packaging. The high resolution graphics are both compelling and “Colour Vivid”. Our goal is to make your CD stand out in "any" music rack.

All projects are collaborative unless specified otherwise. Please take a moment to browse our collections. Your comments and feedback are always welcome and appreciated.

My best to all,

Ron @ Maubidea.com

The Quandary of Turning a Profit thru ART by Ron Maubidea

Thinking, not the age-old dilemma of Art vs Commercialism, but rather the notion of simply paying the rent! The site was primarily intended to make the work visible in the hope of attracting a little business. I believe it’s every artists dream to earn a living selling their work if not just to cover the expense of materials.

My first impulse was to develop a website. I looked at several packages, one being Yahoos’ (do it yourself) and was thoroughly unimpressed. Sure it was inexpensive, but it lacked all the features I have grown accustomed to when visiting quality websites. Perhaps they were add-on features, but the drab background colours and the amateurish “whatever’s” were all a bit of a turnoff. Like anything else, taste is purely subjective.

For the moment, I am living “sans automobile” outside of New York City. Finding an adept web designer seemed an arduous task at best. To my surprise, of the few that were listed, one was relatively close. I had viewed the site and saved their link a year earlier when the concept first developed. What you now see is the user friendly interface I was first attracted to but it wasn’t cheap! Refinement never is.

The Impressions of History

Prior to the Internet, there were magazine ads selling art reproductions through the mail. When still in my teens, I purchased a copy of Bosch's’, Garden of Earthly Delight on canvas . . . didn’t everyone!

It was a pale, unembellished print and yet it still managed to capture my imagination. At the time, the concept of the Triptych story board (a visual aid that guides the viewer through the plot) was an artistic revelation. Anyway, the experience left a lasting impression which I later interpreted as “Do Not Screw with the Integrity of an Image” for the purpose of display . . . or not!

Since the original artwork was a canvas (1503-1504), it made perfect sense (but not necessarily) to buy a canvas . . . right? My point is simply this, there are a myriad of subconscious associations with visual imagery and we all connect uniquely to each one. The problem is, when a customer asks my opinion on which type of print to buy, do I bite the bullet and get philosophical or do I give them the “spiel” about taste being purely subjective.

To be continued . . .