It's Quiet in Here

Empty desks at the El Segundo Public Library

Do you ever have that weird feeling of being alone in public places? Have you ever spoken aloud but no one seemed to hear? Are you troubled by a sense of alienation, as if the you're somewhat out of synch with the rest of the world?

Yeah, me neither. ;-)

"Creep" by Radiohead

Enjoy!!!

Empty Seats in a Tram

Tram at the Getty Center

Enjoy!!!

Beyond the Beautiful Crowd

Tim Kelly Lifeguard Memorial statue at the Hermosa Beach pier, facing the Strand's nightlife district

All of the beach cities in the Los Angeles South Bay have a peculiar feel at night. They have bustling and busy centers of people partying, socializing, and drinking late into the night, filling the quiet hours with laughter, raucous sounds, and music of all types. However, when one wanders just a short distance away to the beach, leaving the lights and crowds behind, the Pacific Ocean's constant murmur washes away the noise.

It is an interesting contrast, a little creepy. It makes you feel small and transient.

But if the sublime loneliness of the beach is too much to handle, the shimmering lights of the party places are just a short stroll away. ;-)

With Tremulous Cadence Slow

Detail of Afternoon Stroll (2010) by Dale Johnson, on exhibit at dnj Gallery

A standard impression of the Los Angeles beaches is that they are constantly sun-drenched, bright and busy places where scantily clad young women play volleyball and children build sandcastles. Well, such scenes definitely do exist, but, more often than not, the beaches of the South Bay area have a heavy marine layer that doesn't burn off until after midmorning. Rather than "beach babes", you're more likely to find elderly walkers, perhaps accompanied by their dog.

And it's quiet. Except for the sounds of the seabirds and the alternating roar and hiss of the waves coming in and rushing out, there are only the noises that are brought with you, beit music on an iPod or conversation with a friend. It can be a lonely and sublime experience.

That's what I feel when viewing Dale Johnson's work in "By the Sea", on view at dnj Gallery until July 21. These hazy images of desolate shores, lonely walkers, and grey skies, they capture the timeless and vast atmosphere of the seaside.

Detail of Lab and Longboard (2011) by Dale Johnson

The flat and muted scenes have a sense of authenticity to them. They capture those long moments at the shore in which there is no flashy focus upon human activity, no sandcastles, no young women frolicking upon the sand, no surfers catching waves. There are only shades moving through the dark grey of the marine layer.

Seconds in Silence

Empty dance studio

Another thing about Summer, there is something both peaceful and creepy about an empty campus or classroom. Peering through the windows into a room, where one would normally hear the constant chatter of students, the sounds of occupation, finding it abandoned and silent can be disturbing.

Of course, teachers probably see it as wonderful thing. Like Sisyphus and his stone, it is the moment that the task has been completed, if only for a while, before the next academic year starts the whole process over again.

But I'm not a teacher. I look at the emptiness with an eye towards poetry and purpose. Without habitation, we can appreciate the structure and space of the buildings, their functional design. However, classrooms without students are not fulfilling their purpose. And there is something transgressive about that.

Empty classroom


It's as though the space echoes with impressions of what has been, what will be, and what ought to be. It is as if every empty classroom is haunted by the ghosts of potential students.

In a Lonely Place

Detail of Nowhere (2011) by Esao Andrews


The forlorn realm of solitude, among decrepit wrecks and empty desolation, is where the lonely people dwell, sometimes in the form of anthropomorphic animals and sometimes as ghostly visages emerging from darkness; this sad and quiet place is called Nowhere, a region that transcends physical space, a state more of the spirit than of the body.

Esao Andrews' exhibit "Nowhere" at Thinkspace Gallery gives us a powerful view of this lonely place. With evocative colors and haunting composition, this exhibition insinuates a dark Romantic aesthetic into the viewer's mind. The icy regrets, the shadowy abandonment, these poignant sorrows linger like specters within the paint.

And yet, there is undeniable beauty, a sublime quality that empowers these works. "Nowhere" inspires a dreadful fascination.

Detail of Polished & Powdered (2011) by Esao Andrews

I especially admire the play of color that contrasts the muted shades of Nowhere, like a promise, a beckoning hope, of better and brighter times to come.

Loco for Rococo and Kukula

Hazing (2011) by Kukula


"Lonely Opulent Things" is a solo show of Nataly (Kukula) Abramovitch's work on display at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City. The basic theme of this exhibit is the valuing of the Self through Material possessions, exemplified by the opulent 18th century French Rococo aesthetic. The doll-like subjects of these paintings have actually been "objectified" by incorporating elements evocative of Limoges porcelain into their figures.

Precious and opulent though they may be, the subjects depict a spiritual emptiness. They are all ornamentation and little substance. Bored and directionless, they lounge around in beautiful idleness. Even when displayed upon pedestals, these "Lonely Opulent Things" can't seem to muster the spirit to pose and preen. They are creatures of brittle clay and are hollow inside.

Broken Limoges (2011) by Kukula

It is this sorrow, regret, and loneliness that stands out. Unlike the Rococo inspirations from Fragonard or Boucher, these figures are not gleeful or engaged in an eternal fete galante. There is no vivacious play of Blind Man's Bluff or exuberant swinging. There is only an enervated decadence. When the pretty objects break, so too does the owner's spirit.

Voices of the Lake

Still Waters by Korin Faught

I had the opportunity to see Korin Faught's show "Voices of the Lake" at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City. Faught has a distinct image vocabulary and superb technique. Her imagery is captivating in both its beauty and mystery. It is an excellent exhibit, running until September 21st.

The use of duplicates is a common theme in Faught's work, but this show adds an additional twist with reflections in the water. It creates a complex psychological dialogue between the "real" figures and then between the "real" and the "reflected" figures. Moreover, the figures interact with the water not just as a mirror, but as a physical presence into which they are immersed.

So, let's consider the painting above, Still Waters. The title is reference to the phrase "Still waters run deep." This means that a person who shows a placid demeanor may actually have complex and forceful passions beneath the surface facade. And so it is that we have the figure of a young lady in triplicate, each of which display a different emotion towards a subject out of view to the figures right. The first seems to display a body language of yearning. The second expresses trepidation. The third leans away from the subject of her view with a sense of resigned detachment.

It's as if the figures are thinking "I desire this but I'm afraid to try for it. So I will not even attempt it. Instead, I will be content with viewing it."

The emotional impotency of these figures is further emphasized by the fact that they are stuck in the water. The reflections and empty background make them seem like lost, spectral beings. They are full of passion, but alienated from their ability to act upon it.

Soulless by Korin Faught

This sense of alienation is further emphasized in Soulless. This woman has been overwhelmed by the waters, as indicated by her drenched appearance. Moreover, she has no internal dialectic, as indicated by the lack of duplicate figures. Furthermore, the background has gone black, with only a distant light source that shines only upon her. With a questioning, confused posture, this lonely lady becomes an image of perdition.

Seeking the Sublime

Detail of Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon (1830-35) by Caspar David Friedrich

I always have a tough time listing my favorite anything, from book to movie to song. This is also true in choosing my favorite painters. However, I'm certain the Caspar David Friedrich consistently makes the top five. Friedrich was born on this date in 1774, so let's take the opportunity to appreciate his unique genius.

I feel that his style is the definitive look to Romanticism, especially as regards contemplation of the Sublime. Moreover, his muted colors and overwhelming spaces creates that sense of loneliness or insignificance that characterizes the later Gothic aesthetic. Additionally, his focus on death and transience works as a critique of materialism and the "heroic arrogance" of classicism and neo-classicism.

In Friedrich's world, the sublime grandeur of Nature reduces human accomplishment and material ambition to inconsequential ruins. It's a profoundly terrifying view that has influenced Western aesthetics up to the contemporary era.


Detail of Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (1818) by Caspar David Friedrich


So what can humanity do? Contemplate the awesome spiritual immensity of the Sublime.

Shivering in Solitude

Trouble Waters by Andrew Hem

My favorite art topics are loneliness and isolation. Therefore, I'm enthralled by Andrew Hem's haunting images in the exhibit "Cold Water" at LeBasse Projects. His child-like figures are wandering through a barren and forlorn terrain. The prevalence of pallid blues give this vision a frozen quality. Even the warm flesh tones are shifted grey, giving the impression that the figures are in some liminal state of being alive and active yet rendered somewhat insensate by the numbing solitude.

And there is a sense of sorrow. It's a vague presence that imbues the entire composition, from the dark landscapes to the troubled faces of the children. It is unclear whether it is the cause of the loneliness or caused by it. But the sadness clings to the children like sodden clothes. It is given form in the manifold images of wetness, be it in the tides of the frigid sea, ethereal streaks that hint of rain, or the cold drifts of snow.



Colder Than a Polar Bear's Toenail by Andrew Hem


It is a relentless and icy realm of pure loneliness. Yet, the figures generally seem to be enduring through it. They trudge up the frosty mountain. They wade through the icy waves. They persist in spite of the darkness.

Heat in Freezing

Lonely Places

Loneliness, isolation, and alienation are states of being that capture my fascination. They are always on my mind. They are an essential part of my daily life. Even when among friends or at a party, I'm capable of feeling alone. It's weird. I can be fully engaged in social activity, but be experiencing a sense of disengagement.

Peculiar.

That doesn't mean that I'm unhappy. No, I can derive joy from companionship at the SAME time as feeling as if I watching as though I'm watching my life from the far end of a tunnel. I can experience the warmth of friendship while being in an icy isolation. Deep down, I am detached from the passions of the world around me. I can perceive it and feel it, but the chaos of human passion doesn't move me.

It is very strange.

Nevertheless, here's a fun vid extolling the virtues of loneliness.

Enjoy!!!