Dallas Chaos II

 Dallas Chaos II

Peter Dean 1982
Oil on canvas
Blanton Museum of Art, Texas

The art life in America went through many transformations throughout history. The decade or historical backdrop that this work was produced in is: New York during the 1980s. 

Peter Dean's use of bold colors definitely catches the viewer's attention. He uses both primary and analogous colors to unite the work as a whole. His title seems very fit for the matter it depicts: utter chaos. The painting was formed from short, sharp and static brush strokes. A million things are going on simultaneously. He uses oil paint as his medium which gives his work a certain glow as the different camera flashes detonate around the main subject. This painting is explosive and dynamic, full of movement. Lines are unnatural an give the painting a cartoon-ish, carnival like demeanor. It reminds me of a circus, some of the subjects are actually wearing masks or costumes. As is the case of Jack ruby who has been given blazing-red angel wings, or Oswald who is carrying a mask with him. Oswald is also dressed in a style almost resembling that of a clown. It is a huge spectacle. This is a closed painting, I believe. The artist makes great use of space and it almost feels too crowded, like an invasion of privacy which would explain the presence of the paparazzi. 

I do not know if Dean meant this piece to be seen in any specific place or setting but as I examined the painting, I found a reference to the Dallas city jail in the form of a sign near the left hand corner. Before digging in deeper in the history behind this painting, I thought that maybe he was alluding to city life in this particular place or city life in general. I believe that many city dwellers would in some form or another, would be able to relate to some aspect of this piece. Dallas Chaos II is as loud as city life, at least. Dean's use of garish colors and carnivalesque aura seems to mirror the dynamic ways of a large city.

After further investigating (reading the caption next to the painting), I found out that this particular painting depicts the historic moment when Jack Ruby shot the presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald in the presence of the media. I think that this work may have been designed in order to show how the media play in important part in the formation of and  how history can be later perceived. It also alludes to our predatory nature and how we can become in essence selfish predators of information and scandal. 
 

The pop art movement had begun in the 1950s led by such artists as Andy Warhol, as a reaction against abstract art. In the 1960s, New York suffered race riots, and during this time conceptual art became popular. This was a type of modern art that challenged the validity of traditional art. Conceptual art claims that the materials used and the product of the process are basically unnecessary. The IDEA that a work expresses is considered the sole most essential point, NOT the visual appearance. Then, in the 1970s, the inner cities of New York State declined and urban ghettos developed, with high levels of crime, unemployment, and drug abuse. Crime and economic problems continued in the 1980s, and financial crises, social welfare, and the state's economy became the pressing issues. Conceptual art passed its epoch of popularity by the mid 1970s, but there was some renewal of interest in it during the 1980s.
 

During the 1980s, the nation faced significant challenges like inflation and unemployment ruled the economy. The art life in New York during the 1980’s erupted with a return to neo-expressionism. After World War II, New York replaced Paris as the art capital of the modern world as a result of great progression in abstract art. Neo-Expressionists believed that Conceptual and Pop Art had ignored art's ability to activate the imagination. This type of art favored simplified imagery over realism. It also gave rise to graffiti art in New York at the same time.

The chaos that the city of New York  faced during this era seems to parallel the chaos in the painting. 

Writing Exercise

April Love

Arthur Hughes
1855-56
Oil on canvas
Arched top, 35 x 19 1/2 inches.
Tate Gallery, London

A reason for choosing April Love was slightly personal. What originally attracted me to this particular work of art was the primary subject depicted in the scene. I observed a young woman inside an ivy-clad arbour house surrounded by lilac outside. She wears an expression of forlorn, almost pain, on her delicate face. She seems incredibly upset about something, and looks to be lost deep in thought. The girl reminded me of myself. I am a very emotional being and choose never to mask my feelings. I feel the sadness radiating for her body, and it creates in me a desire to reach out and comfort her. It creates a sentiment of solidarity, nostalgia and empathy within me.

 Another visual detail that immediately caught my eye was Hughes' predominant use of rich blues, greens and purples. These intense, dark colors seem to parallel the model's emotions. The painting also seems to be divided in the areas of light and darkness placed in the overall design. The interior of the arbour house is surrounded by darkness. The only light source is coming in through the entrance of the house which is softly illuminating the young woman's left side. After a second look at the painting, I discovered a male figure over by the window. He is barely visible, and his head is bent over the young woman's left hand. The man seems to be either pleading or weeping. This new information immediately raised a red flag. Is this couple in the middle of a breakup? The title for this work then starts to make some sense in my mind. Has she discovered that her lover has been unfaithful, or is she the "other woman"? By using the zoom feature on the Google art project, I was able to get a closer look at the young woman's facial features and was partially surprised to see that tears were streaming down her pale cheeks. Closer examination of this painting also revealed that rose petals were strewn on the stone floor by the woman's feet. The "breakup" scenarios is beginning to appears to become even more plausible now.

There looks to be some symbolic elements incorporated in the painting  as well...

These symbolic elements take on the form of the different flora found in the landscape. As I mentioned before, ivy is used to decorate the frame of the painting and with some minor investigations, I found that ivy is meant to signify everlasting life. Lilac is often regarded as signifying the first emotions of love. Roses, on the other hand, are viewed as the universal symbol for love and the rose petals on the floor may indeed signify the end of a young "puppy" love. In confirmation to this theory, the woman is looking down at fallen blossoms with sadness. The use of purple also caught my attention, purple is often considered the color of nobility in some cases and in others, purple can signify sorrow or suffering. This would be a very fitting meaning for the painting. It is obvious that the woman is in much emotional pain and grievance. She is mourning the end of a relationship that might have meant the world to her and that she now needs to part with. It is such a powerful message and I find it incredible that it is so easily conveyed by a piece of clothing.

Sadly, I am  not very familiar with many art works. I don't have a specific painting in mind that I can honestly say reminds me of April Love. It could be a third reason of why I chose this painting, it is unique to me. Arthur Hughes used oil paint on a canvas as his main medium of choice. As our text suggests, oil paint was used as a binder of pigment, as oil dries slowly, allowing for the blending of colors. Many artists also use the thin glazes to achieve shading and luminous color. This fairly obvious when you look at Hughes' painting. The light, sunlight, shining in through the entrance of the house is reflected off of the woman's face giving her this ethereal glow. It emphasizes her features and her golden amber hair. This medium gives the painting a more naturalistic look, some kind of three-dimensionality. I could almost reach over and touch the soft, smooth material of her dress or the earthy ivy vines clinging so desperately to the walls.

Hughes' April Love shows the raw emotion behind a situation that all of us experience in one way or another: loss. In this painting, the young woman makes no attempt to hide her true feelings. She projects an innocent vulnerability that lies within all of us, even if some are willing to deny such emotion. The flora depicted in the scene mark suggest the end of spring, the end of a season, the end of a young love. Many of us can certainly relate to loss in our lives. The loss of our very first romance, the loss of someone dear to us, the loss of our own motivation or ambitions, the loss or our goals and dreams, etc. I find this painting to be the representation of an abstract yet common emotion in terms of a situation that is relatable to countless viewers. The artist is letting you view such an intimate and important event in the lives of these individuals, it is hard to look away. The rich colors draw you in such a hypnotic, nostalgic way and the light reflecting upon the young woman's face almost forces you to pay attention to her suffering. 

• Who are the people portrayed in the painting? 
• Is this work really depicting the end of young love? 
• What makes this a famous painting? Who is the young woman? Is she someone from Hughes past? A past lover?
• Why is the young man weeping? What is the relationship between these two people?
• Is this a prohibited love affair?