K itajara always been a nomad. Being almost a teenager worked on a freighter in the South Seas, and later after the Second World War took off to Europe. Came to Vienna where he began to discover the great European paintings. Years later in London, showed the way to Hamilton, Hockney, Allen Jones on the eve of British Pop Art. Kitaj knew
develop a pictorial language itself, blending the cultural background of an insatiable reader, with their eagerness to see the world in which he dived, taking from it the most diverse references, with its unique ability to reinterpret history painting.
Throughout his life was an inevitable reference for the subsequent European and American figurative movements, but never agree to belong to none.
criticism in the United States never forgave him for his detachment, and its independence and made it pay by placing it in a wrong step the quality of his work. But never cared Kitaj, was more comfortable with the title of artist cursed.
Kitaj personally discovered in the 80's in Madrid. I still remember the impact that I was the picture of "The Greek from Smyrna." He had several ingredients for this, first an unusual format, exaggerated vertical, on the other characters captivating composition of looks sparse distributed in various areas linked by a descending staircase. I remember feeling the need to concoct a story to assemble all the elements of that picture.
Later I read what was written on Kitaj's own this picture in the catalog of one of his exhibitions at the Tate Gallery in London "This portrait of my friend Nikos Stangos was inspired by his compatriot, the Greek poet Cavafy and his descriptions of his daily walk in the brothels of the port of Alexandria. I had just returned to London from my only trip to Greece, which lasted a few days, and then he posed for me in the attitude of passers. I told my strange Stangos unconsummated wander through the port of Piraeus, imitating Cavafy. Therefore the table refers to the two poets and myself. "
This was a common way to develop your pictures, inventing characters and a story linking them. He himself said que envidiaba a los grandes novelistas como Dickens, Dostoievski o Kafka, capaces de forjar personajes memorables.
El griego de Esmirna. Óleo sobre lienzo 76,2x243,8 cm
0 comments:
Post a Comment