Saturday, April 20, 2019

The folly of painting, and the painting of The Folly


                                              The Folly's Fading Light
                                              An original oil painting, on stretched canvas
                                              30 X 24", unframed

                                                          ( click on image to enlarge )



     When people reach my age, they tend to spend some time reflecting back on the
choices they have made in life, and sometimes questioning what it has all been about.
For artists the question becomes whether or not it has been worth the struggle to have
a career in the fine arts.  Most young people who choose to become artists, are not
blind to the fact that art is not usually the pathway to great financial reward, so there
must be something else which is the compelling need to be satisfied, by making that
choice, and continuing the pursuit.  Perhaps that motivation could be described as the
ongoing quest to achieve the expression of a personal vision or visions, in a some
presentable and concrete form.

     The same questions might be asked about the subjects some artists choose to paint.
For example, this scene of a gloomy, rainy evening, showing a once grand old, theater
building, which sank into an advanced state of crumbling decay and abandonment, is not
likely to be the kind of subject matter which most people would appreciate as art for
their homes.  So again, that subject is a choice of the artist, with no expectation of an
immediate monetary gain, but still to satisfy some other personal interest or experimental
exploration of the theme or the techniques used to achieve the desired results.

     I hadn't thought about this particular work for years, but I was reminded of it by a
recent, gallery request to show paintings of Kansas City history.   It must have been
over four decades ago that I did a number of sketches and drawings of this old theater
building, because demolition seemed inevitable at that time.  Later on, those sketches
proved useful in doing paintings such as this, of a forgotten time in this city.  Before the
mid-twentieth century, Kansas City was a major hub of railway passenger traffic, and a
primary stop on the theatrical circuit.  The touring performers, actors and vaudevillians
all strode the stages of our grand old theaters.  When I was a child, every block in the
commercial heart of the city had at least one and sometimes two, theaters or extravagant
movie palaces, along with the numerous, elaborate department stores which dotted the
central business district.  And, all of that activity was served by an efficient, streetcar,
rail system.  But all of that was about to change, as the American way of life was
undergoing a revolution.

     After World War Two, automobiles and rapid suburban expansion, with convenient
outlying shopping centers, along with the advent of television, combined to drain all of
the life blood from the heart of the city.  The economical and efficient transit system was
killed off by General Motors; the department stores shriveled and then closed, and the
theaters were boarded up and abandoned.  That led the way to something they called
"urban renewal", during which dozens of beautiful, historic buildings were demolished
to make way for things as hideously uninspiring as parking structures, and thus further
reducing human presence on the streets of the central city.

     But history does not always have a completely unhappy ending.  Fortunately for the
theater in this painting, it was saved from demolition, and beautifully restored, largely
through the efforts of one woman, who was determined to save at least one of the city's
historic theaters from the wrecking ball.  When this building first opened, in the year 1900,
it was called The Century Theater, and then over the following decades the name
changed to fit the theatrical circuit's use, such as when it was known as the Schubert
Theater.  The Folly was the name that was in use when the theater was finally closed,
before the restoration, so that was the name that stuck.  But the efforts which went
into preserving that wonderful old gem were a very worthy quest, and certainly not folly.



   

Monday, April 8, 2019

Don't forget to stop and smell the flowers.



     For anyone who may have been wondering if I am still alive, I'm glad to say 
that I am still here.  I have recently had another of those uncomfortable reminders
that we are all here on borrowed time, and at my stage of life, those precious, 
borrowed days and hours are dwindling away, ever more rapidly.  My reminder
of the transitory nature of life, was a severe case of the flu, which evolved into a
persistent battle with bronchitis.  All in all, I have been out of commission for a 
couple of months, but I will try to post more art to my blog soon, now that I'm 
on the mend.  
     The brighter and warmer days of April are helping to lift the spirits of many 
of us, here in the center of the country.  February and March were unusually
cold and snowy.  Ice and snow were on the ground for so many days that it was
hazardous to try and get out and walk around, and being house-bound does not 
contribute to improving one's health or mood.  
     
      As so frequently happens here, where Mother Nature is so fickle and untrustworthy, 
the sudden, warm weather has tricked the flowering trees and spring bulbs to burst 
out into full bloom, before the danger of a freeze is over.   Now our weather 
forecasters are saying that a freeze is coming before this weekend.  So, when Saturday
morning arrives, the spectacular magnolia and daffodil blossoms will have been 
reduced to spoiled, brown decay-matter.  That will be yet another reminder for all of us,
to follow the poet's advice, and "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.", both literally
and figuratively.