diogenesslideshow

primi pensieri

Diogenes & Alexander

Diogenes the Cynic encountering Alexander the Great is a story at once about speaking truth to power and an opportunity to deal with the correspondence of the narrative and technical elements of painting.

When Alexander found the noted philosopher and asked him what he could do for him, the founding Cynic replied "you're blocking my sun." So, the theme of Apollonian conqueror bocking the sun, and therefore the source of shadows, means the painting is also an exercise in projected shadows.

" Ego certe, nisi Alexander essem, vellem esse Diogenes!"

Diogenes: the Process

The classical idea of invention essentially means "discovery" of an idea. Like the Old Masters, David Mayernik works out his inventions in a series of drawings, exploring alternatives of both composition and its parts (figures, context, etc.) in drawings of increasing levels of refinement. The oil painting is developed on a brown ground, modeled first sketchily in grisaille and then in full color, often with the ground revealed in areas of shadow or similar tone.

Finally, the frame is the connection to the work's context--it not only functions as a window, but also a bridge, extending the narrative into the world of the viewer. It is the essential mediator (see Frank Zappa) between the work of art and the world.