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The Actor (L'acteur)

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

l'acteur
photographed by: caro ramirez (website | blog | flickr); inspiration: the actor (l'acteur) by pablo picasso; image source: wikipedia

Pablo Picasso is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable artists of the 20th century and all time. He is most well known for co-founding the Cubist Movement with Georges Braques, but my favorite paintings of his are from his Blue Period (Le Noces de Pierrette and Portrait of Suzanne Bloch) and Rose Period (Garçon à la pipe and The Actor) and I am haunted and completely enamored by Guernica, the painting that portrays the horrific tragedies of the bombing of Guernica in 1937. I also love Le Rêve, which is reminiscent to the Fauvist moment (my favorite Fauvist painting is Woman with a Hat by Henri Matisse).

The Actor is one of the most recognized figures in 20th century art. When I came across The Actor, I was in awe of the acrobat's pose. Of course, I'm mesmerized by the color palette and that shade of pink, but the pose is so dramatic and awkward. Honestly, it was hard to mimic this pose, because it's so distorted and awkward, but I tried my best to imitate it. His expression is so dark and ambiguous. This painting is haunting, but oddly romantic at the same time. I love it when art can make me feel multiple and sometimes oppositional emotions. Harlequins and circus performers appear frequently in the Rose Period, but they will dominate Picasso's painting in various stages throughout the rest of his artistic career.

This painting makes me miss acting and the theater. Throughout boarding school, I participated in plays and took L.A.M.D.A. lessons and only in my last year, I discovered my passion for theater. I studied sound design and although it was a lot of more simplified compared to film sound design, I enjoyed learning something new and outside my comfort zone. Our play was set during World War II when children were evacuated from London to the countryside, it was centered on an autistic girl and her relationship with the other children. I used the soundtrack of Donnie Darko as a key thematic score and manipulated it for our play. I still miss acting and would consider acting for fun, but I don't think I could be a film actress, because I would be too self conscious in front of a motion picture camera.

Color is a symbolic visual device that can clearly convey a certain emotion, which is demonstrated in Picasso's Blue and Rose Period. Color theory is hugely important to people in the visual and arts field. I'm a photographer and enjoy cinematography, so color is a very significant factor to me. I respond to more muted and pastel colors rather than a bright color palette, which is probably quite evident in the way I dress. Although, once in a while I enjoy a pop of color here and there, depending on the object or item.

When I was younger, I decided that (if and) when I make feature films, I want each film to have a certain color palette with a specific theme in mind. When conceptualizing the look of the film, there are so many aspects to consider: warm or cool color palette, light or dark and this applies to the look of the film in terms of cinematography and production design. If I make it as an independent filmmaker, I want my films to have a distinctive look in terms of cinematography, think Amélie (Bruno Delbonnel), American Beauty (Conrad L. Hall), Requiem for a Dream (Matthew Libatique), A Single Man (Eduard Grau). But simplicity is also effective, which is demonstrated in Woody Allen's films and Gordon Willis' cinematography.

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13 comments:

  1. this is a pretty interesting shoot! and I like how you're wearing a pink shirt and standing in a darker pink / red background

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  2. booty! you cutie patooty!

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  3. Avalonne?? In PANTS?! What is this madness?

    :D

    I love how this isn't just an outfit post; in fact, it's a very neat and simple one, but it's definitely inspired. Yeah, can I take a quick moment to talk about how much I've been loving your recent posts? I feel bad that I haven't been able to peruse through all of them, but I do read them all at once in spurts.

    What you said about how the color palette evoking a mood is something that's been done so many times before, but I still find it fascinating. I was just watching Veronica Mars and I thought it was interesting how some scenes were entirely in green, making it look slightly unsettling; or swathed in blue, making it distant.

    WOW I'm talking a lot. More points to make:
    - I kinda freakin' love how you randomly quoted Randy from Monk. I used to watch that show and loved it, especially Randy. Oh, Randy.
    - Why yes, my hair IS long. I really, really need to cut it.
    - In concern to this shoot: DAT ASS. Sorry, had to say it. :)

    Toast with Charmalade

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  4. I love your interpretation of this Picasso painting! I like the idea of having a color scheme for each individual film, it really sets the tone and the mood for the storyline :) Haha and WHEN you make it as an independent filmmaker, I look forward to seeing these aspects in your films! Omgosh how awesome will that be, to actually go watch one of your films one day?

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  5. Your posts are always a delight to read. I do love how well thought out they all are. I really like the idea of each of your films having a different colour palette too. Hopefully we'll be seeing them sooner rather than later :)

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  6. Yet another great and interesting post avalonne. I can definitely see how you felt inspired by this painting, and I love how you interpreted it. Having a certain colour palette for an individual film (or tv show)is a great idea, and I think just that one element can add a whole new dimension to the viewering experience. Like soph said hopefully we'll be seeing your films soon :)

    ps. not sure if you have seen/heard of it, but I think that you might enjoy watching a film called The Fall!

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  7. love this. i need to take an art history class.

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  8. Your blog is a delight!
    Super envious of your style.
    I am a HUGE Woody Allen fan (my parents had me watching his films since age 5 or 6!) & I am currently in film school. I feel the same way about color composition & generally being overly stylistic in cinema.
    Keep taking pictures + writing!

    xoxo
    -Wendy

    scoutandpine.blogspot.com/
    (my blog)

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  9. I think this is one of the best posts I've read today. I'm curious, what gave you the idea to create this series of images from paintings? I think it's a fantastic idea. I would love to see you do something with some of Krzysztof Kieślowski's films.

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  10. i think it's safe to say that now i have found your blog i am never letting it go. your glasses and your hair are so so cool. i wish i had the guts to chop all my hair off and have it like yours. god knows i have the urge to now.

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  11. Such an interesting post. Love hearing how that painting inspired you. I'm in complete agreement with your ideas about color and mood for films. So glad I came across your blog!

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  12. you gorgeous girl - loved your inspiration and the colour combinations
    x

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