Helen Mirren in Phèdre Comes to Cinema Near You

Last Month I saw a poster of Racine's classic Phèdre featuring Dame Helen Mirren at the entrance of Elmwood cinema in Berkeley and was excited for the new "movie" and only learned later that it was a simulcast of a live performance in London. When I went back to Elmwood theater, all tickets were sold out.

Resigned to waiting for the possible DVD, I happily learned that it will re-ply in Rialto Cinemas Cerrito (El Cerrito). A ticket price of $22 (plus $3.50 online fee), won't bring you to London, but it will bring Dame Helen to a theatre near you. I'm looking forward to this treat.

My Hero Käthe Schmidt Kollwitz (July 8, 1867 – April 22, 1945)

Today is the birthday anniversary of German painter, printmaker and sculptor Käthe Kollwitz's birthday. She is one of my favorite artists, despite my aversion of her dark images when I was a child.

She was well known in China, largely due to the introduction of a very influential left wing writer, LU Xun, who was active in the 1930s. What I saw in her works, when I was little, were nothing but scary images of the hollowed eyes crazy and demonic figures. I couldn't stare at those screaming images long to contemplate the meanings and beauty hidden.

When I grew older, and more experienced, I became drawn to her works like moth dancing around fire. Her works exert an enormous influence on my thoughts and my works. Her unflinching approach to human miseries due to poverty and war, was the epitome what an artist ought do.

More than 100 years after her birth, 55 years after her death, the world has not learned the lessons from her time and ignored her eloquent and often searing accounts of the sad human conditions in the first half of the 20th century. The misery continues, therefore the duty of artists to document and to illuminate continues.






















Killed in Action




















Woman with Dead Child

A Memorable Chamber Music Concert

A Memorable Chamber Music ConcertLast night, in Chamber Arts House in Berkeley, I attended a chamber music concert given by Quartette d’Accord, which consisted 14 to 15 years old Lukas Whaley-Mayda (cello), Alia Welsh (violin/viola), June Park (violin/viola) and Nicolas Locatelli (violin).

The program included movements from String Quartets by J. Haydn, A. Dvorak, D. Shostakovich, C. Debussy and I. Andraisov (Armenian). The concert was marked by the deep commitment of these talented young musicians and extreme emotional intensity. The charismatic adviser of the group, Erika Miranda, explained the reason behind the switching seat amongst violinists and violists. By truly mastering different parts of the music, the young musicians can truly understand the quartet music as a whole piece. All the pieces they performed were of great interests, particularly those by Shostakovich and Debussy. Though only the first two movements of the No. 8 String Quartet by Shostakovich were performed, it was almost too much to bear. The very first chord sounded to me like the rending of a piece of enormous fabric, accompanied by plunging devastation. The weeping and heart rending persisted through out the two brief movements, brought me to the edge of the seat and the brink of weeping myself. It was stunning.

The piece by Debussy was utterly different. It was like montages of slowly blooming flowering here and there, scintillating and hard to pin-down.

Once I returned home, I played Fitzwilliam String Quartet recording of Shostakovich’s No. 8 in its entirety. As if to proof the point I made on yesterday’s blog entry Digital Rembrandt, listening to must recordings would never be able to re-create the spiritual, emotional and even physical reactions as one listens to music in concert halls and opera houses, the recording by the mature musicians didn’t hit me with the same ferocity and emotional charge as the music being played live a few feet away from me. Music played live penetrates into one’s burning vein and beats with one’s heart and soul.

Bravi, Lukas, Alia, June and Nicholas.

Four Steps for My New Painting - "Constance - Four Seasons' Perspective"

I just finished a series of four small paintings Constance - Four Seasons' Perspective. Below are the four stages during the creating process:






























Very simple and orderly a process. Isn't it?

Digital Rembrandts

According to San Francisco Chronicle, "the life work of Rembrandt - all 317 known paintings, 285 etchings and more than 100 drawings - go on display next week in full-size digital reproductions that attempt to re-create the works as they emerged from the artist's studio rather than as they exist today.

"The Complete Rembrandt, Life Size exhibition opens Sunday in the former Amsterdam Stock Exchange building and runs through Sept. 7."

It must be an amazing experience to see all those reproductions together and I would love to be able to see it. After all, I was introduced to Florentine Renaissance works in such reproduction exhibits in Northeastern China.

However, one should be aware of the differences between reproductions (no matter how faithful they are) and real pieces. The experience to behold the real paintings, etchings and drawings with one's naked eyes will have a profoundly different impact than from viewing reproductions, even enhanced ones, or perhaps because of the "enhancement." Just like listening to must recordings would never be able to re-create the spiritual, emotional and even physical reactions as one listens to music in concert halls and opera houses. The effects and impacts are utterly different. I would even argue that age marks and deterioration of art works, create unique effects of their own and a sense of history. Who will ever forget the smoke and grime darkened Sistine Chapel frescoes? One might even prefer the "dirty" ones to the "restored" or "cleansed" ones.

One can only hope that once the viewers see reproductions of those works in "freshly made" conditions, they will venture further to the art museums to savor the real masterpieces.

Sad Day for Art Lovers in San Francisco Bay Area

San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Fishers give up on plan for Presidio art museum. What a sad day it is for art lovers in San Francisco Bay Area!

I was never enamored with the Presidio location for an art museum, because of the accessibility issues. It is very hard to get there, not only for people from East Bay, but for the San Franciscans as well. When I lived in North Beach, I found it very difficult to get to the Fine Art Museum of Legion of Honor. Presidio location is just as cumbersome. However, I would rather prefer a wonderful museum in a difficult location to not to have it at all.

I do hope that the Fishers will not abandon this noble attempt. They should also look beyond park locations and cast eyes on urban settings. One can argue that the convenient locations of San Francisco Modern Art Museum and Asian Art Museum contributed greatly to their successes. Locations in Downtown Oakland and Berkeley, near BART stations should be considered seriously.

If eventually the Fishers decide not to proceed at all, today would be a truly sad day for us.