Discovery

As 2018 draws to a close, it's time to reflect on a remarkable year. 

The discovery of Raymond Roussel sent me deep into the stacks of research and exploration. It's thrilling to be on the case. Yes, another poet with connections to Marcel Duchamp. In 2016 I discovered Surrealist poet Robert Desnos who channeled the voice of Rrose Selavy, Duchamp's alter ego. This year I found Roussel, a powerful influence on Duchamp— sparking his creation of The Large Glass. 

Along with an expressionistic DeKooning knock off, a frenetic Giacometti search, a swirl of white paint ala Twombly and a bit of a sad-sack feeling marooned in a maroon shirt, the fab four accomplished what I intended:  I am ready to cut loose, free the tight grip of my pencil and let the paint and graphite flow. 

               

               

A tight pencil sketch did not make the cut so it was cut up, shredded then balled up.

Marc posed as the subject for several of my art class projects — described HERE.

The deconstruction of Rembrandt portrait by erasing, a very Marc-like gesture, was instrumental in my History of Drawing lesson. Here is the scoop:

You can begin with a drawing (one of your own or maybe if you have a Rembrandt around) slowly erasing the image until you have found your resting place.

When I named-dropped Rembrandt in Lesson Plan: Lesson Eleven I was using him as the prime example, the definition of a masterpiece, his artwork so valuable that it would be unthinkable to erase. Plus, joking, imagining the possibility that you have a Rembrandt at home — nigh impossible. 

The next day while delivering several of our beach plastic artworks to Cubberley Artist Studio Program in Palo Alto to be included in Eco Echo: Art and Environmental Lab, I spied an array of frames set out, free for the taking. Always on the lookout for anything that has potential reuse I took a closer look. Low and behold - there in the free-pile was my Rembrandt — his iconic self-portrait. Yes, indeed!!! I tucked it under my arm and away it went.

Praise be to serendipity.

Back home I set about to erase with an electric eraser. On the search to discover a new constellation, a new meaning.

Here is the 2018 short of the year:
As both artist and subject DeAnsar searches for the optical phenomena of reality. Inspired by Alberto Giacometti's portrait of James Lord, DeAnsar affirms,"The form is always in proportion to the obsession." And then, there are (nothing more and nothing less than) ants.