It just so happened that 3 very different art works appeared on my twitter feed (@bitterwit) today in succession. The serendipitous appearance of the three illustrated perfectly the munificence of art and why we should love and embrace it in all its variety.  The trio also makes me think about the relationship between painting photograph and cinema, such a close relationship, so intersected and mutually enriching.

I should just say that I really like and appreciate all of these works. Carr’s painting is evocative and has a strong sense of place. I love that feeling of being out in the cold and seeing the houses all lit up. As I look at this picture, I can feel the cold and the crispy silence. The thing about the painting is that Carr is not simply showing us what this scene of the community along Hudson river looks like. He’s offering us a glimpse into the experience of arriving at Christmas eve in the twilight, the anticipation of the festivities, and the delicious contrast between the crisp, serene outdoors and the warm, cozy indoors.
Laura Aguilar’s self-portrait photographs shot in the New Mexican desert are very interesting because she’s doing 2 things at the same time. She is creating a direct relationship between the physical landscape, the monumentality of the rock formations, and her own body, displaying her body as a sculptural form, not juxtaposed against the stones but being one with the stones.  It is a beautiful image. But not only that, she is also claiming her own Hispanic connection to the New Mexican territory; being part of a people with ancient connections to this land.
Lastly, cinematographer Roger Deakins is no less of an artist then Carr or Aguilar. The team process of filmmaking is different to the (relatively) solitary process of photography and painting. But cinematography is not unlike painting. Many cinematographers are also painters and almost all confess to be strongly influenced by painting. Whether or not you liked Blade Runner 2049, I think it’s impossible for anybody not to have been transfixed by the cinematography. Again, like Carr and Aguilar, Deakins makes us feel something with his images (wonder, dread, fear, perturbation, sadness, love). That’s why the still images from the film stand on their own as great pictures – as this one does, .
3 approaches to art, crossing time space gender and art form. I’ve been completely enriched and invigorated by all of them today.