"Closer" artists

[omps...@dreamscape.com]

Bernard B. Pound wrote:
>
> I am looking for the name of the artist whose work is the inspiration
> for the "closer" video? I saw his work displayed at the Guggenheim
> Mapplethorpe Gallery last Autumn. But I can't remember his name.
> Thought someone here may know who I'm talking about

The style of the filming is a direct nod to "The Street of Crocodiles",
a short stop-action animated piece by Brothers Quay. The settings are
nearly identical, but Quays' is 3-5 times as long, in black and white,
has less a less enjoyable soundtrack and uses poorly wrought dolls where
the Closer video uses actual homo sapiens.
I believe "Tool" also has a similar reference in one of their videos,
and Brothers Quay apparently have an MTV ID, (of a 2 headed girl in an
attic). But I haven't seen either, at least, not recently.

The Brothers Quay, in turn, reference Czech animator Jan Svenkmajer in
all of their works, calling themselves his apprentice. IMHO, Jan is a
much better animator and sculptor, and the Closer video does a better
job of saluting Jan than anything by Quay.

The most acclaimed work of Svenkmajer is "Alice"; a surrealist,
stop-action retelling of Lewis Carroll that freaks out every 3rd person,
bores the 2nd 3rd, and leaves the other 3rd in awe. As one of the
awestruck 3rd, I heartily recommend it.
...said the white rabbit...

The black & white print images, which appear only in the uncensored
video, (the infamous "scene missing" parts on MTV), still mystify me as
to their source. They appear to be medical diagrams, but then you'll see
a finger stuck into the "wounds". Maybe a few pages from the Marquis de
Sade's coloring book? (If there isn't one of those yet, I volunteer to
help draw one up).

The still life collages, and possibly the selection of "old" film, in
the Closer video directly reference the style of work of photographer
Joel-Peter Witkin, who apparently is less than thrilled with the homage.
Examples of Witkin are more frequently found in some typically humorless
art perodicals, although he is featured in a few books...

But, I'm the animation junkie (and this is not frank's planet). When it
comes to Witkin, I'll should let our Mad Photographer take over.

Robin?

It's nice to know you can turn even an obsession like NIN into an
educational cultural experience.

Cthulhia -- art fag (yes, eventually I will dance to anything)

[Lily J. Rabbit]

In article <31F743...@dreamscape.com>, omps...@dreamscape.com wrote:

~* Bernard B. Pound wrote:
~* >
~* > I am looking for the name of the artist whose work is the inspiration
~* > for the "closer" video? I saw his work displayed at the Guggenheim
~* > Mapplethorpe Gallery last Autumn. But I can't remember his name.
~* > Thought someone here may know who I'm talking about

~* Maybe a few pages from the Marquis de
~* Sade's coloring book?
BBwwaahahahahah!!! Now that's something I'd like to see!

~*(If there isn't one of those yet, I volunteer to
~* help draw one up).
I'm first on the waiting list to buy one , then!

~* The still life collages, and possibly the selection of "old" film, in
~* the Closer video directly reference the style of work of photographer
~* Joel-Peter Witkin, who apparently is less than thrilled with the homage.
~* Examples of Witkin are more frequently found in some typically humorless
~* art perodicals, although he is featured in a few books...
~*
~* But, I'm the animation junkie (and this is not frank's planet). When it
~* comes to Witkin, I'll should let our Mad Photographer take over.
Hey now, Robin is not the only photographer around<g>

JPW has about 3 books of his own out, plus a few exhibit catalogues
that you can find at museums that have featured his work. I'd say about 75%
of the images in Closer are taken directly out of JPW's portfolio,
although Trent prettied them up a lot (if you can believe that). JPW
used many carnival freaks, hermaphrodites and deformed people
as models, which doesn't go over too big on MTV. The mask with the
crucifix on it (the one without the crucifix in the censored version) is
worn by JPW in the photo that he uses on most of his books, taken by
his wife. His photos all have that scratched, beat up quality that
Closer has, in his case because he shoots the photos, processes them & then
scratches up the negatives, leaves them on the floor of his darkroom for
3 months, etc...until they attain that nice *used* look.

There were also some JPW images in a madonna video that was
shot by Mark Romanek, the director of Closer. At the DMA last Fall,
JPW gave a talk & afterwards was asked how he felt about his images
being co-opted & used in music videos. He expressed extreme distaste
for people "that have to steal ideas because they can't come up with
anything that good on their own". When asked if he was going to sue,
he made a lot of crabby noises & said he didn't have time for that kind of
crap, he'd been in a darkroom for the past 9 months, let them have it,
whatever, etc...

Anyhow, I am not a big fan of his work, but I thought the Closer video
was pretty damn cool.

Love,
gothbunny

OoOoooOOooO ~an excerpt from CakeCon '96~OOoooOOOoooO
"Santa? What's Santa doing in their house?!
Like Hall & Oates were *good* that year?"
Lilyrabbit watching the Hall & Oates video
for "Jingle Bell Rock" (c. 1984)
OoOoooOOooOOoooOooOOooOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooO

[Robin Colleen Moore]

In article <31F743...@dreamscape.com> omps...@dreamscape.com writes:

>Bernard B. Pound wrote:
>>
>> I am looking for the name of the artist whose work is the inspiration

>> for the "closer" video? I saw his work displayed at the Guggenheim

>> Mapplethorpe Gallery last Autumn. But I can't remember his name.

>> Thought someone here may know who I'm talking about

>The style of the filming is a direct nod to "The Street of Crocodiles",

>a short stop-action animated piece by Brothers Quay.

I believe they've got another movie in the can now, involving real live human
actors...I can't remember the name off the top of my head, but it was written
up in the same issue of _ArtForum_ that had the Bob Flanagan piece.

>The most acclaimed work of Svenkmajer is "Alice"; a surrealist,
>stop-action retelling of Lewis Carroll that freaks out every 3rd person,
>bores the 2nd 3rd, and leaves the other 3rd in awe. As one of the
>awestruck 3rd, I heartily recommend it.
>...said the white rabbit...

Count me as one of the somewhat freaked out...the sawdust that kept dribbling
out of the obviously stuffed dead rabbit kinda got to me.

>The black & white print images, which appear only in the uncensored
>video, (the infamous "scene missing" parts on MTV), still mystify me as
>to their source. They appear to be medical diagrams, but then you'll see
>a finger stuck into the "wounds". Maybe a few pages from the Marquis de

>Sade's coloring book? (If there isn't one of those yet, I volunteer to
>help draw one up).

I think they're still medical texts--the finger business makes me think that
they might have been drawn from autopsies, with one of the dissectors holding
various tissues out of the way so the illustrator could get a better look at
what's underneath. (Medical illustration is still a very viable career field,
BTW...)

>The still life collages, and possibly the selection of "old" film, in

>the Closer video directly reference the style of work of photographer

>Joel-Peter Witkin, who apparently is less than thrilled with the homage.

>Examples of Witkin are more frequently found in some typically humorless

>art perodicals, although he is featured in a few books...

>But, I'm the animation junkie (and this is not frank's planet). When it

>comes to Witkin, I'll should let our Mad Photographer take over.

>Robin?

Well, I don't know all that much about Mr. Witkin as far as his art goes...I
could compare him to Mapplethorpe except I like the latter's work *much*
better. Witkin is very fond of using either "deformed" or somehow
different-looking people in his work, and when live models won't do, he has
been known to use parts of cadavers (hence the bit w/the severed head in the
middle of the fruit & floral still life). So, for those of you with an eye
(bad pun) towards donating your body to science, be forwarned--you could
either end up as 50,000 1/32" slide sections in the Carolina Biological supply
catalog, or in bits & pieces in a Witkin photo, neither of which appeals to
*me*. (I also seem to recall that Witkin's been in a comparatively successful
menage a trois situation for a number of years now, but that's neither here
nor there...)

>It's nice to know you can turn even an obsession like NIN into an
>educational cultural experience.

Yep, you learn something new every day... :-)

>Cthulhia -- art fag (yes, eventually I will dance to anything)

Yes, but do you work at Hardees? :-)

Robin the mad photographer (RIP the Dead Milkmen)

ro...@mindspring.com--Beware of photographers bearing brownies...
Mama Hen/Net Goddess/Mad Photographer..."*You're* not supposed
to get beaver for your birthday, Robin!"--My roommate Stephanie
E-mail me for info on the Reznor heater/alt.music.nin t-shirts!

[Jessie Black]

mind if I jump in here?

sasha

[Bernard B. Pound]

Thanks for the replies. Witkin is the artist I was looking for. I saw
a great exhibition of his work at the Guggemheim Museum NYC Fall '96. I
was most impressed by the fact that many of the works dated to the early
to mid 1980's. He's been doing this for a while. I was impressed (not
enough to remember his name). And if he is upset with inspiring other
artists, I should remind him of the sincerest form of flattery. Oh
well.

Thanks
po...@mhv.net