| January 12th, 2001
In Cancun we see the Disneyfication of our world. The Jungle Tour, Dolphin Show, Folklorico and Caribbean Carnival are dressed up with a lobster dinner. Even a six hour "Bar-Hopping" can be had with a guide. Mexican culture takes second place to shopping malls, Macdonald's and Burger Kings. All is replicated including motorized Columbus's caravels throbbing with bumping bikinis and the smell of coconut oil. Tourism has superceded travel. For an artist there are joys in the lagoons we discover on our own. A flight of plover on yellow sand reminds us that some things are still natural. Life beneath the water goes on the same--opening a world of wonder and specificity. While artists can retreat into these sanctuaries there is still the dance of humanity--worship at the altars of food, power, leisure and luxury. It seems more than can be easily handled or ingested. The artist-mind has the gift of observation, whether committed or not to the medium of choice. The rubble, the advancing trash and traffic; even the graffiti we have made of our cities is grist, and the choreographed floorshow is full of genuine love and lust. There's an obligation to grab and keep, to comment or to honor. Certainly we can never run out of subject matter. We are in the time of the sunset of cultures, where anyone can be any place in our world if he is willing to sacrifice a day. And with the exception of a few hard-won treasures an artist must be willing to accept that culture is now by and large resurrected for a price. Best regards, PS: "To be able to translate the customs, ideas and appearance of my times as I see them--in a word, to create a living art--this has been my aim." (Gustave Courbet) Esoterica: Gauguin lived for a short time in an unsubstantial hut under the rumbling presence of Mount Pelee on the island of Martinique. You can walk alone among his flowers, under his palms, and down the path to his beach. "A poor thing, perhaps, but my own." It's a modern miracle that you?re hopefully getting my mail from this sleepy lagoon. Your letter goes in nanoseconds from Richard's laptop and if you hit reply I?ll get one from you on mine. If you feel inclined please drop me a note. I?m just painting. rgenn@saraphina.com. If you would like to see correspondence relating to the previous letter "Brotherhood and Sisterhood," please go to http://www.painterskeys.com/clickbacks/sisterhood.htm This clickback also contains further correspondence regarding our inquiry into the current effectiveness of online art galleries. This letter and previous ones appear in French at www.painterskeys.com/fr |
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Robert Genn is one of Canada's most accomplished painters, having gained international recognition for his genre subjects on Canada's West Coast. He has painted in most parts of Canada, and in the United States, Central America, Europe and Asia. Born in Victoria, British Columbia in 1936, he attended Victoria College, The University of British Columbia and The Art Centre School in Los Angeles, California. |
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Bob carries on the tradition of the Canadian Landscape with fresh, painterly techniques and strong design, often and especially exhibiting his devotion to painting by reducing grand themes to small panels - painted in the wilderness he loves.
Visit his official site for more information on his art and books. Robert is a contributing editor to WetCanvas! and can be reached via email at rgenn@wetcanvas.com. Robert Genn's free twice-weekly letters can also be sent to you via email every Tuesday and Friday mornings by notifying him via e-mail at rgenn@wetcanvas.com. |
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