HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE WORLD |
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HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE WORLD |
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The Human Mask of Kenneth Hari |
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Be it on the wall of a Pompeiian villa, or behind the glass doors of a corporate office, the art of portraiture has strived to interpret the human condition and uncover what lies beneath the flesh. Though style and image has changed, the pure essence of art has remained constant. Whether it be the work of Hans Holbein, Pablo Picasso, or George Tooker, one can see inspiration and humanity locked behind the painted face. The need to open up the soul and lay bare the personality of the subject supercedes mere documentation. World renowned artist Kenneth Hari (Matuszewski) knows this secret well. Hari combines strength and elegance with the vision of a true master. He paints expressive yet sensitive works. As noted author and friend Tennessee Williams once said, "...Hari does not paint portraits as they are but as he is. I feel he is hiding something from me. To board a train into his mind would give me a ride into a dark adventure." Though he has painted the likenesses of Groucho Marx, Dustin Hoffman, Ernest Hemingway, W. H. Alden, Dolly Pardon, Elie Weisel, and others, he does not want to be labeled a "celebrity portrait painter." Hari has a genuine interest in what these people are all about. He believes in the tradition of portrait painting as a way of preserving and recording the images of people who have changed the world. Hari's works take on the appearance of spiritual icons. They impart the essence of early Polish art: simultaneously supernatural and reverent. "I believe my Polishness has given me a mystical feeling for the art work I do," Hari said in a recent interview with the Polish-American Journal. "By that I mean I can paint a portrait of, lets say Pablo Casals and know that the painting will have a spiritual life of its own." There are numerous questions and verbal exchanges during a portrait session, and much of the information is utilized in the intellectual process of painting. When you look at a Hari painting, you can sense the subject's personality. The whimsical essence of a Salvador Dali, the magic of a Marcel Marceau, and the introspection of an Andres Segovia shines through and becomes real for the viewer. That is the key to superb portrait painting - to capture not only a moment in time, but the spirit and strength that resides in humankind. Marceau, know for his silence, sat for two weeks and wouldn't stop talking; British Author P.G. Wodehouse sat for him gasping in to an oxygen mask; and famous western artist Harold Von Schmidt laid in his death bed as Hari painted his likeness. He died two weeks after the painting was completed. It's believed that Hari's session gave him the will to live. Strange but true. The setting was not unfamiliar to Hari. He shared the circumstance with Groucho Marx. "I thought Groucho was going to die in front of me," he said. "I truly felt his days on this planet would end soon." Author Ernest Hemmingway provided a contrast to the Marx sessions. "Hemingway was wonderful," said Hari. "I made a portrait of him at my father's house in Key West, Florida in 1955. He liked the portrait I made of him and said I would be a future Del Sardo. I didn't know what he meant at the time. I do now." Hari's life, in a lot of ways, patterns the life of noted Polish figurative painter Balthus. Both were precocious children, and like Balthus, was born into a privileged life. Balthus had early help and inspiration from German author/poet Rainer Maria Ritke. Hari had W.H. Auden, his symbolic adopted father. This introduction to the world of celebrity and the jetset life of his parents was certainly no hindrance to unlocking doors. Hari's work is represented in over 300 public and private collections such as the Museum of Modern Art, the National Portrait Gallery of London, United Kingdom; and the Vatican in Rome. He holds studios in New York City, New Jersey, Tennessee, Florence, Italy; and Beijing, China. As a painter and printmaker, Hari excels. As a sculptor, he is visionary. His newest project is a series of crystal lucite sculpture editions - a medium he helped to pioneer, quite similar to bronze casting. One sculpture that certainly stands out is "Beatrice." Adopted from the legend of the poet Dante's doomed love, it is a delicate yet haunting piece. She stands partially obscured, wrapped in a glassine shroud. Light plays upon her smooth sensual surfaces and gives life to its crystalline form. The sculpture, reminiscent of Roudon, Art Nouveau, and the French Symbolist, rises like a ghost from its platform of ice. Two other sculptures in this series, "Moses," and "The Prophet," are similar in style and strength. Both are awash in sensual line and form and seem to absorb all available light. Hari's work abounds in literary references and has inspired artist and writers alike. Poet Paul Roche, for example, composes a poem for every sculpture Hari completes. He writes of "Beatrice": "Hers is a radiance of luminous compulsion. Giving a man the soul of the poet. Fifteen years of enchantment out of twenty-four years of life could not dim the effulgence of still beauty... burning in an immortal candle." Dante and Beatrice met when they were both nine. She died at the young age of 24, he at 56. This collaboration will eventually culminate in a book project. According to Roche, Hari is "America's best kept secret!" Currently, Kenneth Hari can be seen painting and sculpting angels on an island off the coast of Italy. One can only wonder what visions he will bring back. |
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