THE LOWER EAST SIDE IN THE EYES OF ONE OF THEIR
OWN
note: some of the quotes in this article
appeared on an interview
I conducted with the artist, which was previously published by The
Villager
Lower East Side Portraits
January 19th through February
Theater for the New City Gallery
155 First Avenue at 10th Street.
For more information, log on to
http://www.mikerimbaud.com
s
a close observer of the comings and goings of his neighborhood,
longtime Lower East Side artist and musician Michael Rimbaud
presents a collection of portraits made there over a period of
years, which are now being shown at The Theater for The New City
Gallery.
The simple but colorful paintings, done mostly in guache over
paper, show the diversity of the area – people from all walks of
life that he has either known for a number of years or whom he
simply approached from the street.
"I sometimes ask neighborhood folks who know me", he told us,
"but also I'll approach a stranger, like an interesting character
I see on the street. Some people decline the opportunity to be
painted, but most people are positive about it."
That kind of approach worked with actress Phyllis Sanfiorenzo.
"I was walking down Rivington"she told us over the phone", and
this handsome, tall man comes over and says 'Hey, I'd like to
paint you', to which I responded 'sure.' About a month later, I
sat for him at his house, and it was a pleasant experience."
Rimbaud took her fine features, curly hair and skin color to
good advantage. To portray her, he used a mix of colors that
revealed the beauty of her racially mixed heritage, and also
captured a keen shyness in her eyes."It's weird how people see
you", she says of the final results, "how he put my skin, the
different colors he used." Singer Baby Monroe was also satisfied.
"It's kind of cool", he says. "I see myself in it – he has a
distinct style."
Others, however, were a bit reluctant.
Poet John Ferris said that he was "in a strange place" when
Rimbaud approached him. "I didn't want to be pictured while
sitting at a bar, but he did it anyway." The same happened with
retiree Angelo Rivera. "I had wanted to paint him for a long time,
kept asking him and he always had an excuse why he had no time",
Rimbaud said. "Finally one day I'm walking home down Delancey
street and I had my paper and pencils with me. I see Angelo
walking toward me and tell him I can sketch him and he agrees.
He's such a great character. There's no shortage of characters in
New York, in fact there's a surplus."
Rimbaud began painting early in his life, influenced by his
father, artist Robert Grossman. "I remember being really impressed
with how well my father could draw and I wanted to do the same. He
often took me to art openings and museums here in New York. My
father was a pioneer Soho loft-living artist in the '60's, back
when rent was something like $50".
"I was always the 'class artist' in school. In high school, I
made caricatures of my teachers. One time in math class the
teacher was visibly upset, thinking I was making fun of her. I had
to explain that caricature is an art form, exaggerating
distinctive features. I think she felt better after that. I
majored in painting in college and I earned a BFA.
"With Lower East Side Portraits I want to show the
variety of people that live in this culturally rich neighborhood",
he says. "I've lived here almost 10 years and I've been inspired
the diversity here. I wanted to draw the butcher, the baker and
even the undertaker. I've painted bartenders before they got fired
and rockers who never get tired. I want to capture this period in
New York like a 21st century Pieter Bruegel,George Grosz or
Toulous-Lautrec."
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Jazz and other beats:
Although not very well known in the U.S., this Tania Libertad
has been established in her native land and other parts of Latin
America for her ability to easily tackle lando, (the
Afro-Peruvian beat of her native region), Cuban-inspired salsa,
boleros, Brazilian-inflected rhythms and other sounds. She refuses
to allow herself to simply churn out just another record even
after almost 30 years in the business, and she is always willing
to experiment with music."I don't like to record an album that
sounds like something else I've done", she says. On her latest
effort, "Negro Color", Libertad goes into a more acoustic format,
concentrating on the Afro influences that have always been present
in her music.She appears at The Town Hall on February 25th
at 8:30 PM. For more information, visit
http://www.worldmusicinstitute.org
