Clemente revisited 2010

Clementeportrait2010

Clementewatercolour#12010

Clementewatercolour#22010

Dear Everyone:

Saw 2 Francesco Clemente paintings

in the October isse of House Beautiful

mounted on a wall in a dining room.

The interior designer is a friend

of Clemente's.

Watercolours of horses they are

very striking.

Clemente resides in New York,

Italy and India. He was born in

Naples, Italy in 1952. He travelled

to India at the age of 19 years

and developed an interest in

Hinduism and Buddhism which

shows up in his work.

He has said that he is a a painter

by default as he didn't wish to

do or be anything else.

Clemente describes painting

as something he does and if not

he gets physically sick.

He sees it partly as manual

labour.

He reports that he may not

have put forward his best

signature work yet out of

a sense of procrastination.

He did collaborate with

Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel

Basquiat during the years

they were productive
(and alive) in the late 1970's.

He says that his peer's

opinion of his work means more

to him than the public as his

peers will be with him late

in life whereas the public may

not be. There is more permanency

with peers.

Hope you enjoy

this startling work.

Helen.

After Clemente II 2010

Clementeportrait2010

Dear Everyone:

Here is a recent photograph of

painter Francesco Clemente.

As well, I've enclosed a painting

from his series "A History

of the Heart in Three Rainbows".

Note the symmetry of the painting,

the jester clothing and the meditative pose.

Is the figure offering the hearts to

the gods or to a lover.

Enjoy.

Helen.

After Clemente #1 2010

Afterclemente#12010

Dear Everyone:

This latest image was inspired by

the work of painter Francesco Clemente.

Born in Italy in 1952 he is famous for his

dreamlike figures and portraits.

He currently resides in India, New York

and Italy. Married for over 30 years

to Alba Clemente he has 4 children.

He has asserted that he is

a "painter by default". He

didn't want to do anything else for

a living and so turned to painting.

Friends with Allan Ginsberg,

Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel

Basquait -he used to collaborate

with them.

His rainbows appear in an exhibit

of watercolours in 2009

"A History of the Heart

in Three Rainbows". Award-winning

St. Lucian poet Derek Walcott wrote the

introduction for the exhibit catalogue.

Hearts and rainbows dance across

the page with figures sometimes

being acted upon.

Hope that you enjoy my homage

to Clemente.

Helen.