David LaChapelle’s works are never without some cleaver message and background work behind them.  In this large and elaborate work from 2007 he derives the works of Théodore Géricault and Michelangelo.

“Deluge”, is a modern day flood story. The figures, all in classical dramatic postures are trying to escape the rising water. Ideal, Greek styled bodies are mixed with grotesque, silicon implanted, one-too-many surgery others. Men and women, babies and elders, all ‘on the same boat’. the ‘boat’ as can clearly be seen is the American Consuming / Corporate culture. They are all surrounded and hanging by the wracks of what is in a way, it’s foundations, it’s way of life. We can easily make out “Burger King”, “Gucci”, “Starbucks”, “Nike” snickers, chocolate coins, a satellite dish, shopping cart,  a mannequin, mineral water, a car, flip-flops and golden high-heels and most importantly, the entrance sign to “Caesars Palace” – The symbol of American decadence and levity towards history.

Click to enlarge

The composition and allegory are both derived from two earlier masterpieces. The first is Michelangelo’s depiction of the biblical flood story (which is also named deluge), in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. As seen below:

The Second, is Theodore Gericault’s The Raft of Medusa. This 1819 painting illustrates the actual horrific story of the people on-board the raft of the sunken frigate Medusa. The Medusa was a French battle ship which crashed along the shores of  Mauritania in 1816. The The collision was widely blamed on the incompetence of the newly appointed captain, which was a political appointing. All who was able, fled on the few boats that was on the ship, the rest quickly constructed a raft that was supposed to carry over 140 people. After 13 days, with only 15 people alive, it was rescued by chance by another ship. The conditions on the raft for almost two weeks drove it’s passengers to madness and even cannibalism.

The painting, besides it’s horrifying story, implements a lot of techniques and devices to convey it’s massage. The pyramidal composition and hierarchy, the colors of the figures and surroundings, etc.

LaChapelle might be telling us, by this reference, to be aware of dangerous of what may become if the consumer based life-style we’ve adjusted to will start to collapse.

(© David LaChapelle)

Diane Arbus’s work has inspired many other artists and creators over the years. Many have tried to imitate her style and subjects. One of the few who really used her work in an elegant way (in my opinion), is Stanley Kubrick.

Identical Twins was shot by Arbus in 1967 after spotting them in a Christmas party for twins and triplets. (one of the many venues Arbus would go to in order to meet ‘outsider’ crowd). It shows two young twin girls, dressed in matching close and haircuts, starring into the camera. The way they stand, almost seem as if they are physically connected, along with the very subtle, yet opposite expressions, create a very disturbing image. Without going into questions of identity or self, needless to say that a lot was written about this significant photo.

In 1980, a film adaption of the Stephen King novel, “The Shining“, was made by Stanley Kubrick, starring Jack Nicholson. The film is considered by many as one of best horror movies of all times. It has countless iconic scenes and phrases. Among them is the shot of the two twins who were murdered in the hotel where the story takes place.

As Danny, Jack Nicholson’s son, is driving around the hotel hallways, he comes across the two twins. They begin to talk to him (”come play with us”), while he has flashes of the way they were murdered. Although the basis of the scene was originally in the novel, the visual interpretation delivered by Kubrick (as inspired by Arbus) create the benefit that you hope to see in a film adaptation of a great book.

(© Diane Arbus, Warner Bros. Pictures)

What does a 17th century pope an the “Alien” film series have in common?

In 1650, Spanish court painter Diego Velazquez made a portrait of then pope, Innocent X. The painting is considered by many art critics as one, if not the, best portrait ever  made. Apparently, Irish painter Francis Bacon, shared this view. Between the mid 1950’s and early 1960’s he created dozens of variations of the portrait (Study after Velázquez). Bacon’s unique style transformed Velazquez’s already intense portrait into an horrific, nightmarish image.

26 years later, designer and artist H.R. Giger, heavily influenced by Bacon’s paintings, created the famous “Alien” monster. Bacon himself was also influenced by Sergei Eisenstein’s scene of an elderly woman being shot during “Battleship Potemkin“. Innocent X’s dark portrait, combined with Eisenstein’s masterpiece, turned into Bacon’s disturbing screaming pope, which led to a movie franchise and an Academy Award for visual effects.

(© Francis Bacon, Brandywine Productions)

The idea behind The Matrix was not a new concept. A lot was written on the perception of reality. from Plato’s Allegory of the cave, to the writings of philosophers as René Descartes and Immanuel Kant, to post-modern theorists as Jean Baudrillard. The subject of this item.

At the beginning of the film, Neo (Keanu Reeves), is selling some sort of digital hardware to a group of hackers. The products are hidden inside a cut-out copy of Baudrillard’s most important book, “Simulacra and Simulation“. The book introduces his theory of Simulacra in contemporary media-based society. Simulacrum, in original Latin, means Similar. In this case, a simulacrum is a copy that has replaced it’s original. The most common example used when trying to define this situation is the golf war. It was the first war to be so closely covered by the media, that the perception of it in the public is those CNN images broadcasting 24/7.  In short, what Baudrillard suggest is that the modern, western society has become so detached from reality that it was replaced by images.

Assuming that Reeve’s character actually read the book before using it for storage, shows that he is already started his journey towards ‘the real’. more likely it was just a small homage to a book that impacted the Wachowski brothers profoundly and in a way, perhaps, led to the creation of the movie.

(© Groucho II Film Partnership)

In 1971, David Hockney created the portrait of Ossie Clark (a fashion designer) and his wife Celia Birtwell (a textile designer). A very well known couple in the British bohemian circles of that time. Although famous for his modern style, Hockney often related in his works to the ‘great masters’.

“Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Percy” is Hockney’s version of Jan Van Eyck’s “The Arnolfini Wedding“. painted in 1434, the portrait is considered one of the masterpieces of the renaissance, or more specifically early northern painting. It depicts a rich Italian merchant, living in Belgium and his (supposedly) pregnant wife in their bedroom. What made this painting is so unique, besides it’s ultra realistic style and technique, is it’s elaborate use of christian symbols.

Hockney changed most of the elements in the painting to fit with his perception of the newlywed couple. First of all, he switched the location of the figures to signify that in this case, Celia is the more dominant half. notice the similarity in the colors of her dress to the clothes worn by the man in Van Eyck’s portrait. Secondly, the dog in the center of the Arnolfini portrait is replaced by one of Clark’s cats. The first symbolizes loyalty, the later infidelity and envy. The lilies on the table, next to Celia, is also considered in christian iconography a symbol of the annunciation – the moment where Mary is told by the angel Gabriel that she is pregnant. In fact, at the time of the portrait, Celia was pregnant.

Another very interesting aspect of how Hockney plays on the original portrait, is the inclusion of the artist in the painting. In the center of the Arnolfini portrait, a rounded wooden mirror can be seen, reflecting the back of the subjects plus the painter and his assistant.

A close up of the mirror

In Hockney’s portrait, a somewhat abstract picture is hanging to the left of Celia Birtwell. It is a drawing from David Hockney’s series “A Rake’s Progress”, which is a another reference, this time to William Hogarth’s paintings by the same name. (a separate post on the subject will be published later)

(© David Hockney)

Apocalypse Now produced many memorable moments that have been imitated countless times.

One of my personal favorites, is the shot of Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) emerging from the water before meeting Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando). The image of the painted face emerging from the smokey water, uncertain of what’s ahead became so iconic and powerful, it was sure to be repeated.

In 2005, Neil Marshell’s “The Descent” made an homage to that famous scene. The Descent is a British horror movie about a group of young women who sets on a ‘caving’ trip. Due to the sense of adventure of one of the women, they end up in an unfamiliar and unmarked cave. As expected, they soon enough find themselves fighting against vicious underground creatures. After an intense fighting scene, the heroine (Shauna Macdonald) falls into a poll of blood. When her face begins to rise out in that very similar way to captain Willard, you unconsciously upgrade her status from a frighten woman to a deadly G.I.Jane. This reference use signifies a switch in her mode, from defense to offense.

A much more lighter use of the reference (as usual), is provided by The Simpsons. In season 19, episode 15 (”Smoke on the daughter“). After Lisa picks up smoking from the girls in her ballet class, Bart is sent by homer to keep an eye on her. In one scene, as Lisa and the girls start smoking on their break, Bart emerges slowly from the leg-warmers basket (to the sound of  “The End” by The Doors), surrounded by the cigarette smoke and covered in camouflage colors. Obviously a humorous reference to Apocalypse Now.

(© Zoetrope Studios, 20th Century Fox Television, Celador Films)

In Mad Men’s season 3, episode 4, (”The Arrangements”), there is a cleaver reference to the film “Persona“.

After Betty’s Father has a stroke, Don convinces Betty’s brother that he will move in with them and that Betty will take care of him. His presence confronts Betty with some harsh realizations (mainly his impending death). Her strict, quiet manner leads her to repress her anger towards her father and the state she is forced into. Her true emotions are manifested in her daughter, Sally, as shown in this Persona reference.

During the previous and current episode, Sally and Gene (Betty’s father) are growing closer. they read a book before bedtime, sneak a little

ice-cream before dinner, and at one point he even lets her drive around in his Lincoln (which can be attributed to his growing dementia). At the end of the episode, a police officer informs Betty and Sally at the front of the house did he passed away while standing in line at the AMP. While Sally automatically screams and begin to cry at the sound of the news, Betty has only a second of an expected reaction (closing her eyes and about to fall) before she returns to her elegant self.

While sitting around the kitchen table, Betty, Don, her brother and his wife discuss the situation with not too subtle sarcasm. At the sound of their laughter, Sally bursts  into the kitchen screaming at the four for belittling the significant moment (obviously not in those words…).  Before getting the chance to console his upset daughter, Don is surprised to hear Betty yelling at her to quite down (”you’re hysterical!”) and to go watch TV in the other room. As she lays in front of the television set, she sees a news report from Vietnam, showing a Tibetan monk setting him-self on fire as an act of protest.

The concept of the scene is very likely derived from Ingmar Bergman’s masterpiece from 1966 – Persona. in the film, an actress, suffering from some sort of a mental break down, is unable or unwilling to talk anymore. She leaves to a summer house by the beach, accompanied by a nurse hoping to get better. As time passes the two develops a complex and dramatic relations, where each of their persona is being reflected by the other, reveling them to disturbing truths about themselves.

In Mad Men’s case, Sally represents Betty’s true voice, which she was taught never to express. more then that, she was never prepared to the realty of life (or death in this case), mostly, due to her parents and husband’s tendency to treat her as a child. like the characters in Persona, Betty is unable do deal with her own thoughts and emotions. they are expressed through someone else and silenced. To emphasize the connection to the film, the writers chose to let Sally watch the famous and shocking scene of the self torching of a Tibetan Monk. Which is similar to What Elisabeth (Liv Ulman) is watching shortly after her break down. In Persona, same as in Mad Men, this shot is a symbol for a disturbing moment of harsh Realization.

(© American Movie Classics Company LLC, Svensk Filmindustri)