Bright Moments Posted January 8, 2007 Report Posted January 8, 2007 Painting of Jolie draws notice By MARTHA WAGGONER, Associated Press Writer Sun Jan 7, 6:43 AM ET RALEIGH, N.C. - A North Carolina artist intrigued by the public obsession with celebrity has found herself feeding that obsession with a painting of actress Angelina Jolie as the Virgin Mary hovering over a Wal-Mart check-out line. Kate Kretz has painted for 20 years but none of her previous work has garnered the attention given "Blessed Art Thou," showing this weekend at Art Miami, an annual exposition of modern and contemporary art. The painting has gotten much attention from celebrity web sites and blogs. Since the buzz started, the number of daily unique visitors to Kretz's own blog has jumped from an average of 30 to 15,000 on Wednesday. "My intention was to ask a question and get people to think," Kretz said in a telephone interview Friday from Miami. "I had no idea so many people would be asking a question and thinking." The painting -- acrylic and oil on linen -- depicts an angelic Jolie in the clouds, holding her newborn daughter, Shiloh, with children Maddox and Zahara at her legs. Below them is a Wal-Mart checkout line. The painting is for sale for $50,000 through Chelsea Galleria in Miami, which represents Kretz. On her blog, Kretz, 43, said the painting addresses "the celebrity worship cycle." She said she chose Jolie for the subject "because of her unavoidable presence in the media, the worldwide anticipation of her child, her 'unattainable' beauty and the good that she is doing in the world through her example, which adds another layer to the already complicated questions surrounding her status." Washington Post art critic Blake Gopnik, asked to comment about "Blessed Art Thou" on a Post blog, was unimpressed. "Once you've deciphered it, there's not much chance of giving it a second look," Gopnik wrote. ___ On the Net: http://www.katekretz.com Quote
Claude Posted January 8, 2007 Report Posted January 8, 2007 I've heard it even drew notice on jazz discussion forums Quote
JSngry Posted January 8, 2007 Report Posted January 8, 2007 I dunno, dude. I've seen plenty of questionably dressed women dragging naked babies through Wal-Mart... Quote
Jazzmoose Posted January 9, 2007 Report Posted January 9, 2007 Yeah, add a few curlers to her hair and you've got complete realism! Quote
Scott Dolan Posted January 9, 2007 Report Posted January 9, 2007 I'm still awaiting Snopes on this one. Those pics looked horribly photochopped. Quote
J Larsen Posted January 9, 2007 Report Posted January 9, 2007 (edited) I've seen equally "fake" looking paintings in real life... in a lot of post-modern (or is it post-post-modern yet?) art there has been a trend towards artificiality. At least, that's what my observation of the Chelsea galleries would lead me to believe. In any case, this looks legit to me: http://www.katekretz.com/home.html Edit: speaking of Chelsea: http://www.chelseagalleria.com/artists_kretz.html Edited January 9, 2007 by J Larsen Quote
.:.impossible Posted January 9, 2007 Report Posted January 9, 2007 I wasn't sure what Scott meant by 'fake' at first. Photochopped? I don't think the artist REALLY captured the likeness of Jolie. This is not the best example of realism. I think the concept is what is attracting the buzz. If you ask me, I say "big deal." Show me some more NOJ work. Quote
Man with the Golden Arm Posted January 9, 2007 Report Posted January 9, 2007 this looks fake, too. Quote
sheldonm Posted January 9, 2007 Report Posted January 9, 2007 Ummm, did anyone just think of checking here? I like the one dude that has a tornado in his mouth! Quote
brownie Posted January 9, 2007 Report Posted January 9, 2007 If we have to have a Mary, let's have her by Sandro Botticelli Quote
Brownian Motion Posted January 9, 2007 Report Posted January 9, 2007 Painting of Jolie draws notice Washington Post art critic Blake Gopnik, asked to comment about "Blessed Art Thou" on a Post blog, was unimpressed. "Once you've deciphered it, there's not much chance of giving it a second look," Gopnik wrote. ___ On the Net: http://www.katekretz.com Blake Gopnik is an ass. Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted January 9, 2007 Report Posted January 9, 2007 WHo's Angelina Jolie? MG Quote
.:.impossible Posted January 9, 2007 Report Posted January 9, 2007 She's a movie star. Damn, Noj... as far as realism goes, that painting is ultra-real. Great work. Quote
Noj Posted January 9, 2007 Report Posted January 9, 2007 Thanks .:. My photorealist skills are coming along nicely. I paint images such as this on canvases 10'x20' in order to preserve the details and execute the blending of colors. The airbrushing is extremely time-consuming, but even moreso is the tracing of the projected photograph. Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted January 9, 2007 Report Posted January 9, 2007 Oh, well, I've gotta say, "Thank you, Noj". MG Quote
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