Reportrait: Hugo Chavez
posted: January 17, 2007
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Zina Saunders January 17, 2007
Beautiful portrait; I love all the colors, and the pencil and pen work. Very fresh and lively and sensitive. And I love the hand lettering, too: it all works together perfectly.
Steve Brodner January 17, 2007
Love this art. I always liked Hugo. He thinks that oil that's in Venezuela belongs to them. He was elected twice. I hope he keeps that democracy thing going however.
Mark Fisher January 17, 2007
John, Nice one, great feel.
He looks like the offspring of Peter Lori and Mr. Spock, if that's possible.
Leo Espinosa January 17, 2007
Boy you nailed the guy. Very appropriate frog colors too. he, he.
Steve, there's more about Chávez that what you read in the American papers. He is not the Simón Bolivar he wants to portrate, that's for sure. You are right: He's been elected twice. So has Bush. right?
Robert Saunders January 17, 2007
Not exactly a flattering portrait, John. Methinks you have issues with this guy. Yes, in fact, there they are, written in ink all around him!
Joshua Gorchov January 17, 2007
Very nice. I like that green stroke with the white meandering lines knocked out of it. That must be a water color magic trick. Methinks you are a water color magician!
Steve Brodner January 17, 2007
Leo:
The American press is giving us the dark side of Hurrican Hugo, as far as I can see. No, I don't see him as the Lincoln of Venezuela, but rather as part of a historical wave in which large regions of the world are breaking free of the power arrangements of the past (some of these involved the US, natch). There was a meeting recently to begin a kind of EU for the Americas. Yesterday there was a story about one in Asia (ASEAN). As the US confronts all this change, it's so ironic that Bush does everything to get the rest of the world well rid of us. Chavez is not so much our problem, I think, as our product.
John Dykes January 17, 2007
Hey folks - thanks for the comments. I really appreciate it... I'm trying do portraits faster, with more feeling....(less 'rendering', more caricature??) This morning I did a quick sketch in the sketchbook during breakfast that I liked, so I used as a starting point for a larger piece a bit later.
I see Chavez as a stout, durable figure - so I just tried squishing his face into more of a stub... think pit bull, or even Mike Tyson....
Although democratically elected, he seems to be moving toward authoritarianism - and I can't help but think of the 'power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutly' phrase... And we see this come true right here at home, to varying extents... (!)
(Something about 'professional politicians' that I can't take... I like the Founding Fathers' vision of farmers, butchers, and blacksmiths coming to Washington for a term or two, then getting the hell out. (how quaint) Probably to avoid corruption... but I digress...)
Wait...more digression: I think this is what screws things up so much - these pols do WHATEVER they can to save their asses - to stay in power. Even if it is to the detriment of the rest of us. Result: corruption. Solution: I don't know... third party?
End of digression/.
Robert, Yeah, not exactly a family portrait...
Joshua - that green is W/C with a digital erasure over it... so no W/C magic!
J.D. King January 18, 2007
Didn't he recently blame the Jews for killing Christ?
And he seems awfully chummy w/the Jew-hater in Iran.
Excuse, my language, but fuck him!
One can think Bush is a moron w/o embracing lunatics.
SHEESH!
Alex Murawski January 18, 2007
Great tropical portrait of a tropical powerhouse... whatever you think of his politics. Beautiful work.
dale Stephanos January 18, 2007
I'm with JD. This guy is your basic strongman dictator type in waiting. There seems to be a feeling on the left side of our country that if you're against W, you're on our side. This guy's an asshole.
Real nice piece of art though, John.
Adam McCauley January 18, 2007
Hey John,
This is a beautiful drawing!
Leo Espinosa January 18, 2007
Steve:
You're right about the radical switch that's happening in South America. Bolivia, Chile, Brasil and Venezuela have not what the US government would like for presidents right now.
I guess I'm bias about Chávez because I'm from Colombia and we know this guy is involved in the horrible war of interests that's happening there.
Sorry if I digress, John. Let's go back to those watercolors.
