Nothing coincidental with this artist. Clad in an immaculate,
conservative suit, he’s stepping off a near-black mat onto the grey
sidewalk. All colors perfectly coordinated – background, mat, sidewalk,
suit, tie. What a universe away from his mad extravaganzas of color –
this is death: the end of his colors. In case we missed it, he’s
pointing down at the black and grey boundary line. It’s an as-if
posthumous photo, like some of Picasso’s final self-portraits where you
can see the skull peeping out beneath. (It was facial color-shift that
signaled something off with his appearance in the Blackstar photo.) –
A friend said on Facebook: And I am wondering why he isn’t wearing socks. Signed: totally lacking in imagination but most appreciative of those who can see beyond the obvious.
My reply: Perhaps for balance – he’s showing skin in three about-equidistant-in-the-photo places – and also vulnerability.
