Outside the art gallery

I was a bit gutted recently: as I was walking downtown with little Wolfie, who was asleep in his cot, I saw that the local art gallery was having an exhibition of Fabian Perez. His latest works, apparently. Furthermore, he was there. I had known about it, but had forgotten. Wolfie being fast asleep in his cot,I was tempted to go in quickly, check the painting and maybe even say a word to the maestro, whom I briefly met once. I did not for a few reasons: 1)I looked utterly unglamorous in my worn out jeans and old jumper, 2)it was very crowded and did not want Wolfie to wake up and 3)I did not feel like I belonged there, if that makes sense. But I could at least admire the painting in the window. Perez makes great femmes fatales. I was all the happier that it was one I had not seen yet.

Sensuel (la photo du mois)

Ce fut difficile de trouver une photo pour ce thème, choisi par Lau* des montagnes. J'ai finalement opté pour une photo d'un tableau dun peintre argentin Fabian Perez. On peut pas faire plus sensuel que ses peintures, je trouve.

Pour ce qui est des autres expressions de sensualité, les voici:

Akaieric, Alban, Alexinparis, Amartia, Angélique, Aude, Autour de Cia, BiGBuGS, Blogoth67, Brindille, Calamonique, Carole en Australie, Chat bleu, Chiffons and Co, Christophe, CécileP, Céline in Paris, Danièle.B, DelphineF, El Padawan, Escribouillages, Estelle, Eurydice, Evasion Conseil, François le Niçois, Frédéric, Gilsoub, Gine, Giselle 43, J'habite à Waterford, Je suis partie voyager, Jess_TravelPicsAndTips, Josette, Josiane, Kellya, KK-huète En Bretannie, Koalisa, Krn, La Fille de l'Air, La Tribu de Chacha, Lau* des montagnes, Laurent Nicolas, Lavandine, Lavandine83, Lilousoleil, Luckasetmoi, Lyonelk, Madame Rêve, magda627, Mamysoren, Mirovinben, Morgane Byloos Photography, Nanouk, Natpiment, Nicky, Pat, Paul Marguerite, Philae, Philisine Cave, Pichipichi Japon, Pilisi, Renepaulhenry, Sous mon arbre, Tambour Major, The Beauty is in the Walking, Tuxana, Xoliv', écri'turbulente.

New collection by Fabian Perez

I have just learned it from a mailer I received sent from an art gallery: Fabian Perez has released a new collection. I love his work, because the world his characters live in and the stories the paintings seem to be narrating seem to be the one of hardboiled crime fiction. The characters themselves are pure archetypes, many of them (but not exclusively) femmes fatales, like this Saba with glass of red. Anyway, while there are no exhibitions with the maestro showing up (and that might be for the best, I don't want to risk being coerced into buying a painting), I think if I can find time I will try to go to the art gallery and take a look at this new collection.

The outsider in the art gallery

I thought about replying to the comments on this post, but then considered that writing a new post would be more suitable to speak of the whole story. Because I came back to the art exhibition of the new collection of Fabian Perez. I just walked in, avoided for a while the employees ready to give me a drink or sell me something. I just walked around through the crowd (which was not as big as I thought) and looked at the paintings. Lovely, lovely paintings. I could even take a picture of a few of them and, gasp, say a few words to the maestro himself. As he was about to be pictured with one of the woman who had bought something and the photographer was getting ready, I kind of bumped into him, said hello, he said hello, we shook hands, he thanked me for coming and I thanked him for showing up in this little town. And that was my meeting with Fabian Perez.

A bit later, the saleswoman who had tried to sell me something in my first visit earlier in the evening came back to me and told me that my favourite (it was a version of this one) had been sold already (and very quickly). I said that I couldn't win them all. Which is not a lie, technically. I did not even feel like a fraud playing the art connoisseur. She did try to make me buy the one you see here, I think it is one of the Whiskey at Las Brujas, which I admitted I loved quite a lot. It was one of the cheapest ones, incidentally. So it was not an original. I love when Perez depicts archetypical character, the hard man smoking and drinking hard liquor, all squared jaw and everything. The man one would sometimes want to be. I guess this goes with the female characters too. But anyway, I escaped without buying anything, although I wish I could afford a few of them, and I managed to talk to the artist. So it was a pleasant evening.

Art crowds and the outsider

I don't know if I missed something very special or narrowly escaped it, but I need to quickly blog about it: the local art gallery I blogged about recently is not only showing Fabian Perez's work, it is actually hosting an exhibition of his work right now. And the artist will be/is here as I am typing this. I stopped by on the way from home, looking very much like a the outsider I was. People mostly wore suits and there I was, in jeans and with my backpack I always bring with me. Even though I looked out of place, one of the employees there offered me a drink (I refused, I don't like alcohol during week days) and asked me questions: which painting was my favourite, did I owe any of Fabian Perez's work already (and she asked this with a straight face), where did I first discovered him, etc. The artist was running late, she said, but he would be there soon. I left before, afraid she might trick me into buying one (or that very fancy book on the left). Anyway, it is still going on, not sure if I will stop by or not. I felt like a piece of juicy meat, but on the other hand I do want to see Fabian Perez.

Art and the artist

A few weeks ago, I was so happy to discover this picture at the window of a new(ish) local art gallery, when I was walking home. My readers may recognize the work of Fabian Perez. It is one of its Eugenia, IX if I remember correctly. Another femme fatale, like he does them so well, with the glass of wine and the cigarette. I don't find smoking glamorous in the least, except when Perez paints his characters smoking. You can see my reflection in the window. People looking at me taking the picture must have thought I was obsessed. I am, in a way.

And I might have again missed an opportunity to meet the maestro in person: the art gallery where I first discovered Fabian Perez in 2012 sent me an invitation for an exhibition of his when he will be there. It was a local art gallery, now they moved in a nearby, bigger town. Thinking it was in this nearby town, I wanted to RSVP... But discovered talking to them that it was in another branch, further away. And I am not sure if we could make it that evening. I do want to meet and talk to him. I saw Perez once, but the place was so crowded I could not get to him and say a word. I guess they would have tried to make me buy a painting and I cannot afford them anyway. Heck, I may not have been to speak to him unless I buy something! Still. I'd like to have a chance to say a word.

Bohemians

I took this picture from the Facebook page of artist Fabian Perez. It is called Nomades III and I think he is in a Gypsie/Bohemian creative mood these days, if the painting is recent. Anyway, Bohemians seem to be one of his (new?) pet subjects. Like he did with the bordellos, he glamorized the Nomadic life, here the practice of chiromancy by two femmes fatales being at the center of the frame. They could belong to the universe of Carmen, either the opera or the novella. In fact, I wonder if this is not Perez's take on the character of Carmen. One of these two women could be her.

A missed evening with Fabian Perez?

Last week, I have received from an art gallery an official invitation, with an admission ticket to make it even more official, to go to a new exhibition by Fabian Perez. Later on, I even received a voice message on my mobile from the art gallery, asking me to confirm. I have not replied yet. Because I am afraid that I cannot be there that evening. For a very good reason: it is my wife's birthday and thus we planned something else. Of course, we could just change the plan, go there and I could buy to my wife one of his paintings as a birthday present. Except for one thing: however I love his work, I don't think I can afford any painting by Fabian Perez. And even if I could, my wife does not like his paintings nearly as much as I do, so that would be like paying myself a present, thus very selfish.

So instead I will visit the gallery at another time, when there is less pressure to buy and I won't be shamed as a cheap skate art lover in front of the maestro. I still have the internet to shamelessly download images of his paintings and shamelessly share them on my blog. This one of Champagne glasses, something I would see at the exhibition. Although the one and only time I went there, it was Prosecco that was offered.As for meeting Fabian Perez and talking to him, there will be other occasions.

Venice and Fabian Perez

The title of this painting is... Venice, by Fabian Perez, my favourite painter. It is a recent one, I believe. I recently learned from the local art gallery (well, not exactly local now as they have relocated in a nearby town) that Perez lived for seven years near Venice. I always thought there was something Italian about him, both in his art and in his culture. Which makes sense, since he is Argentinian and there is an important Italian diaspora there. But anyway, when I saw the painting, I knew I had to blog about it. This masked lady is different from the courtesans he usually paints, yet in many ways very similar. There is a vulnerability and a certain loneliness about her that is akin to many other women painted by Perez. But while most of the courtesans and femmes fatales lived in hot Argentinian nights, this one exists in cold Venice. And like in every painting of Fabian Perez, there is a narrative with the character: she is of course about to take a letter. Was the letter meant for her? Why is she wearing a mask? Because it is carnival, or because she wants to hide her identity?  This painting is set in a different place and a different time, but it is the same artistic sensibility.

A femme fatale

This is another painting from Fabian Perez, who is my favorite contemporary painter. its title is Tess IV, according to his website, which I find rather dry and impersonal. There is another one titled Saba with Glass of Red Wine, featuring the same model I think, if not the same character, but I prefer this one. In the Saba painting, she looks rather bored, in this one she seems to be enjoying her red wine very much. I would have titled it Femme Fatale. I would title most of Perez's painting featuring women Femme Fatale actually. He painted the archetype perfectly, its dark haired version at least. This is why I was making a distinction between the model and the character earlier: whoever is the model, whether her name is Saba or not, she is not this character, living a completely different life on the frame, an existence one of glamor and luxury, but not devoid of danger, maybe even a hint of tragedy.

Apart from my usual fascination for the work of Fabian Perez (even though I am a philistine when it comes to art), I am uploading this painting because it is one that accompanies the hot summer nights of drinking to come. It it is a beautiful summer day today, if a bit hot and sticky, I thought to bring a bit of glamor and exoticism to it. Perez is the painter of hot summer nights. I also love to read crime fiction and as I mentioned before I associate many of his paintings with crime fiction. If I could write a story for each one of them, it would be some hardboiled, even noir stuff. With plenty of femmes fatales to write about. Sadly, I did not see yet his new exhibition. Something to look forward to, if it is stoll going on.

A new exhibition on Fabian Perez

Sometimes I receive bits of news that get me excited. Like recently, I received a mailer from a local art gallery about an upcoming exhibition of Fabian Perez's new paintings. The very same gallery that made me discover his work two years ago. The gallery has sadly moved from my town, but they relocated in a nearby town, so I can still visit them. I love his paintings for many reasons, the main one being that they often look like scenes taken from a crime fiction story, old pulp magazines with a Latin twist. Pulp magazines, but not cheap ones, images that would have abandoned naïve imagery for lush and unapologizing glamour, even when he paints a man offering to light a woman's cigaret at a bar. I have decided to upload this painting to accompany my post. Sadly I have no idea of its title. I hope to take some pictures of my own when I visit the gallery.

Hard men and femmes fatales

I feel a bit guilty every time I upload a painting by him (or a picture of a painting by him) on Vraie Fiction, but I can't afford to purchase Fabian Perez and he is maybe my favorite painter. My favorite living one anyway. This one is called The Proposal. There are other named like this one, showing the same scene, but this is my favorite among them. I have decided to blog about it because... Well, because. Because I blogged about an archetype yesterday, I guess, and I consider Perez' characters to be very much archetypical. I know it was not the intention, but I have the feeling he paints crime fiction. This is the first thing I thought about him when I discovered his work in a local art gallery, about two years ago. The art gallery has now moved to a nearby town, but they still exhibit the work of Fabian Perez, so I thought I would pay it a visit one day and actually take my own pictures of the paintings.

So why this painting in particular? The atmosphere displayed is more of a torrid summer night than a cool and wet springtime one like the ones we have now. But I had not published one on Vraie Fiction since June 2013. And the few times I showed his work, not once a woman was featured in the painting. And Perez is famous for his glamorous portraits of women. I was mentioning archetypes. Perez pretty much paints femmes fatales. This is not the most obvious one, but I love the subtlety of the painting. We do not know exactly what the woman is proposing, but we can imagine. This is a hard man, as Perez also paints manly men, full of testosterone and self-assured, but we can see he is not as strong as this whisper. There are the usual tropes of Perez: the (sinful) red wine, the cigaret's smoke, but at the center of the picture is the whisper. I am a philistine when it comes to art, but I can appreciate it all the same.

New noir painting

I did not upload a painting of Fabian Perez in ages and thought I would do it tonight, just for fun. And because it feels like the right time to upload a painting of Fabian Perez on Vraie Fiction. I cannot afford to buy his work, I do not sell it (it wouldn't be my dream job, but that would come pretty close to it). As I mentioned it on my first post on Perez, the universe he paints is often very much like the one of old fashioned, hard-boiled crime fiction, filled with violence and sensuality, femmes fatales (I need to upload one of his femmes fatales one day), dark, smoky places. This painting is titled Smoking Man. And you can see on it, well, a man litting a cigaret or a cigar (cigarillo?) with an almost empty glass of wine next to him. I don't find smoking glamorous, for the record. But he does manage to make it look glamorous, and to give the man an aura of danger. Whatever he is, gangster or adventurer, he knows his business, he is the strong, silent type. This may be a stereotypical portrait, it is still a powerful one.

A painting for a rainy day

It was pouring rain today. Not every minute, obviously, but when it did, it poured. I walked home from the train station and got soaked to the bone. I was looking for a way to illustrate/express the general feeling of being in the pouring rain. Rain is pretty much an obsession here, every time of the year, but especially now. And then I thought of Fabian Perez's paintings, and decided to upload one here. I have developed an obsession for his work since I saw it in a local art gallery. I thought this painting would express better than my words the atmosphere of these rainy days. So here it is.

Art crowds

I am officially fed up blogging about Friday treats. They just are so repetitive, they ended up boring me. So anyway, tonight I went to this art exhibition of Fabian Perez, where the artist was. Lovely paintings, as expected, but it was so darn crowded. I saw the artist, but did not speak to him. I didn't want to look like a groupie. I didn't buy a painting either (surprise). It lasted an hour, but it made me discover something: I don't like art crowds. Being there reminded me of a quote from The Picture of Dorian Gray:

"You must certainly send it next year to the Grosvenor. The Academy is too large and too vulgar. Whenever I have gone there, there have been either so many people that I have not been able to see the pictures, which was dreadful, or so many pictures that I have not been able to see the people, which was worse."

I guess there were plenty of people to see, but in the end they remained invisible, hidden by the crowd they were a part of. The paintings looked more alive.

Another noir painting

I recently blogged about the paintings of Fabian Perez. Yesterday I went to the local art gallery where they are exposing his work. I was offered a glass of Prosecco and a guided tour by the lady who was there. I wonder if she thought I was a serious buyer. I fell a bit guilty, but I accepted the Prosecco and the tour anyway.

I was looking for a new painting to upload, wondering if I should upload one of his many paintings of femmes fatales. I settled for a man drinking spirits (whiskey?). I guess a femme fatale would have been too obvious. I thought this one had the right look for the blog. The man does look like a crime fiction character, maybe a mobster. I extensively wrote about what Perez's work remind me: old pulp fiction. I am not going to re-blog it. I just thought that the painting would bring some colours and character to this blog.

Noir paintings

Last weekend, on my birthday in fact (nice time for an epiphany), I found this artist, Fabian Perez (Argentinian born artist now living in Los Angeles) in a local gallery. I was impressed enough about the work of Perez I saw that I took a leaflet (where I found the information about him being from Argentina and living in LA), even though I cannot afford one single painting. The people at the gallery could tell about ten seconds and they ignored me completely, but I could still enjoy the aesthetic of it. I would love to be wealthy enough to buy one, or better still: I wish I could be selling these paintings for a job. This is what came to my mind immediately when I saw them: I want to spend my days here, being paid to watch them, to tell the customers why they should own one, why this is great stuff.

I am not really an art connoisseur, in fact I am pretty much of a philistine. But when I love pictural art, I love it immensely and without compromission. The universe Fabian Perez paints is often an old fashioned one, filled with glamorous and grim nostalgia. It is a world of dim lights and growing shadows, of femmes fatales (many, many of them), hardboiled guys, sinister men, all chain smoking and hard drinking. It is the world of Eros and Thanatos. It is, in a nutshell, the universe of crime fiction from old pulp magazines, with a latin twist. The painting I uploaded here is called Gathering at Los Brujas, and this could be the title of a novel. Like for the Detective Tales cover I upload every month, the work of Fabian Perez set my imagination on fire. I wish I could have words that were as eloquent as these images, that could create an atmosphere as efficiently, with such rich colours and character. If I ever write the great crime fiction novel from Québec, I want an artist like him to draw the cover, although I wonder if his latin world can work with the Northern one I come from. In any case, I will upload more of his works here, just like I do with Detective Tales.