Louis I Kahn - Page 2

Alexandra Tyng · 10-15-2006, 09:37 PM

Thanks, Mischa! As you pointed out, this was more than "Just a commission;" it was an experience. I did remember him, but it was more a general sense of the way he was in life, rather than any specific memories of events.

As for keeping on painting, I really appreciate your encouragement, Mischa! I don't think I could stop!

Lacey, you and I have been down similar paths in many ways. Thank you.

to you, too.

John Reidy · 10-16-2006, 07:42 AM

Alex,

Beautiful job and what a fantastic tribute that you and your family were able to enjoy. I can't imagine a more fulfilling experience.

I am curious, however. When I had the opportunity to paint my father's posthumous portrait there was a point were the painting took over what I painted. I had wonderful photo references but as I painted his face, and especially his eyes, I began to paint from emotion and abandoned the photos. The result was that it doesn't look like the photo reference but rather more like the look that I recognized from my father. People who didn't know my father immediately see the difference (when they see the referece material) but all of my brothers ans sisters (6) see our dad.

Did you experience anything like this in your painting of your father?

Tom Edgerton · 10-17-2006, 04:39 PM

What a fantastic project, and a great result!

I agree with all of the sentiments expressed here. It's wonderful that so many threads and locales in your collective lives came together in the one event. I'm over the moon for you all!

What a great confluence of talent and circumstance that allows you to have captured your gifted parents--your mother while she's living, and your father posthumously--for succeeding generations, including those in your immediate family.

I'd try and wax philosophic here, but Marcus got it all down for us better than I could.

Many, many congratulations!

Alexandra Tyng · 10-17-2006, 07:59 PM

Wow, Tom, I'd say that was pretty philosophic--and very nice, too. Yes, it really was a combination of forces that came together to make this event happen. It actually started out with the Estonian architects asking my brother to come over and show his film in conjunction with a modest event they were planning on our father. When they came to Philadelphia to discuss it, we got more and more ideas, and the whole idea grew into what it eventually turned out to be. So in a way we helped make it happen, or at least steered it slightly!

In relation to what you were saying about the portraits of my parents, I really do believe there is a power in portraiture that goes beyond just commissioned work. We artists can probably find lots of ways to use the power of our art over and beyond satisfying our clients. But it's really up to us.

Chris Saper · 10-17-2006, 08:24 PM

Dear Alexandra,

I don't know how to say anything more than the wonderful responses you have already received. I can only say that I am moved to my core.

Every one of your portraits is drenched in content, and that is a goal toward which I strive. Thanks for the inspiration.

Alexandra Tyng · 10-17-2006, 08:54 PM

Chris, thank you so much! I am constantly inspired by your work and the work of others on this forum, so believe me, it is mutual.

Steve Craighead · 10-19-2006, 10:17 PM

Alex,
I like the way you painted your father's head. You stayed away from all the edginess that is so easy to slip into when everything is defined in a photo.
By the way, I grew up in a town where we were fortunate to have one of your father's buildings, the Kimble Art Museum. (Some of the people who attended the last Portrait Society conference in Dallas might have also taken the bus over to Fort Worth to see the portraits at the Kimble Art Museum.) The museum has a nice collection of art, but for me one of the best pieces there is the building itself. With all the restrictions placed upon an architect, its really quite an accomplishment to have the end product feel like a classic, like a part of antiquity and yet at the same time feel so thoroughly modern, even these 35 years since its completion. Its a masterpiece and he should be an inspiration for all of us.

Alexandra Tyng · 10-20-2006, 05:31 PM

Thanks, Steve! I saw the Kimbell Museum once in 1980, but didn't get a chance to go back during the PSA Conference in May. I was trying to pack up my painting and hightail it out of there to catch a flight. It would have been nice to see it again. I remember it very much as you described; it had a big impact on me, too. I think I probably got to know my father through his buildings as much as I did through him personally!

Marcus Lim · 10-17-2006, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Edgerton

I'd try and wax philosophic here, but Marcus got it all down for us better than I could.

You're too kind Tom! I'm really moved by what's happening in this thread, and all the threads i've been reading since i joined the Forum. What i said basically is the accumulation of lingua from all the sentiments gathered since then; Alex's work here kicked off that avalanche in me.

Michele Rushworth · 10-19-2006, 04:17 PM

What a powerful labor of love. It motivates me to take some better reference photos of my parents when I see them again this Christmas, for some future potential portraits....

Your painting expresses a feeling of delight -- he must have been an interesting person to know -- and his building seems to express that same delight and sense of fun, too.

What a treasure you have made, both for your family and for the recipients!