This is a follow up to my previous blog posts regarding the Dylan-inspired paintings and collages of Claude-Angèle Boni (which are linked at the bottom of this page.) I learned about Ms. Boni through Dylan archivest Bill Pagel. Ms. Boni wanted to donate. three of her pieces to his collection.
To say the least, when I saw her work I was thoroughly impressed.
I soon learned of this book which features full color glossy reproductions of her art and was able to acquire a copy for my own collection. The the story of how she'd come to find inspiration through Bob's music and the artist himself is the story that accompanies these images.
The narrative, written in both English and French, was published in England in 1980 by Elizabeth Thomson. The English text could have been better edited, nevertheless, the caliber of the artwork more than makes up for this shortcoming.
For those unfamiliar with the tale, Ms. Boni had an opportunity to spend time with Bob for a drawing session. She drew his hands and feet, he drew her face. You can see the hand she drew below.
The last time she was interviewed wasby Guido Bieri for the magazine JUDAS, issue #13, April 2005, a noteworthy 20-page interview. She was also featured in an article by Alan Williams in the magazine ENDLESS ROAD, issue #6, September 1984. The pictures from the book here are pre-1980.
I find her work to be remarkably Dali-esque, as you can see
when compared to Dali's Metamorphosis of Narcissus below.
Metamorphosis of Narcissus, Salvador Dali
Pencil drawing of Bob Dylan's hand, by Claude-Angele Boni
When I first saw French artist Claude-Angèle BONI's Dylan-themed paintings and collages, I was thrilled and looked forward to sharing. I have since learned that there's much more to share than there's room to share it, though with Duluth Dylan Fest approaching, I certainly have a ready excuse to share more Dylan-themed stories than usual, and as Batman once reminded Robin, "There can NEVER be too much Dylan."
Today's collages feature Dylan and peers inserted into classical settings. The first is titled Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts. It's based on a famous painting by Renoir titled Luncheon of the Boating Party. Can you find the five characters of Joan, Bob, Sara, Sally and Albert Grossman? Is that Bob Neuwirth in there as well? Sally Grossman and Sara Dylan were friends, so they play the roles of Lily and Rosemarie in this collage. Albert Grossman was a big guy and Claude-Angele seemed to recall a place in Chronicles where he referred to himself as Big Jim. (This may or may not be a fiction, but it works.)
"When I make those collages I'm using a lot of pieces of pictures then I stick them together and I obtain an original creature, like Dr Frankenstein used to do," Claude-Angele explained. This, of course, made me think of the song My Own Version of You from Dylan's latest release, Rough & Rowdy Ways.
Wearing costumes from French Cancan. Click to enlarge.
The second version of Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts uses a different setting for the characters portrayed. In this version Claude-Angele has the characters wearing costumes from Jean Renoir's 1955 comedy French Cancan. What's interesting to me is the inspired adoption of creations by two different Renoirs. The painting at the top of the page is by French impressionist Pierre-August Renoir.
What especially surprised me was how when I mentioned the director Jean Renoir on my Monday blog post, she immediately responded like a short order cook with these two Renoir-inspired collages depicting Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts. In this latter version we see (L to R) Sally Grossman as Lily, Albert Grossman as Big Jim, Bob Dylan as the Jack of Hearts, Sara Dylan as Rosemary and Bob Neuwirth on the right, as The Judge.
Here are the photos our artist used to assemble these images for us.
Don’t put on any airs
When you’re down on Rue Morgue Avenue
They got some hungry women there
And they really make a mess outta you
--Bob Dylan, Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
The Rue Morgue Avenue
A few weeks ago I was introduced to a French artist whose work is absolutely fascinating. Oh, and yes, she is a Dylan fan. And all her work is Dylan inspired and Dylan themed.
I learned of her existence through a friend who was planning to purchase a couple of her paintings. He sent me digital renditions of nine pieces so I could weigh in and give him my opinion. I was wowed, and reached out to her this past week seeking permission to share her paintings here and perhaps her story.
The artist is Claude Angele BONI, a long time Dylan fan who was given the rare opportunity to draw Bob and he drew her. That is a much longer story that has already been published in fanzines like Isis, Judas (#13, April 2005), and Endless Road (#6, Sept. 1984).
I contacted her to request permission to share her work here, and she quickly assented. Through our correspondence I discovered that her first meeting with Bob took place in Avignon and that she attended the concert there in 1981 during his Shot of Love Tour. It just so happens that I have a bootleg of a portion of that concert and wrote about it here: Blowing in the Wind and Dylan's 1981 Concert in Avignon.
So I asked her to tell me more about her painting The Rue Morgue Avenue and the people who were there in the picture.
The original "Les Vilains Bonshommes" by Latour.
Claude-Angèle BONI:First of all it's a "pastiche" of one of my favorite paintings by Henry de Fantin Latour called in French "Les Vilains Bonshommes" and in English "The Corner." (a.k.a. "By the Table")
EdNote:A pastiche is a work of art that imitates a work by another artist or period.
On the first row you have, from left to right, VERLAINE & RIMBAUD (the French poets with their nargileh) (EdNote: Hookah) ROBBIE ROBERTSON, EDGAR ALLAN POE , DAVID CROSBY, and BOB with his Bible and his bottle of whiskey. On the second row you have from left to right: BOB JOHNSTON (Bob's manager), AL COOPER, ROGER McGUINN + a painting on the wall by Gustave Courbet sometimes called "Baigneuses" or "The Bathers."
There is a long story behind that painting. Courbet was supposed to have started it and another less famous painter had finished it. You can also find that on Wikipedia. This painting is important because of the signature of COURBET and because it's part of the numerous Art Works stolen by the Germans during the last world war. That's the reason why I chose it instead of a portrait of Baudelaire who was supposed to be featured on the original painting because CHARLES BAUDELAIRE, the famous French poet, died before Fantin Latour had finished the painting.
I made THE RUE MORGUE AVENUE after reading CHRONICLES, I liked the influence Bob Johnston and all those companions behind Bob had on him in the 60's. I also chose those three poets I used to read when I was a teenager, the same books Bob started to read in the early 60's, too.
When the Night Comes Falling
Claude-Angèle BONI: Now briefly, I can tell you something about “When the Night Comes Falling.” It's about what it takes to love someone. From a woman’s point of view. It takes faith and waiting, like the main character MAGDALENA, the woman in red on the left. And it takes risk, like the woman walking alone on the chess board. And it also takes imagination (the image of Bob appearing in a dream at night.) If I had the desire to make this painting because EMPIRE BURLESQUE is an album from the 80's that I like very much.
EdNote: I actually enjoyed Empire Burlesque myself. I felt it had a lot of great tracks and was underrated. Or maybe Dylan had set the bar so high that it was expected that every song had to be stellar, as on so many of his other albums.
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What's been shared here only scratches the surface of BONI's art. Many of her pieces contain layers of symbols and a complexity that compares with many of Dali's surrealistic compositions. I look forward to sharing more.
Here's a bonus track: an outtake from Highway 61 Revisited which appeared on Dylan's Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge
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Stay Tuned. More paintings, more insights. More Dylan.
