Maxfield Parrish
Obscenery: the Sacred & Profane Work of Scott Siedman
Love Maxfield Parrish? Have a passion for Michaelangelo and Rodin? Then you’ll love Scott Siedman . . . maybe. It would also help if you love the work of Voltaire.
Siedman has unquestionably mastered the skills of the old masters in both clay and canvas. Some how the inanimate materials he uses in his work come alive in his hands, often becoming not just something “human” but something more than human when you stand before it. His Persephone, a larger than life clay visage frozen in the cerements of death and his Fallen Angel falling into hell are heroically classic in both their size and presentation.
But what sets Scott Siedman’s art apart is not just his technical skill. Is is the sharp wit that hides within each of his figures, that stares back at you from within each of his frames.
For one thing, Siedman isn’t afraid of incorporating sex into his scenes. The phallus and the vulva make regular appearances in his work. The Sacred Part of Mary reveals an interesting notion of her transcendence. Sexual metaphors appear in his political works as well, like Embedded. But sexual imagery and situations aren’t used merely to shock. The illustrations clearly illuminate the compositions in which they are used. Can you really trust the military to spoon feed you a war through “embedded reporters”. Does Mary have to be a virgin in order for her to be . . . magical?
When it comes to production design, Siedman paints in three dimensions with light and shadow and imagery. He creates worlds for characters on stage and in films to live in. His choice of projects has everything to do with what the work talks about. Whether its the naked force and grime of a boxing ring or the disjointed misery of a modern war. Hollywood producers know, when you want to create a world in which to say something important, Siedman has the palette of skills and styles required to get the job done.
Scott Siedman’s new gallery showing is at Bert Green Fine Art 102 W. Fifth St. in downtown Los Angeles. You can reach them by phone at (213) 624-6212. You can contact Scott Siedman directly through his website at www.sacredporn.org.
About the Author
Nancy Fulton is a writer and filmmaker. You can learn more about her, and about the film tax credits and film funding tricks that define independent film at www.indiealert.com. You can learn more about the film she’s in the last stages of funding at www.nobetterfriendmovie.com.
Maxfield Parrish
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This entry was posted on Monday, July 30th, 2007 at 7:39 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.