Tag Archives: Baptism of Christ

Baptism of Christ (After Carracci) • Joe Forkan 2011, oil on linen 24” x 38"”

Here is another painting from the exhibition. I haven’t written much about the process of the last few paintings that I’ve posted, but I will update the posts with more information after the opening. This painting is based on the tradition of Baptism paintings, of which there are many variations.

Baptism of Christ • Annibale Carracci 1584 Oil on canvas San Gregorio, Bologna

This is the smallest painting in the Cycle, and the composition is much simpler than the other work. Initially it was much more complex, with plans for two additional panels, but ultimately I decided the middle panel did everything I wanted the painting to do.

I was particularly drawn to Annibale Carracci’s painting on the theme from 1584.

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The Lebowski Cycle at The Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion, Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, CA • Sept 10 – Oct 28, 2011

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 10th 6-10pm

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I will be giving a Gallery Talk about the Lebowski Cycle at the Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion on Thursday, September 29th, from 7-10.

More info on the lecture and the exhibition is available here:

The Lebowski Cycle – Jester (After Velazquez’s Portrait of Pablo de Valladolid)

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Jester (After Velazquez's Portrait of Pablo de Valladolid) • Joe Forkan oil on linen, 48" x 76" (121.92 cm x 193.04 cm)

THE LEBOWSKI CYCLE – (Wall text from the exhibition) The Lebowski Cycle is a series of paintings and drawings exploring layered narratives, using masterpieces of European art and the 1998 Coen Brothers’ film The Big Lebowski as a starting point. The series is the result of a longstanding interest in narrative painting, particularly paintings from the Baroque and Neoclassical eras; complex figurative works that depict grand story arcs, compressing a multitude of thoughts, ideas and emotions into a singular image. However, it is the human interactions and conflicts, formal qualities, and modes of depiction that were as interesting to me as the specific stories. I wanted to explore these ideas, but looked for a way to mitigate the grand seriousness that historical and religious paintings often contain. I started thinking about The Big Lebowski, (a favorite film, obviously) trying to imagine how the characters, humor and preposterous story arc of the film might be enlisted to explore multiple points of view, moods, and intentions if combined with themes and titles from well-known works of European art. The combination led to hybrid images that reference art history, film, and contemporary art, from sources that inform, overlap and may even contradict each other, all run back through the imprecise language of painting. – Joe Forkan