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Dan Graham, James Mtume, et al.
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This morning I learned of the passing of the artist Dan Graham. I never painted Graham but he was an important influence on my thinking about music. The theme of his movie
Rock My Religion is to show an aspect of rock music that is transcendental, comparing rock music to the experiences of ecstasy in religious ritual. The 1984 movie shows performances of, among others, Patti Smith and Sonic Youth. Dan Graham had commissioned his friend Kim Gordon (of Sonic Youth) to write and perform the song
Shaking Hell. The song was listed in my Top 100 2021 series and therefore justifies (not that I need any) inclusion in the
100 Faces (part 2) painting that shows the individuals from the Top 100 2021. Right next to Dan Graham (Mar 31, 1942-Feb 19, 2022) happens to be the percussionist James Mtume, who also died earlier this year. Mtume (Jan 3, 1942-Jan 6, 2022) collaborated with Miles Davis on
Rated X, also in the Top 100 2021 list. The detail seen above of the 30 x 40 inch painting is very small, beside Graham and Mtume, parts of Sisiwa ('Are'are), an Aka woman, and the chin of Glenn Branca can be seen. Below is the painting in progress. There are now about seventy individuals included.
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100 Faces from the Top 100 2021, 30x40 inches, oil on canvas (in progress)
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