BOOK REVIEWS: JOAN SCHULZE . LUCAS REINER . SEEROON YERETZIAN . DIANA WONG

BOOK REVIEWS: BUREAU of ARTS and CULTURE

These BOOK Reviews are of people who have exhibited Art,
been Interviewed, or have created and or collaborated with
BUREAU of Arts and Culture Magazine, Gallery or Films .


1. The Art of JOAN SCHULZE : POETIC LICENSE
2. THE LOS ANGELES TREES : LUCAS REINER
3. SEEROON YERETZIAN
4. The ART & LIFE of Diana Shui-Iu Wong


The Art of JOAN SCHULZE : POETIC LICENSE

A large and lovely self published survey book with essays
by notable art critics including Peter Frank. Joan Schulze
has been creating art for over 40 years, this book published
in conjunction with her show at the San Jose Museum of
Quilts & Textiles, is nothing less than perfect.

We interviewed Joan in her art studio on Potrero Hill in
San Francisco for the first edition of the Bureau of Arts
and Culture paper Publication and included her AUDIO
INTERVIEW as well as an extensive photo essay on the
BUREAU website. Looking at the book & having it in our
collection is a pleasure. Joan's work might be compared
to Rauschenberg and indeed she sites him as an early
influence, not so much in style, for Joan had been creating
works before discovering Rauschenberg at SFMOMA, but
more as a realization that one might do such a thing for
a living. Raised in a Chicago working class neighborhood
in a time when women were either, " mothers,teachers or
nurses. " Being an artist as a profession was a revelation.

Joan is a master collage artist, quilt maker and a fine poet.
The artworks fall into a category that some folks would call
mixed media. Some quite small [ 4 x 4" ] others rather large
[ 42 x 96" ] . Each piece tells a complete story, put several
together and you have a series of stories, looking at the book
or visiting her studio and you have an entire life's work.
Utilizing images from her own photographs and a balanced
mix of media created tear sheets, Joan tells a small personal
story that is so true that it hints at a much larger truth that
becomes universal. As a collage artist who has spent a decade
utilizing some of the same techniques: sewing, cut & paste,
photo & media sources, I found Joans work inspiring in the
same way that she most likely found Rauschenberg' s.

Telling titles such as, There goes the neighborhood, Fan of
Jack Kerouac , Galileo's Secret and Dinner at Eight help the
viewer along with the more exacting styles of work, whereas
the more minimalist works tend to have one liners such as,
Reserves & Budget. Although there is nothing truly minimalist
about Joan's work as it is painstakingly worked & reworked in
the same way that Basquiat might paint an entire portrait
only to later paint over it with a simple stroke of color, phrase
or wash. These are complicated collages created by a mature
artist with a playful and creative output worth collecting. Easy
to live with image landscapes that reveal themselves over time.

www.Joan-of-Arts.com





THE LOS ANGELES TREES : LUCAS REINER

Petra - Giloy Hirtz
with an Essay by Fred Dewey
on PRESTEL


Several years ago I called Lucas Reiner asking if he might
want to contribute to a Multi Director Feature Film Project
I was putting together based on the letters of interesting
and influential Artists. He was busy creating a series of
artworks based on the trees of Los Angeles, but I kept
calling the studio insisting that I needed his involvement.
Eventually he found a piece by Walt Whitman that somehow
included both his current projects ideology as well as fitting
within the schematic of The Letters of the UNDERGROUND
Film Series. I was floored by his segment, shot in black and
white with a simple text provided by Walt Whitman, it was,
as they say in the Jazz World, ' Straight - Ahead '.

Some years later,I received this fine publication wrapped
in purple canvas with lush color plates documenting the
Trees of Los Angeles Series from 2001 - 2008, including
stills from the Whitman Section of Letters of The UNDER-
GROUND Volume II. Lucas is a fine artist, film maker &
writer who is finely attuned to the arts, a sensitive, private
man who, when opens up, reveals some deep philosophies.


The paintings vary in size and style, titled after the locations
such as, On Canyon Drive, On Drexel Ave, On Alameda Ave,
Off Washington. The larger works measure 90 x 66 " , the
smaller works 6 x 7 " mostly made from oil with a smattering
of drawings from graphite and a limited edition of etchings.
Historically, one thinks of Van Gogh' s bleak black & white
drawings of the trees in winter. Otherwise, this is fairly original
and new ground. Many of the trees have been butchered,
blunted & nipped in such a way that reveals mans obliviousness
to nature. Like a bad haircut, or in same cases a very cool hair
cut: a flat top, an afro or even a mohawk.

The trees have a personality, style, a vibe all their own.
Many of the paintings have a neutral background of fuzzy
grey, what the Los Angeles weatherperson might call,
" that late night and early morning cloud cover " , though
there is a very dramatic deep red background in some,
for instance, On Drexel Ave, which is almost surreal, the
tree reaching towards the sky jettisoning outward. Or the
forboding deep chocolate brown that surrounds the work
entitled, On Lincoln Boulevard #1. These are like portraits
revealed in the same way that great photographers such as
Diane Arbus or Richard Avedon might isolate a subject to
reveal it' s true character. The book itself is impressively
made and stands up well among collectors of fine art,
sculpture & photographic large coffee table books.

You may want to check with your Local ART Book Store
to inquire and or order a copy.




SEEROON YERETZIAN

www.ABRIL BOOKS.com



It would be too easy to say that Seeroon Yeretzian is
the Armenian Frida Kahlo, but then again, it' s almost
too difficult not to mention the similarity. Both female
artist' s spring from a culture dominated by men,
masculinity and machismo.Seeroon pulls no punches,
neither does this incredible publication with color plates
from the early nineteen eighties to the present time.
I have been lucky enough to spend time with Seeroon,
exhibit her work and hang out at her gallery in Glendale
as well as the Family bookstore ABRIL BOOKS which
published this full length catologue. An early painting,
dated 1983, entitled, ' The Mattress ' depicts a homeless
man sleeping on the street in stark black, white & grey
tones. A brave look at a decadent decade, when the
divide between rich and poor was staggering, few artists
turned an eye to the subject of homelessness at the time.


There seems to be a trifold of influences: Socio-economic,
Feminist & Religious. A diverse an odd grouping to say
the least. Seeroon is a master painter, a real humanist,
when compared to other Armenian artist's, she' s a radical
feminist.Back to the Kahlo comparison, her husband,
Haroutioun Yeretzian founded the first all Armenian
bookstore in Southern California and was a powerful
individual in his own right. This book is posthumously
dedicated to him. He was a host to cultural events
surrounding the Armenian community for decades.
Artists, Poets, Film makers and of course writers of
every sort always made a stop to ABRIL Books as a
pilgrimage to Southern California. Seeroon Yeretzian,
the wife of this influential man, did not by any means
play second fiddle, it appears that she kept up with
the Armenian Boys Club.

The subjects of her works, the female form, the burden
of femininity, child birth and identity mixed with the
crucifixion tell a larger story of the spirits need to prevail.
Seeroon spent time in the refugee camps at an early age.
Many of the paintings present themselves in haunting
imagery that express those memories. I have to admit,
that while hanging around her gallery for a time, I have
found myself in tears, the two of us connecting on some
level as artists, as humans, as people. Not to say that all
the work is heavy, but like Frida, much of it has an earthy
biography like storyline that tells us a certain truth about
our personal history.

To balance things out, there is plenty of graphic based art
that interprets as well as honors Armenian, Jewish and
European biblical traditions through the alphabet. These
are detailed, amazing works that intertwine letters, animals
& architecture as well as symbology. Her works are highly
sought out and collected world-wide. The day I walked into
her life, I had no idea who I was connecting with, now that
were friends, contemporaries even, I feel honored to have
her in my circle and as a supporter of The BUREAU of Arts
and Culture Magazine, Gallery and Cinema.







MERGING The LABYRINTH and BEYOND
The ART & LIFE of Diana Shui-Iu Wong
Compact Disc by Shannon Michael Terry



Diana Wong is a consummate painter who immigrated
from China to Europe and later America. This book tells
the complete story from her early influences to the most
recent works. Large, expansive paintings that deal with
form, light, nature & space in a way that is both revealing,
exacting and expressive.

A vibrant, earthy style positioned somewhere between
abstraction and neo - expressionism . Diana has a strong
philosophical background laced with a passion and under-
standing of the elements that reflects in her work. Although
this book focuses on her recent works including the Nine
Palaces Series, there are early examples of painting styles
through the years. From the nineteen Sixties to the 2000's.

Diana's work shows a certain curiosity with color, application
& experimentation. A playful yet mature style that develops
as it moves through the years. The sister of three chinese
brothers, Diana was a bit of a trail blazer, culturally speaking.
Not many chinese woman of her generation became painters,
let alone travelled the world. She's a rebel, quiet, yet defiant,
shy, but also ascorbic. We are currently showcasing her live
in - studio AUDIO INTERVIEW on the BUREAU of ARTS and
CULTURE Website & are honored to have her involvement in
The BUREAU of Arts and Culture Gallery. This publication also
includes a musical compact disc by sound musician Shannon
Michael Terry, a sort of Sonic Impression of the work.

www.DianaWONG.com


COMING SOON REVIEWS OF BUREAU ASSOCIATES SUCH AS :
JIMMY STEINFELDT . BERNIE HILLER . TONY FITZPATRICK


Written By Joshua A. TRILIEGI Editor - in - Chief


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