Our Nic is the proverbial jack-in-the-box. Found this gem in an old artsy 1998 magazine called JUXTAPOZ. Nic´s interest in art is well known, but here we have the chance to read his own words on the subject.

Seems Nic wrote an introduction to a piece on his admired painter Robin Williams (the first link is to give you an idea of who this guy actually is). Nic bought a painting by Williams which has hanged on his Bel Air mansion walls all these years (guess it´s being taken somewhere else now... maybe to Midford?).

The thing is, Nic writes about what this painging means to him. It´s always interesting having a peek into his artistic ideas... You´re gonna love it.

The links below are of the issue of the magazine. But, as you´ve got to be patient and play with the menu to be able to read Nic´s text, I simply transcribed it below for your reading pleasure.

The paiting itself you can find also in the links below. Go to the last link I´m posting, write "67" above on the blank space (it´s on page 65 of the printed issue, but on page 67 of the scanned issue of the magazine). Then hit the zoom (the icon of the magnifier above). Nic´s painting is on the top right corner. Drag the page to have a better look at it.

BTW, very intriguing art by Mr. Williams. And it´s true that it´s reminiscent of Dali, in a way...



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Williams_(artist)

http://www.juxtapoz.com/Archive/juxtapoz-archive-issue-14


http://issuu.com/juxtapoz/docs/juxtapoz_14?mode=embed&documentId=090203175523-88783136dbb244ee857065c8ab66d7c8&layout=grey

Introduction on page 60
Nic´s painting on page 65

JUXTAPOZ MAGAZINE, Issue #14, 1998

AESTHETIC PATHOLOGY

NEW YORK by ROBERT WILLIAMS

by WALTER HOPPS

INTRODUCTION by NICOLAS CAGE

Back when I was a kid growing up in Long Beach, California, I´d go around the block to the corner market and spend all my money on bubble gums packs filled with monster cards and I´d collect them. Later, when I saw Robert William´s paintings for the first time, I instantly felt a nostalgic connection with both my childhood and those cards, and with the anger and rage I felst as a young adult. Over the years I´d been buying watches and had amassed quite a collection and was really attached to them. When I first saw a Robert Williams painting in the early `80´s I knew I had to have one, but at the time it was $7,000 -which I didn´t have. I had to hock the entire watch collection to get it. It was worth it.

I´ve always felt Robert´s paintings had a strong connection to sound. When I bought Death on the Boards, I felt like I could hear the roar of cars in it. I feel they have that connection with comic books where they actually write sounds on the pages as an effect. A lot of people compare whim to Salvador Dali, but I feel he´s much closer to Hieronymus Bosch. His imagination and the monsters he creates with their unabashed attack on the viewer is a lot like Bosch´s perspective. Robert for me is a new perspective on something. He´s a creator of modern myths, constantly tapping into our urban consciousness.

The reason Robert Williams´ paintings have such staying power is because he´s pure, and what´s important to me is purity. Pure expression of self, without trying to fool somebody, trying to get at what´s really there. In a Robert Williams painting the vision he presents, whether it´s purely disturbing or purely violent, is purely Robert Williams and it will not be ignored.

- Nicolas Cage

-- Edited by mara on Friday 4th of September 2009 03:08:31 PM