Expecting Rain

whatever his point is, it's not like it's anything new, either to him or in the world of "art" in general. or creativity, or human nature. or anything, really.

we're copycats.

You know, when I think this through,I think it's kind of sad, on a more Bob-personal note.
Drawn Blank contained a lot of 'snapshots' from inside rooms, outside scenes viewed from balconies and through windows, ladies on beds...
When it came to the Brazil series, I thought, wow: Bob has actually taken time off to get outdoors! He's been standing on that hill, looking down...seeing this great scene -Probably even talked to someone!
Turned out I was wrong. How naive can you get! What he did, was collect photographs and turned the key to the bus, copying his (other people's) "impressions of the journeys".

I think it is so sad that Bob has Been All Around The World, boys, several times, and all he shows us, he was inspired by, are reproductions of old still 2D life.

It seems so incredibly lonely, if you know what I mean.

Maybe the "scene" wasn't the point of the paintings at all....

Oh, c'mon - of course people with a bit of experience of looking at pictures realised he was using photos in the Brazil Series in the same way he used his own sketches in the Drawn Blank series. For example, I don't believe anybody thought old Bob was just passing by this happy little scene and asked everybody to stop and pose while he recorded it for posterity.

Um, he could have imagined up stuff.... you know what I mean? Like he could have seen something and then visualized a scene... that's what I thought happened.... I do that all the time... Stupid on my part to think he would do the same thing...

We are all making a pretty big assumption by saying he knew the public would all find out... I don't think he cares what the public thinks about where he got his images.... He didn't do anything illegal.... immoral perhaps in some eyes, but not illegal.

to me it seemed more like I need to get these out so let me do it fast rather than lonely.... why does everyone think he's so lonely? Who knows if he's lonely.

So did you find any of the photos he used? Did anybody else? Were they posted on here or anywhere else? I'm with Milkcow here, I think he does do sketches from memory.

I don't know if he's lonely, it just seems a shame that as an artist he didn't seem to get more inspired of all the different things that he must have travelled through. I hope I'm wrong. I'm just trying to rationalize for myself, why I feel I have been bluffed, and get over it! Someone wrote, there must be an intellectual, artistic 'point' or 'purpose' to the Asian Photo-Series (without hinting much of what it might be),
The critic from the Observer wrote (before the "story" broke):

At this point in his career, everything Mr. Dylan does is so thoroughly about himself that there is no separating him from his work. This helps explain the press release’s strong push for a biographical element to the paintings. The claim that he witnessed the scenes therein—that he was there—is pleasurably ridiculous, even if it were true, something like a hippie hanger-on proclaiming, “I was there when Dylan went electric, man.” It all seems part of the point. Labelle Cascade, like many of the works in the show, is framed as if the painter were looking on the scene before him by separating the branches of a tree, seeing something he is not supposed to, remaining invisible (though the woman in Opium appears to exist only for the painter, it is not for nothing that her eyes are shut). In Labelle Cascade, a group of four people rests by a river. Two men are drying themselves with white towels while an old woman sits in a hammock and a younger woman smokes. The way each figure seems to be deliberately—almost uncomfortably—avoiding direct eye contact only calls more attention to the fact that they are being watched, turning the gaze of the painter back on itself: we are less interested in the subjects than we are in the fact that Mr. Dylan is observing them.

That's exactly the way it is. He's not there, he's gone!
Why didn't I realize that when I saw them? Well, I don't think I was the only one.
I think it would be wonderful if Dylan could paint 'real' scenes from his tours, but I don't see that happening: He's probably not interested in the Word today as it is - doomed and Gone Wrong and On its Side as it is.

So he spent four days in Brazil on the 2008 tour and created 40 pictures from that?

johanna is right, how on earth could we ever know bob's travel habits when he isn't on tour? ridiculous to say we only "know" he was in a certain place for a few days on tour, like somehow it's impossible that he would go there while not on tour.

I really don't get you guys...it's obvious he isn't going to carry around a canvas and paints....

Some people paint from memory
some people paint from what they see in their minds and embellish
some use photos

I thought the brazil series was from scenery and stuff he embellished on when he traveled.... I thought he made up the people and the scenes.... I WAS WRONG about that though. He used photos as someone on here found one.... like mice, where you see one, you know there's more

I've done some research and I've not yet found more results for Brazil. Doesn't mean they don't exist, but maybe he used different sources.

I have just thought of what he might paint….. New Jersey…. In the dark, in the rain, and be sure to angle it down so that we can see his feet so that we know it is really him because he is wearing rain boots…. and off to the side could be a police car… but he can’t put that nice police lady in the pic because someone will say that he stole her image from something on line…. But maybe he could put Tweeter and the Monkeyman in the pic, I think that they were from New Jersey…. or have they discovered that he stole those too…. and wait, he might have stolen New Jersey….. and he might have stolen the image of a dark, rainy night too…. I am sure that someone wrote about that image too…. so he better not use that………. and a police car…. might have stolen that off the TV…so he better not paint New Jersey on a dark rainy night with a police car… heck no one would believe that story anyway….. maybe he could paint Asia from the turn of the last century… I mean everyone would already know from looking at the images that they are not current visual images…. I mean not a cell phone in the bunch…. people will realize that the images had to have come from somewhere, right? They would not really think that he saw that stuff walking around between shows…. I mean we all know that if some guy in a hoodie and rain boots was walking around Asia with a canvas and paints making painting we would have heard about it…. so that should be ok…. I mean people would be able to figure that out from just looking at the pics, don’t ya think…? I think that would be safe.... Oh, wait, everyone would already know….. “I don’t paint sketches from memory…”…. Highlands/Dylan….. wonder if that waitress considers being in a song enough credit or if he should have listed her in the credits by name….. wonder what happened to that drawing?????? I bet someone stole it…..

Ursie Green Pastures wrote:

I don't know if he's lonely, it just seems a shame that as an artist he didn't seem to get more inspired of all the different things that he must have travelled through. I hope I'm wrong. I'm just trying to rationalize for myself, why I feel I have been bluffed, and get over it! Someone wrote, there must be an intellectual, artistic 'point' or 'purpose' to the Asian Photo-Series (without hinting much of what it might be),
The critic from the Observer wrote (before the "story" broke):

At this point in his career, everything Mr. Dylan does is so thoroughly about himself that there is no separating him from his work. This helps explain the press release’s strong push for a biographical element to the paintings. The claim that he witnessed the scenes therein—that he was there—is pleasurably ridiculous, even if it were true, something like a hippie hanger-on proclaiming, “I was there when Dylan went electric, man.” It all seems part of the point. Labelle Cascade, like many of the works in the show, is framed as if the painter were looking on the scene before him by separating the branches of a tree, seeing something he is not supposed to, remaining invisible (though the woman in Opium appears to exist only for the painter, it is not for nothing that her eyes are shut). In Labelle Cascade, a group of four people rests by a river. Two men are drying themselves with white towels while an old woman sits in a hammock and a younger woman smokes. The way each figure seems to be deliberately—almost uncomfortably—avoiding direct eye contact only calls more attention to the fact that they are being watched, turning the gaze of the painter back on itself: we are less interested in the subjects than we are in the fact that Mr. Dylan is observing them.

That's exactly the way it is. He's not there, he's gone!
Why didn't I realize that when I saw them? Well, I don't think I was the only one.
I think it would be wonderful if Dylan could paint 'real' scenes from his tours, but I don't see that happening: He's probably not interested in the Word today as it is - doomed and Gone Wrong and On its Side as it is.

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I have read this 3 times to really grasp what this means and how it does feel should this be true. It would be appalling. I hope I won't lose any sleep over this. All the more appalling because from the beginning on I have always felt uneasy about Bob's paintings.
My answers to Johanna Parker's questions in the thread Bob's paintings-Your opinion
Q: Which are your favorite Dylan drawings / paintings? What do you like about them?
A: I do not like any of them. Many fall flat and some I find quite disturbing to look at. In fact, as already mentioned Dylan never thought that anyone would be interested in his sketches in the first place. I don't think they were intended as art creation. They were ways to focus on more important things like songwriting, to relax or to fight boredom (those ones I find flat) or sometimes to trigger a therapeutic effect (the disturbing ones).
Q; Which do you prefer, the Drawn Blank Series or the Brazil Series? Why?
A:There are in my opinion more disturbing ones in the Drawn Blank series. If you come to think of it this somehow adds some credibility to my thinking. Or as someone else captured it: “First ones are more dylanesque”. Bob Dylan changed his reasons for painting, clearly. The technique might be more polished but the defensive screens are up.

reminds me of a song- and I am not saying I think this song is autobiographical- how would I know that, and it is none of my business. I do know it makes me think, and feel. I am not trying to slam you Joanna, I guess you say what you say in fun, but if we had portraits done of ourselves by an artist, are you sure you would really want to see it, I would be alittle afraid I think. Would you want it to look exactly like you,or what you imagine yourself to look like ... would you want it to be like a photograph...would that look like you to you then ( I never think photographs look like me, but it is a camera, so how can it lie?), or would you want an interpretation of you from the artists view- is there any difference in any of these things? Maybe my questions don't make sense.
Also, maybe I should not be taking just a bit of this song out, maybe I should have the whole thing, but...

Then she says, “I know you’re an artist, draw a picture of me!”
I say, “I would if I could, but
I don’t do sketches from memory”

“Well,” she says, “I’m right here in front of you, or haven’t you looked?”
I say, “All right, I know, but I don’t have my drawing book!”
She gives me a napkin, she says, “You can do it on that”
I say, “Yes I could, but
I don’t know where my pencil is at!”

She pulls one out from behind her ear
She says, “All right now, go ahead, draw me, I’m standing right here”
I make a few lines and I show it for her to see
Well she takes the napkin and throws it back
And says, “That don’t look a thing like me!”

I said, “Oh, kind Miss, it most certainly does”
She says, “You must be jokin’.” I say, “I wish I was!”
Then she says, “You don’t read women authors, do you?”
Least that’s what I think I hear her say
“Well,” I say, “how would you know and what would it matter anyway?”

“Well,” she says, “you just don’t seem like you do!”
I said, “You’re way wrong”
She says, “Which ones have you read then?” I say, “I read Erica Jong!”
She goes away for a minute
And I slide up out of my chair
I step outside back to the busy street but nobody’s going anywhere

He did a NET series already. Drawn Blank was done during the NET.

I am personally concerned for Bob Dylan's reputation.

Some may say Bob does not give a s--- about his reputation. That may be true. It may not be. That's not my point. I care about his reputation.

This is what it comes down to. The paintings need to be pulled from exhibition and Bob, through his business manager, in his secretive way, needs to apologize to the copyright holders.

Oh man.... they gained permission to use these photos. They cleared the rights. An executive for Magnum Photos said that. It's okay.

Johanna - I believe you, but can you site the source? I would like to read it from Magnum Photos. Thanks. - Fabe

"Opium" was based on an autochrome by Leon Busy which is copyrighted by the Musee Albert Kahn in Paris.

Ifitwastrue, you could be right. I saw him use a napkin to draw somebody in a Youtube video. I don't think those twins look that beautiful or the other women he has painted, but still to be in one of his pictures would be so cool. I am not the waitress in that song by the way even though I do love to read and I love women authors; however, I have never been particularly awed by Erica Jong and I hope he used it for rhyming purposes and that is all. I would be more like the chambermaid - Bob could paint me as the chambermaid who isn't afraid to let him look at her anytime. Now that would be cool. I have a lot of affinity with that chambermaid. Should have used it as my avatar. I LOVE the chambermaid. I would hope I look okay in it, but in the case of the chambermaid, why would he want to look at me or paint me (as if that is going to happen) if I looked bad that day. However, you could be right, I might be horrified. Love, Joanna XOXXOXO P.S. There are so many opportunities for pictures right before his eyes; maybe they are already being painted and we just don't know about it. I thought he painted from memory too. Well maybe he does, maybe the photographs stir up the memories. It might be better if he painted me from memory! Love, Joanna XOXOXO P.S. Isn't it funny how gracefully he starts these controversies. He is a wizard, a traveling potion salesman, he could sell you dry land in Florida, he knows just what he is doing. The China thing took him by surprise.

Such an interesting array of comments over on the artsbeat blog – here's some juicy ones -

^^^ Wow

You'd have to go ask them, or take Fred@Dreamtime's word in this thread for it.




I inquired about the use of this image, but they didn't care to reply. But I honestly think that if Bob's people clear one source, they'll make sure to clear all. They're business people, they're not stupid.

Andodogg, you put everything so concisely. Thank you for paring it all down. The Orion girl is funny. Love, Joanna XOXOXO