Arkanjul Now Featured in Gatewood Gallery
This is a very exciting time for us here because The Arkanjul now graces our Gallery with his presence. One of our photographers (P.L. Miller) brought his work to our attention some time back, and we've been admirers ever since. Many of his photographs have an ethereal quality which is further enhanced by his digital darkroom tinkering; to view some of his portraits is to feel as though you are getting a glimpse of divinity in an earthly form.
The Arkanjul (aka the Godfather, aka Phil D'Angelo) grew up in Cleveland's "Little Italy" and nearly became a Catholic priest until he saw Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot. He went to college relatively late in life and was deemed a "renaissance man" by the humanities department (as well as by most people who've had the pleasure of meeting him).
"My influences are as diverse as Federico Fellini, Todd Rundgren, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Vincent Van Gogh, Dali, Quan Yin, Buddha, and most of all, a simple carpenter from Nazareth," he says. He sometimes works with fractals in a number of different programs, and explains, "I usually sit for hours listening to Tangerine Dream and play with the math, over and over until the images 'sing' to me.
"As for my photo images," he continues, "Guys from the old neighborhood were gleaning my files for years, without my knowledge. My studio was a common meeting place for 70's-style get-togethers and we would often go out to the rooftops of Cleveland’s tallest office buildings to drink some homemade wine. It was during these get-togethers that 'the boys' would keep me occupied while sneaking into my office and stealing negatives! Years later one them says, 'We figured if anyone from the neighborhood would ever make it, it would be you! And we hoped you'd cut your ear off like Van Gogh or commit suicide and these negatives would be worth money! You let everybody in the neighborhood down by settling down and having a family.'
"My angels are NOT just the statues but also the women and all the various people and places I photograph. Fellini said, 'He who looks with innocent eyes, all is divine!' I am now an old knight, returned from the quest, searched for the grail, fought the devil, kissed an angel and looked for beauty in the modern world. My art/photography (is there a difference?) is a reflection of that search."
We agree. Now go and have a look. (Don't forget, you can click on any thumbnail image in our galleries to see the larger version.)
www.gatewoodjournal.org/galleryarkanjul01.html
Labels: Visual Arts
