St. Maurice was an Egyptian from Thebes in Upper Egypt, says Wikipedia.
His Egyptian origin is stressed by the Coptic Greek name "Maurikios", which appears in the papyri, and is identical with the later Roman name "Mauritius", according to G. Heuser in his Personennamen der Kopten.
In fact, the name is found in epitaphs of the Ptolemaic Egypt and Egyptian Christian periods, and is still used as a personal name in Egypt's Coptic community.[2]
"The oldest surviving" [13] image that depicts Saint Maurice as a Black African [14] was carved in the 1240s for the Cathedral of Magdeburg, a strikingly accurate depiction of a contemporary armed knight; there it is displayed next to the grave of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor. Jean Devisse,
Black, the History of a color, Michel Pastoreau, is where I discovered the story.
Given as a holiday gift at the end of 2011.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
St Maurice, Nubian / Coptic martyr, by robert trudeau 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
St Maurice / study / robert trudeau 2011
About the year 325 CE the Egyptian Christian general, Maurice, was ordered to Gaul. There he and his men were martyred for refusing to attack the opposing troops. They refused because the foes were also Christians.
He is known as St Moritz and also as St Mauritius. There are many churches and shrines dedicated to his name in Europe.
He is the first African man, a Nubian, who earned widespread veneration in the church.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Catalog for artists / Dia de Los Muertos 2011 / Robert Trudeau
No telling which you might prefer, the earlier and motley draft or this, the straight-up final product.
Catalog for artists / Trudeau 2011
A draft of a sketch for the Dia de los Muertos to be presented at minicine? on Sat, Oct 29.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Pharaoh Ai / trudeau 2011 pen and ink
There were many deified kings in the vast Egyptian pharaonic era; this is one about which you've heard little. Because he was exhumed only this week.
Pharaoh Ai is a spontaneous sketchbook exploration. One of the things my hand trends to when not guided by purpose is the vizier's visage.
And you can tell that I'm intrigued by the idea that the image is composed of a vast number of interlocking cross hatcheries. The portrait oscillates because of the many lines in the body of the work.
Monday, August 08, 2011
Tequila Williams, red ink, Aug, 2011
Prints in basic colors.
Pine board and lath frame.
Recent breakthroughs include a new frame style: slab of wood painted black, print glued to the board. Lathing frame butted at top and bottom.
Also, Insty Prints converted the black ink to prints using colored lines: got versions of this print in red, blue, green and yellow.
I like it and consider it progress. The ink change was provoked by a change in the kitchen. "Creole Riders" and "The Interlocutor" came down and in their places are two of Talbot's still lifes, a yoncopin on table and bowl of red apples. I saw that black lines, no matter how sinuous, don't really reach the energy level that a room gets from a color display.
Printing with color ink is a way to move into the difficult world of hues.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tequila Renae Williams, Shreveport, Louisiana / July, 2011
Met her on Texas St, downtown Shreveport. She was accompanied by her mother and 2 small and squirming children. They were waiting for the bus, I believe.
As a sketch Tequila has been through 3 or more drafts prior to this version. Originally she was destined for the Nude show at Bossier Arts Council. There were exigencies. She's headed to the Philadelphia Center auction for Aids relief.
Here on the edge of the art world, I'm what's called a marginal artist. That means part-time, not an art school grad, nor the beneficiary of any formal instruction. Have sketched all my life; it took years before I came to think of myself as an artist.
Pen and ink on Vellum Bristol, 8.5 X 11.
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Study for Texas Ave series: Dunny G.
Cornelius Dunny Gilyard is a veteran R & B trombone player in Shreveport. A veteran of the Lightnin Bugs and Zillionaires, Dunny once traveled with R & B show bands.
He remembers the years when Texas Ave was alive with live music and dance. This is an early-stage sketch.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Study: the Girl A / Robert Trudeau 2011
Getting ready for 2 projects. The Nudes show at Bossier Arts Council and my gift to the annual Philadelphia center auction.
Hope to refine this view of a Texas Ave girl next week.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Mtoto, from the Bayou LaFourche Coloring Book, Robert Trudeau
A study of a queenly woman and her attendees that is based on West African ceremonial scenes.
The symmetry of the umbrella, gown and assistants is satisfying. But I realized I have a portrait in my photograph bank that can be traded for this generalized face.
There may be a color version, too.
Looking forward to re-doing this one.
Friday, March 25, 2011
bikers, shreveport, 2011 / mural study
Riding a bicycle is one of my great pleasures. And I'm an advocate for biking to the store, biking to work, biking on historic tours, etc.
Thus watching the bicyclists of my community is an avocation.
What I love most is what you might call an Art Bike. Wheels festooned with cards and bottle caps and reflectors, frame painted gaily, excessive mirrors, bells and brackets fastened to handlebars and over fenders. Sometimes the frame is modified, too.
I've been working on a public art idea . . .
I want to paint silhouette murals of riders resting alongside their bikes. Just to seed the idea of biking. And to to remind people that we bikers are on the streets and need the care of the auto and truck driver.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Romulus Remus t-shirts feature Parachute Patty; order one at romulusremusmusic.com
Kern Courtney, guitarist, producer and member of Romulus Remus, is ordering a run of hand-printed silk-screen t-shirts with this image. Black or white t-shirt with contrasting artwork. They're $15 and can be quickly ordered at http://romulusremusmusic.com.
You can also download the album, which is Beatlesque, quirky and richly recorded. Listening to the music - the tune "Parachute Patty" is a classic - was integral to my making the sketches that resulted in this image.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Paper project - robert trudeau art '11, shreveport
"Paper Personalities."
Many artists make light work.
Participation being the key to a growly event.