Frederic's History
Frederic’s grandfather was a very talented artist and a common slave in a wealthy household. Because Frederic loved grandfather, he aspired to be a great painter. But Frederic’s father was dead-set against “any son of his” becoming a fine artist.
The day his grandfather died, Frederic quickly ran around the back of his grandfather’s house and reached under the porch to get his grandfather’s paint box and brushes out of it's hiding spot. Right then and there he vowed devotion to the muses and be a slave to his art. He desired only to become the successful artist that his grandfather could never be.
Rivalry in his family was very competitive and thorny. His only brother was an agressive corporate millionaire in Manhattan who also owned several motels in Maui. Frederic's sister was a diva in the Metropolitan Opera. Therefore, Frederic was forever trying to earn the respect of his father ; but, his Bohemian lifestyle was the opposite of what his father approved of. He never understood his father’s distain for his chosen vocation.
He intuitively knew that his art would open up open up the "world in ways he could never dream ...in the positive & rare mysterious areas of life that most people could never imagine".
"To be a true artist," he would tell me "You need a to have a strong sense of adventure and not be fearful of taking off-beat chances, doing off-beat things." He wanted to surround himself with “thinkers, DREAMERS, those with IMAGINATION.
! ICONOCLASTS !
He attend his formal art training at the “Art Students League” www.theartstudentsleague.org in Manhattan on West 57th Street, overlooking South Central Park. He could not afford the rent so he made an opening in the ceiling of the back corner of an unused sculpture studio and made a very workable "cave" in the spacious attic. The Art Students League” has sharpened the skills of many renowned artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe, Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, and Norman Rockwell.
Frederic stressed: "...that to be an artist you have to be master of many skills, painter, sculptor, a writer, a musician, a showman, a philosopher, historian, scientist, inventor, and mostly to your patrons be a puppet-master ."
“You need to continually, shock, dazzle and amaze.” Frederic's unique brand of magic was a huge part of his early triumphs. “Magic is the positive unexpected”, he'd say.
He idolized Picasso’s artistic & psychological genius: "Picasso is able to mesmerize the art world." Frederic considered him a mentor. If you want to understand how Frederic's thinking in those early years read “Life With Picasso” by Francoise Gilot.
I met the Foreign Minister in the summer of 1981. His “government” at that time was filled with titled nobility and big cats, fast cars and his many “beautiful muses”. Men were awed by him and women were ensnared by his charm. Tea and/or champagne were the only drinks served in has studio. He was a refreshing rolemodel for my young self.
His painting technique could transfix an audience for great lengths of time. Watching him at work was like watching a director of a movie; scenery, props and actors appeared and disappeared continually on his canvases; the viewing angles and perspective constantly altered it's self.
If he needed to contemplate where the painting was taking him; or if a painting started talking; he would pick up his guitar and begin playing some haunting Brazilian Samba.
“To play a Samba without sadness...
is like making love to a beautiful woman
that is empty inside”
.....More to come
