Anarcho-Syndicalism, Camille Pissarro and the Occupy Movement

Anthony Holdsworth December 14, 2011

'Three Painters Witness Occupy Oakland and Occupy San Francisco' on youtube I recommend that you watch this eight minute video in its entirety before reading today's blog. Don't miss the images in the credits. Enjoy...

We all know that the rebellious young artists who gathered around Camille Pissarro in the 1870's and 1880's gave birth to the first modern art movement, Impressionism. But the radical political origins of this movement are not generally understood. 'Pissarro's People' at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco Legion of Honor highlights the radical ambiance within which this movement was born and the central role of Camille Pissarro, a life-long anarcho-syndicalist, in nurturing and shepherding the movement. Artists as diverse as Gauguin and Cezanne acknowledged their artistic debt to the man Cezanne referred to as the 'humble and colossal Camille Pissarro'

The democratic egalitarianism of anarchism inspired these artists to work together in a rare spirit of collegiality which enabled Impressionism to advance into virgin territory. Because these artists were comfortable on the street, among the people, their work shares a universality that continues to engage the public.

As international collectors swarmed the 'School of Paris', artists scrambled to create new 'isms' and modernism, nurtured on political radicalism, morphed into radical experimentation which remained vital up through Abstract Expressionism.

Pop Art marked the end of the original radical impulse and the beginning of an unhealthy union of the marketplace and art institutions.

The Triumphalism of the 'American Century' which led to the absurd assertion, in the 1990's, that we had reached the 'end of history' was anticipated in 1970's by art writers who proclaimed the 'end of painting' .

There is no denying the achievements of artists as diverse as, say, Walter de Maria, Christo or Andy Goldsworthy who confirm this narrative. But to characterize the activity of painting, which we have engaged in for thousands of years, as no longer relevant appeared to me, even in those days when I was studying at the San Francisco Art Institute, to be absurd. It strengthened my resolve to explore new possibilities within realistic painting.

Painting is a fundamental laboratory of the imagination. Painting from life, studying, absorbing, refining and communicating our experience in a direct, physical way opens our eyes to reality on a deep level. It refines our capacity for empathy which is the currency of art.

The unexpected emergence of the Occupy Movement is a sign that the country is finally awakening from the delusion of American triumphalism. The 'street' is re-entering the political dialogue. It is a good time to be out on the street channeling this populist energy.

Occupy San Francisco No Business as Usual

Anthony Holdsworth November 4, 2011

Occupy San Francisco has a different vibe than it's cousin across the Bay in Oakland even though some activists are shuttling between encampments. There appear to be less of the chronically homeless here. There is an attempt to work with city authorities around issues of hygiene and dealing with troublesome, dangerous elements that gravitate to the camp. They have achieved a fairly comfortable truce with the police. In this respect the demonstrators displayed remarkable resolve and non-violent tactics in their last major defense of their occupation against a police raid. This is well documented in Nicole Landau's short video.

While I was painting here, Occupiers abruptly began to reorganize the camp to make the Bocce Ball courts available for use. This gesture of goodwill had me scrambling to complete details of the encampment before it was entirely transformed!

No Business as Usual

Pundits and city officials who expect rain and cold weather to extinguish the Occupy movement are probably deluding themselves. To the casual eye these encampments resemble unkempt, homeless settlements - with one difference. A difference that betrays the deep intellectual resolve underlying the movement. Words are everywhere. Words march across paper, cardboard, wood, fabric and the pavement proclaiming slogans, thoughts, poems. The homeless in these encampments are not demoralized. They have joined forces with idealistic youth and veteran activists to wake the country up. Maybe, over time, to forge a new path.

Call them dreamers, but they're not the only ones. Outside the camps are thousands of supporters who, even it they are hanging on to solvency by their fingernails, are donating time and resources. This is what is stymying city halls in Oakland and San Francisco. Support for the movement is probably greater than support for any of our elected officials.

The country has awoken to the realization that most of the time most of our government does not act in the people's interest.

Occupy Wall Street has stepped forward in a radical vote of no confidence. They have correctly condemned the government and its institutions for overlooking the crimes of the rich ( even bailing them out - with our money.) while allowing the banks to illegally foreclose on the poor. In an act of civil disobedience, they are reclaiming the public square for the people.

Direct Action and Agents Provocateurs

There is talk in Oakland, since the late night vandalization of businesses after the General Strike, that the encampment is providing shelter for violent anarchists. I remain dubious. Historically anarchism, which has had many varied tendencies, has been overwhelmingly non-violent. (Indeed the 'humble and colossal' Camille Pissaro, father of Impressionism, whose works are now on display at the Legion of Honor was a lifelong anarcho-syndicalist – more about him in a later blog.) Most people I overheard or conversed with in Oakland were adamant in their commitment to non-violence.

A troubling aspect to these incidents is growing evidence a) that police have been infiltrating the movement and b) they and/or other national security agencies may be encouraging the masked 'black bloc' mob as a way of discrediting the entire movement. Clearly, it was not to the advantage of anyone in the Oakland encampment to break the windows of Sully's Cafe which has been openly supportive of the encampment.

OCCUPY OAKLAND: TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT? AN ARTIST'S VIEW

Anthony Holdsworth October 26, 2011

I visited Occupy Oakland several days after it began. Approaching the encampment walking south on 14th Street I saw tents encircling the steps of the amphitheater in front of City Hall. The encampment was muddy. It had rained the night before. As I passed the great oak, living symbol of the city, the outdoor kitchen was in full swing. I was surprised by its scale and organization. I entered the plaza, formerly known as Frank Ogawa, where the size and complexity of the encampment became clear. It was as if a Bay Area demonstration had brought it's camping gear on a march and decided to bivouac here. There were placards representing the full spectrum of progressive thought . There was a media tent, an art tent, a daycare area, a clinic to mention just a few of the dozen, or so, mini-centers scattered among the hundred tents.

This particular afternoon some forty people danced to the beat of drummers. On edge of this crowd of dancers was a young woman, her hair dyed scarlet totally at ease at an easel, painting away. Her name was Jessica Joy Jirsa.

Several days later I would meet another gifted artist, John Paul Marcelo, painting the amphitheater. His picture would appear in the Sunday Edition( Oct 23) of the San Francisco Chronicle in a photo montage of the Occupation.

On my second visit I was impressed to see bales of hay and straw scattered over the grass to prevent it from being reduced to mud. There were also improvised walkways made of shipping palettes. I began to recognize the faces of people I've encountered many times when I paint on the streets around city center - some of them homeless.

I witnessed a singular sight as I stood on the corner of the amphitheater near City Hall and 14th Street. A band of young men, one with a black flag on a stick, were chasing the police out of the Plaza (which occupiers have renamed for Oscar Grant, the young black man murdered in cold blood by a BART officer.) The police looked furious and a little scared. They'd obviously been ordered to stand down.

Oct 18th, I started my first painting. A view of the colorful tents below the looming facade of City Hall (See above). I worked on it for four afternoons.

Painting here was easier than than working on nearby Broadway. Everyone was supportive and delighted to see me. In general, the camp was peaceful with dedicated people planting vegetables, communicating information, running art classes and meeting the press.

There were discordant notes. Young men, white and black, with large, ill-disciplined dogs that would snap at people and attack each other. A group of monitors who angrily drove some reporters away. A man who was becoming aggressive was noisily forced out of the encampment by a chanting crowd that never actually touched him.

On my third day a dedicated, African American organizer told me “ The homeless aren't our biggest problem. Many of them are settling down and becoming politicized. We can help them. It's other elements... We've been telling people to keep their dogs out of the camp, to smoke pot at night, in their tents. We're getting a security detail together, but one thing we are not equipped to handle is mental illness. ” He seemed tired but undaunted.

The first two nights of Occupy Oakland the vice mayor, Desley Brooks, slept in one of these tents. The city, like most of the country, was proud to welcome this long overdue uprising against the injustice of our corporate controlled government.

Of course, city officials and hot-headed activists, many with a deep distrust of the Oakland Police Department, were not likely to see eye to eye for long especially, when the city's perennial problems of drugs, crime, homelessness, the mentally ill and, of course, rats all began to make an appearance right in front of City Hall. I hasten to add that none of these problems seemed anywhere as serious here as those I've witnessed on the surrounding streets. But for City Hall it was too close for comfort.

October 25: This morning I learned that 600 police officers from 17 jurisdictions had raided the camp between four and five AM. Despite the fact that there were children in the camp, tear gas and flash grenades were used to dislodge about 150 inhabitants who offered no violent resistance. At least one was injured by the police. City Center, when I arrived, resembled a debris strewn battle field. I photographed the two scenes I had recently painted. What a sad contrast.

I understand that the city was concerned with liability, health and public safety issues, but these tireless activists deserved our full support. In a time of home foreclosures and job layoffs without end, they have displayed laudable ingenuity and humanity in confronting the intractable problems of homelessness and poverty. They provided three meals a day to hundreds of people as well as a safe place for people to sleep and converse. Childcare, education, even a free clinic. Yes it was chaotic, at times, but whatever the problems I never saw any 'human waste' nor 'unsafe structures'. There were donated portable toilets that smelled a trifle ripe on warm days.The kitchen may have been improvised but it was well run and clean. I only learned of one violent incident. The outcome, handled within the camp, was probably better than if police had been involved. Indeed crime decreased in downtown Oakland for the sixteen days that this camp existed.

In my opinion, Oakland has fumbled a golden opportunity. The Occupy Movement represents a massive paradigm shift that is absolutely necessary if this nation and the world is to finally confront the collapsing economy and the impending environmental crisis. With reason many Occupy activists have no respect for our government institutions. Oakland officials need to rise to the occasion, put aside their foolish pride and work hand in hand with people who are willing to walk, and live among the poor and provide them, on a 24 hour basis, with essential services.

The city might just become part of the solution.

Paintings of Oakland at the Berkeley Art Center, Aug 20

Anthony Holdsworth August 13, 2011

I am displaying two paintings of the Uptown district of Oakland in the juried exhibition 'California!' at the Berkeley Art Center. It opens Aug 20th with a reception that evening from 5 - 7 pm. Join me there. The paintings both feature an old apartment building from different points of view at the corner of 23rd and Telegraph that is currently occupied by Rock Paper Scissors one of the founding members of the popular Oakland Art Murmur. Across the street are several galleries including Chandra Cerrito, The Johansson Projects and Hatch Gallery.

These works are some of my first painted on thin, hardwood ply. They represent a new chapter in my urban landscapes, as they were created using my new bike and trailer which I've outfitted to carry painting gear and plywood panels up to 20" x 26".

They eliminate the four F's of setting up to paint on city streets: parking Fees & Fines and Fossil Fuels.

In the back of the trailer (Below Left) you can see my easel and painting table on top of a narrow wooden box that carries the plywood canvases. Brushes and paints are stored below.

The easel itself (Above Right) has a wooden table that doubles as a protective carrier for a canvas and a paint filled palette when it is not attached to the easel. It was designed and built by myself and painter Marvin Dalander.

Archival Prints on Paper or Canvas for Peanuts!

Anthony Holdsworth July 28, 2011

If you, like most of us, have tightened your belt in this ailing economy you've probably decided to forgo purchasing luxuries like original art.

I am offering limited edition, archival prints on paper or canvas of some of my best paintings at unusually low prices. Prices that are one half to one quarter the going rate for archival reproductions!

To view the full inventory click on 'Shop' at the top of this page.

Created under my supervision at Magnolia Editions in Oakland, the prints on paper are pigmented ink-jet on archival paper. The prints on canvas, which to the casual eye are indistinguishable from original paintings, are stretched and ready to hang. They are protected with two layers of UV resistant matt varnish.

These are not the original works, but they are as close as you can get for a fraction of the price.

Because they are signed, limited editions they will appreciate modestly over time. Properly cared for they should remain vibrant for four to five generations.

Painted on location in San Francisco, Italy, Istria, Oakland, Mexico and Cuba the more than forty images start at $ 125 for a square foot print on paper (edition limited to 200). The large prints on canvas (five square feet – edition limited to forty) signed and ready to hang are $ 700.

Consider purchasing these archival prints not only for your home or office but as special gifts for close friends and family.

For rebates on shipping and handling fees::

If you are within driving distance of my studio, phone me when you make your order. We can arrange for you to pick up your purchase and I will refund the shipping and handling fees at that time.(It may take me two or three days to return your call. Production of prints may take up to ten days.)

Purchasing the original works:

Some of the original oil paintings are available for sale at my Studio or at SFMOMA Artists Gallery at Fort Mason in San Francisco

Revisit my site every few months to view new additions to my inventory.

About the artist

Anthony Holdsworth was born in England in 1945. He was introduced to oil painting in high school by the New England painter, Loring Coleman. Holdsworth embarked on a painting career while working as Head of Outdoor Restoration for the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy after the flood of 1966. He continued his studies at the Bournemouth College of Art in England where he studied with master draftsman Samuel Rabin and color theorist Jon Fish and at the San Francisco Art Institute where he studied with Julius Hatofsky, Bruce McGaw and Fred Martin. He has shown with major galleries in Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles. He has participated in two exhibitions at the Oakland Museum. He was included in the California Cityscapes exhibition at the San Diego Museum. He was a recipient of WESTAF-NEA fellowship in 1990. His work is in corporate and private collections worldwide.

Anthony Holdsworth

Dispatches from the street