Mugshot de Catto

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Neslihan Catto ediciones godot



PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST AS A STORYTELLER By Diane Cochrane For Neslihan Catto, Shakespeare’s line

to New York City as a teenager, she

that “all the world’s a stage” might be

pursued this preoccupation on paper.

the words she lives by. Ever since she was a child in Turkey, she has covertly

Her passion became making charcoal

watched people. Overt staring would

portraits; her subjects almost

have been inappropriate for a properly

exclusively strangers. Family and

brought up girl in Turkish society. But

friends get short shrift from her talent

she desperately wanted to unravel the

because she fears she could manipulate

stories that lie behind the facial masks,

the drawings to satisfy her penchant

to understand what roles these actors

for telling stories. She wants fresh

were playing. And after immigrating

eyes to reveal the person’s unique

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qualities, not preconceived ideas. Still,

rather than descriptive. She strives

staring at strangers wasn’t any more

for psychological expression—either

acceptable in America than in Turkey.

her subject’s or her own or perhaps

And working from photographs didn’t

both. The drawings sometimes

provide an answer either; “there isn’t

concentrate on unpleasant aspects of

enough spontaneity for me.” Searching

the human predicament—fear, anger,

for an endless supply of models, she

tension—emotions the viewer can

discovered the perfect solution at The

identify with even though recognition

Art Students League, one of New York’s

can be appalling. Imagine this writer’s

most respected art schools with an

shock when she first encountered Self-

alumni list that is a veritable Who’s Who

Portrait, drawn during a particularly

in American Art..

unhappy time of Catto’s life, and saw the disturbing vision of her own face

As a young woman, Catto studied at

reacting to depression.

CUNY and at the League, married and had two children. Then about twenty

The characteristic intensity of Catto’s

years ago she returned to the art school

portraits is heightened by an uneasy

just so she could paint and use its

frontality.

models. The result is a series of maybe

Artists from sculptors of the anguished

100 extraordinary charcoal drawings,

last days of the Roman Empire down

some of which are now in corporate

to expressionistic painters, such as

and private collections. Others have

Egon Schiele and Alice Neel, of our

been exhibited at universities and

own angst-ridden era have employed

cultural centers in New Jersey and

this device to reveal the man behind

galleries in New York City.

the mask. The frontal stare of Catto’s models forces total consideration of

Catto’s portraits look beyond

every detail and its place within the

appearance; they are interpretive

composition. Brows are furrowed;


eyes deeply set; mouths pinched. But

social standing—what the world has

it is the face as a whole with its terrible

done to them and their reaction to it.

tensions that set the viewer on edge. There are few cast shadows so the

“As I look I get down a story about

subject seems pinned like a specimen

them—I might connect them with

under an unblinking light.

someone else I know with the same facial characteristics, for example or,

At the beginning of the session, Catto

depending on my mood at the time,

walks around the model. “After all, a

my impression might reflect how I feel

person is three-dimensional—I can’t

about them.” This first impression is

look at the model from just one angle.

essential to Catto and she sticks with

I might see a feature from the side that

it. “It’s not a complex analysis—just my

will make all the difference. “The way

natural instincts kicking in.”

they blink their eyes, a smirk, a sloping cheek--something that I will probably

Next comes the process, and for Catto

exaggerate later.”

the process is everything. She sits flat on the floor in front of the model.

Capturing innate and often awkward

“This gives me a view from the neck

but distinctive gestures found in the

upward.” The musculature in the

slight contortion of a mouth, or a

upper body and neck can be a dead

curious shy smile gives Catto a sense

give away in determining whether the

of who they are. They unconsciously

model is comfortable, in a bad mood or

assume their most characteristic poses

whatever. In fact, she is more likely to

which proclaim their character and

focus on these muscles at the beginning

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than on the eyes or nose. John for example, seemed an aggressive and

To accelerate the process, Catto doesn’t

flamboyant gay dressed in leather hot

want to think about materials. So she

pants. His taut neck muscles, however,

uses only the most basic: acid free, 50%

told a different story. “He’s rigid like he

rag, no-frills drawing paper and Ocaldo

just swallowed a tack.”

black and white charcoals. “These are really like black and white pastels.

Most striking about the process is the

They’re not forgiving or erasable—I

urgency with which she approaches

use white as my eraser.” It covers the

the job of communicating her ideas

myriad fingerprints she leaves on the

of the individual. “I work very fast.

paper, as well as large mistakes. When

I can’t draw slowly—I would lose

Catto began Robert, she originally

concentration. This way I get lost in

drew him with the full head of hair he

the drawing—I don’t feel my hand—it

possessed. Then, the image of Robert

is simply an extension of my eye.”

as a tyrant took over the creative

Launched headlong into a frenzy of

process. “You can still see where I put

drawing, she uses an economy of line

a block of white to flatten the hair. This

to initially map the face. A powerfully

was almost more work than the whole

drawn curve from ear to jaw-line might

drawing.” To complete the impression,

jump-start the portrait. Or it might be

she added small strokes of black

the arc of an egg-shaped bald head,

charcoal to his forehead to resemble

as illustrated in Bruce, that loads the

the curls of a Roman dictator.

enormous burden of the dome onto a prominent forehead. As she continues,

White also creates highlights, although

her drawing is remarkable for the

she uses it sparingly. “White gives

efficiency with which it composes and

feather-like touches to masses of hair,”

describes while making every feature

like those seen in Daphne. Down-

an element of expression.

turned mouths and drooping lips are


reinforced by rubbing white charcoal

way into a mask of hostility.

on the white paper. Interpreting a model’s personality Charcoal has a negative aspect,

doesn’t always come easy. “It’s either

however. “It is so dusty—its’ hard

there for me or it’s not. If I start

to keep the paper clean.” After she

to struggle, it doesn’t work.” But it

completes a drawing, Catto shakes

usually does. Her uncanny ability to

off the excess powder and sprays the

see through the cracks in outward

paper. Then she goes a step further

appearance is what makes her work so

when the drawings are framed. The

compelling. Take Bruce, for example.

portraits are double-matted with a 1/8”

Catto immediately sensed that the

space between the two mats, allowing

man did not want to model, especially

the dust to fall to the bottom instead

exposed in the nude--that he was

onto the outer mat.

doing it for the money. To compensate, he tried to exaggerate his manliness.

On one occasion, the dust produced a

The macho look expressed itself in

surprising side effect. As Catto settled

the confrontational stare and the

into her usual routine of sitting in front

nipple rings that shouted his ability to

of the model, Daphne immediately

withstand pain. Walking around him,

began to complain that she was

Catto was struck by the tightness in his

getting dusty and demanded that the

neck and the line beneath the ear, one

artist stop. Her outburst was all Catto

of the most sensitive and vulnerable

needed to decide on Daphne’s outlook

parts of the head. She twisted his neck

on life. Anger and distrust worked their

slightly to the left and squashed the

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ear, transforming a man affecting a

calmly watching the world and all its

calculated attitude of nonchalance to a

follies.

slightly bewildered one trying to put on a good front.

Catto sometimes wonders if her interpretations are on target. “I hope

Leslie tells a different story. Catto

I’m not making them up altogether. I

imagined her as a white-collar criminal

believe it really is them.” Her fears are

just released from prison. Her nicely

unjustified, according to one of the

styled hair and carefully plucked

instructors, Peter Homitzky, who does

eyebrows suggest respectability as do

know the models. “Catto nails them,”

the pearl earrings and necklace. But

he said without hesitation.

the tense set of the mouth, the bitter bulges under the lip and the coarse

In the past, Catto has used other

and thickened neck reveal a darker

mediums and subjects. Large colorful

side, while the eyes, not able to meet

oil still lives hang on the walls of her

the viewer’s glance, reflect fear and

loft in Jersey City. Nowadays she still

hopelessness.

considers painting, particularly people. “But a whole figure would distract

Mercedes represents the other end of

me. I would lose concentration. I

the psychological spectrum. Dressed in

also don’t want to think about color

a beautiful caftan with a colorful head

and composition. I have found my

wrap and fine gold jewelry, Catto found

medium.” And when her work satisfies

her strong and proud, a woman at ease

her, she says, “I bring someone home

with herself. “She also had a motherly

with me.”

quality, but you wouldn’t want to fool around with her.” To emphasize her regal bearing, Catto tilted her head back and turned her eyes upward, as though




It’s either there for me or it’s not. If I start to struggle, it doesn’t work.



Women



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Yunny

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