"Dragon's Joy" ONLI Copyright 2009 Rhythmistic otherworldliness

I saw the amazing future-primitif movie AVATAR and thought.

Hmmmmmmmm. Deja vu all over again!

OK. I will say it. After all I am not in a politically correct mood these days. I was there way back in the 20th Century!!! The following sequence of images were innovated. Were created by me in late 1977. I shopped them around in Paris and London to major publishers and filmmakers. The same in Los Angeles New York. Even Chicago. In White and Black circles. In each I was met with the ugly. Or should I say resistance.

I was told in Paris. by a person who was well connected, "Turtel, your color is holding you back!" I thought, hmmmmm, he was dumb enough to figure that shit out? His family continues to bankroll major films to this day. I should look him up. He also stated that a heterosexual Black male is not supposed to be able to envision with such clarity these types of images with a conceptual context as well. Fertile with potential. No way! An associate editor at Heavy Metal Magazine at that time was told if he brought my work to another meeting he would lose his job. I was told this at times. How rude???

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The undeniable power of these images did get a very limited run in the trendy magazine MODE AVANT GARDE. They backed off of doing a major campaign with them when one of the owners realized I was me. In fact I had to start a fight in the office to regain my original artwork and they refused to pay me since I was not a French citizen. But they did publish the work and exploit the look. Who cared? Other than me.....it is a very short list. No affirmative action in the visual arts. No diversity sensitivity plan. No globalization. No John Brown to the rescue. Those were to late 1970s.

When I illustrated for the Paris Metro Magazine during that time, I was later told that when potential clients or investors would call asking about me, the owner/editor would instruct his staff not to let me know. In Black circles the word on me was I was too "white". My work was "too deep" and not about "real life" in the 'hood or Black history. These were the narrow minded medival days of the visual arts game! So 20th Century.

However, I do own the copyright to this image and character. I will find more support. My folks. My investors. My collectors. My clients. My students. My fans. All who will want me to continue this work. Those who are comfortable with the fact that I continue to be a prolific visual thinker looking for the right team to make it happen. I do have my moments where I get through the resistance. Like the internationally acclaimed COOL GLOBES traveling public art collection.

When I look at AVATAR I see aspects my vision in full effect. It affirms that I was right but the folks I was shopping to were not ready. Why do I see their face all over that movie? See? Great minds do think alike. It comes down to who gets the breaks. The big ones. It puts me back in the hunt.

The Rhythmistic Venus image/ illustrations were done during that time. the late '70s. Art directors would ask for a sample but instead of contacting me later for work, they would bring in other non-Black illustrators and direct them to mimic my style. To base their works on my innovations. Then run out of gas for a lack of vision. Yes this happened to the Rhythmistic Art movement in every market it ventured.

Even in its home, Chicago, where a major art dealer met with me, and upon realizing I did the work, she ran her rich, powerful self out of our meeting rudely screaming that I was a fraud. A fraud for doing my own artwork which she thought was created by a non-Black since it had been mailed to her from my Paris address? Her staff blocked my attempts to follow her. I wasn't gonna go off or something. She ran from the truth. The future was too much for her. I just wanted to enlighten her to the potential of the Rhythmistic visual arts movement. Before I even tried Paris I met with the best illustrator-rep/ artist agent in Chicago. He said, "Well Turtel, what are you gonna do? You are too creative for us and your own people will not support you!" I took that challenge! Just look though the archives on this blog. These are just a few moments of resistance on the parts of powerful folks suffering from a serious lack of vision. Not brilliant thinkers like yourself. The truth is me and Rhythmism exists. I persist. And I insist that for all of their career-making power, privilege and prestige they were all so very wrong. Weak, even.

Since you were nice enough to visit and read this I have something else to say.

Game over. RHYTHMISM LIVES!!!!!!!

Meanwhile the "Cool Globe" public art collection is traveling the world. In Copenhagen they were there during the heated debate about how to overcome global warming on a global level. My 'Itz A Rhtyhmistic World" Cool Globe was fortunate enough to be featured in the press coverage of this important event. A while back it was featured in the New York Times. Rhythmism in the mix!

www.coolglobes.org
Chicago's Mayor Daley congratulated the Cool Globe project and stressed its importance to Chicago and the world. Onli was asked to speak on behalf of the Conservation Clubs of Chicago.
"Gazelle" 1978 Graphite. Onli. (Damaged in a studio fire 2001.)

We are still not in commercial galleries but we are right here.

It has been a long , life giving, people meeting, archaic cheating life in the arts and the Rhythmic Zone. The orthodox in the fine art world are serious about picking and choosing which contemporary fine artists you will see, hear about, or be allowed to appreciate as valued. With the fortunes of money, influence, power, and backstabbing methods, they choose to be slow and expect you to be even slower. They undervalue your ability to see through the fog of biases and black-balling they do in order to limit your visual intellect. Your visual cognition. Your cultural expressions. They even try to write the truth out of so many moments in fine art history.

The smarter you are the luckier for me. That you continue to find me along with others like me. You find the Rhymistic fine art movement as the creative pathway from the primitif to the future by way of talent, effort, flow, and an assortment of belief systems. There is no force like an idea whose time has come. We have done so much for so long with so little that we are now qualified to do the impossible with nothing. BANK!

See what I mean? The foundation for things to come. Rhythmism lives!!!!!

Onli at his drawing table in his high rise lake view studio.

Great people, like the late Mayor of Chicago, Harold Washington, know the truth and potential of Rhythmistic fine art.

Back in da day, sitting in the seat of power and progress as a creative player in the process.

"Isis Eyes" 1999 Acrylics. 40" X 30"

Who are your favorite living visual artists? How great is the artist or the art in your collection? It could be even greater........ There is more going on than simply "personal taste" or art being 'subjective'. And you deserve that "more". How about Rhythmistic fine art for your collecting with no gallery mark up or limitations.

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Dr. Carol Adams, The President of the DuSable Museum of African American History and Cook County Commissioner / vocal legend, Jerry Butler watching the legendary media & radio icon Herb Kent, "The Cool Gent", used my "Passion Fruit / No Evils" Rhythmistic art exhibition at ETA in Chicago as the setting to present and autograph his new autoboigraphy in the Spring of 2009. The event was packed with his fans and well wishers.

It provided yet another opportunity for Chicagoans to celebrate and learn about creative expressions that were generated in Chicago and went on to have greater influence and potential. In attendance were author-historian Eugene Perkins, a Black cowboy and a NBC news producer, writer-novelist Angela Jackson, a bunch of Black cowboys and lots of fans of Herb Kent.... The theatre dept of Chicago State University/Plus ETA filmed Herb's signing...info per Yeye Lynvonne Host of Cafe Yeye WCSUradio.

Fine Art. Media. Radio. Literature. "What becomes a legend most?

Herb taking a moment to reflect on some of the artwork.

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Dr. Wright had shared some very compelling insights with Onli based on her astute interpretations of some of the artworks in the show. Especially the baptism theme in the "Wading Da Waters" painting. She heads a cultural arts committee at the Trinity church in Chicago and promised to bring them, at a later date, to see the exhibition.

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Serious collectors were attracted to the casual yet museum style presentation of the "Passion Fruit / No Evils" Rhythmistic solo fine art exhibition. It made it easy for them to embrace the artworks and to understand that Rhythmism is actually a visual arts movement with growth potential.

The word among some fine art speculators is that the prices and value of the works in this show will double after the exhibition is over.




Marcia made a connection with "Reach". She was drawn to its powerful use of nudilty and grace to show a woman as an iconic goddess without it being erotic. The reach of life from the Sun was a concept she was pleased to see expressed in a painting. She wanted to know about the original drawing that was the basis for it. Onli first drew the image as an ink drawing when he was 19 years old. It did not become a painting until he was 49. Now she wants that drawing!!!

Notice the abstracted environment that symbolizes the Sun's radiant energy. Rhythmism uses counting as a design element in a manner that is similar to how musical compositions use math in their construct.

Erika wanted to discuss with Onli how this "No Evils" painting packed so much visual impact while not using brilliant colors. Instead it is based on a limited palatte of white, black, and a few half tones. Here they are exploring the Rhythmistic design aspects that come together so successfully in this painting. She is a professional web software designer and visual artist. There was a lot of artspeak going on here.





Nisha is a fashion designer who shows that art often foreshadows life. Her look is akin the look of these future-primitif "No Evil" women. She wanted to pose with the image along with the artist. This was the first time they had met. Meanwhile the buzz around the opening was that the painting was actually a portrait of her. She thought the attention was so cool. So did Onli.

The evercool Herbert, (HHH), was on hand to make sure that Onli didn't go too far out in terms of explaining all things Rhythmistic. Being esoteric that is. HHH has been a Rhythmistic associate since Onli's early days of exhibiting at the legendary Younger Gallery that was the Rhythmistic flash point in Hyde Park, Chicago in the 1980s. The well known international art dealer Eugene Foney looks on.

HHH often insists that people move at their own pace and that this new art movement will have to accept that. He suggests that Onli return to Paris, France and take the two collections to the international market. Gimme just a little more time.

A pensive moment as Onli reflects on the honor of so many people coming out to learn about his work and his ideas about the visual art movement known as Rhythmism. He thanked them all for sharing their time and attention which adds so much to his learning experience as an artist. Being an emergent master in the contemporary arts he appreciates the value of connecting people with the Rhythmistic works of art in the form of a gallery showcase. This allows one to experience how various visual statements work off each other.

This important exhibition was at ETA until May 31st 2009. After Artropolis you may want to discover the Rhythmistic art movment in Chicago.

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