Stephen Fitzgerald, Sydney
Member Since December 2019
Artist Statement Words aren’t working so I’ve taken the Banksy approach. I’ve researched all the facts and put the background storey on global warming into one powerful piece of contemporary art. ”Charlie D” could be Charles Dickens, political activist and literary genius or, Charles Darwin the scientist who introduced us to the theory of evolution. Inspired by Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus", Charlie Dee also represents our own remarkable evolution and astonishing beauty, to reminds us that, some things are worth saving.
The opposing mountains, leaning towards each other, represent a monumental real life battle and portray the environmental and humanitarian devastation of rampant corporate greed, on one side, in opposition to the natural world and society on the other.
Anyone focused on the Botticelli styled nudity of Charlie Dee is distracted from the main issue and, is missing the point. It’s telling us something frightening. It's telling us, if we don't look at the bigger picture, we are going to be destroyed by our own lack of vision and, this artwork lifts the veil on that. This painstakingly created work of art is a vehicle to help save the future and, in the process, save our priceless art collections for future generations. Like Munch's “The Scream” I'm doing 100 oil pigment reproductions.
The meaning of the name Charlie stands for 'freedom'. In the urban dictionary the meaning is 'love' and, the Celtic translation for Dee is 'Goddess'. Not that Charlie Dee is Celtic, with blue, green, brown Asian eyes she is universal. Once again, Charlie Dee was inspired by Botticelli's modest 1486 version of "The Birth of Venus". The Alexandre Cabanel 1864 version was considered a bit risqué. Much earlier, there is the Venus of Pompeii 79AD version to honour Roman mythology.
In each rendition, the goddess Venus emerges from the water after her birth when fully-grown. A Roman goddess whose functions encompassed love, beauty, desire, fertility, prosperity and victory. The appeal of Charlie Dee is sensory and accessible but, if pursued, also requires thoughtful interpretation. It appeals to our logic and reason plus our artistic side and, this time, the Goddess of love is on a mission to save what she loves.
There are many thought provoking ideas woven into this compelling visual narrative. The animal spirits, and their meaning, are just a small part of this expansive performance and brush lightly over the surface of a much deeper and profound social massage.