By Dominic Viti
Hanging on the very back wall of the Art Haus gallery—viewed by art critics, musicians, hippies, children and sunblock-lathered tourists who are here to see Savannah native Kristine Medina’s “Layers” exhibit in Daytona Beach, Fla.—is a large, unframed oil painting of The Beatles.
“Four Boys from Liverpool” is formatted in the same manner as The Beatles’ cover for their album “Let It Be.” The piece is composed of four (two on top and two on the bottom) 15” by 20” inch canvases displaying a close-up portrait of a band member.
Each depiction is created by small, thin, curvy strokes of shades of blue and taupe, each contrasted against solid, off-white backgrounds.
Every band member looks expressionless, on the verge of dour. Their eyebrows are slanted, their eyes beady. Their closed mouths are motionless. There is no movement, making each band member look artificial, somewhat taxidermic.
“When I create art, I like to make images dark and still,” Medina, a little-known Mexican-American portrait painter, said, “because happy paintings are the farthest thing from being real to me.”
Medina has worked as a hotel housekeeper since she was 18, but has decided to toss out the duster and pick up a paintbrush. Her craft focuses on her dark perception of celebrities, musicians, family members and strange guests she encounters at hotels.
“People are disgusting,” Medina added. “They are too complicated, and for some reason, think they’re special.”
“Four Boys from Liverpool” is a gloomy swirl of van Gogh’s vivid, post-impressionist technique and Francis Bacon’s nightmares.
Medina strives to manifest that John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr are only people, statistics, numbers in a system—and aren’t as significant as anybody else.
There isn’t a single piece of evidence in the painting that suggests they’re musicians; there is no microphone or instrument, only four. Medina suggests that fame isn’t the key to happiness; how it’s overrated and misunderstood.
This painting isn’t a celebration of The Beatles’ legacy. It’s the epitome of Medina’s attitude toward life and purpose in creating art.
Ironically, Medina’s audience enjoys her works because they’re fans of the celebrities she focuses on depicting, especially The Beatles. One enthused viewer after another pointed and said, “Oh, look, Paul McCartney,” or, “Look, there’s Lennon and those glasses of his.”
The Beatles themselves dignify the “Four Boys From Liverpool.” Unfortunately for Medina, her artistic vision is undermined by her viewers’ naïve enjoyment. I guess she’ll just have to let it be.
