Frescoes By Bogdanoff

Back in 1990, I was at an afternoon cocktail party in Hollywood, CA, which changed my life as an artist. On the east wall in the living room was a magnificent dyptic, which portrayed playful blue monkeys floating around antelope. In the background were curious shapes that resembled puzzle pieces. It appeared that the artwork was on stone or granite. I had never seen such work, and I was taken by the subject matter. It was my good fortune that the artist was at the party. I sat with him and we talked about his work. He told me his method for creating the work, which I wrote down on a cocktail napkin (which I still have to this day). However, he omitted the source he used for his magical subject matter. Sadly, he told me that he was retiring from the art world and moving to a remote part of Ireland. Speculation was that he was planning to drink himself to death. Known to be a hard drinker and self-destructive, this didn’t surprise those who knew him.

I left that party determined to try my hand at fresco secco, the method he used which is painting on a dry plaster surface.

Beverly Hills Public Library

Back in 1990, I didn’t have the luxury of Google, so I went to the Beverly Hills Library, which has an extraordinary art history section.

I had no idea what culture, civilization or timeline to look up, so I sat for hours on the second floor of the library going through every book available to find those monkeys and antelope.

I came upon a book called The Arts of Assyria, by André Parrot. The cover illustration had colors reminiscent of the blue monkey/antelope dyptic that I saw at the party. As I was perusing through it, I realized that I was way off-base. However, I was intrigued by an illustration of bronze winged ram-headed sphinxes, 8th century B.C., that I found on page 256 of the book. So I made a copy of the image and, using it as inspiration, created my first fresco. That was in 1990. I remember, while breaking that fresco up in pieces on my kitchen counter, how strange it felt to be “vandalizing” a work of art that I had just created.

Bronze Relief

My Interpretation of the Winged Ram-Headed Sphinxes, 1990

Still very determined to find the monkeys and antelope, I went back to the library many times until one day I came upon the book by Dr. Nanno Marinatos entitled Art and Religion in Thera, Reconstructing a Bronze Age Society.

Art and Religion in Thera

Wary by this time that I’d find what I’ve been searching for, I perused through the pages. There were pictures of archaeological digs, pottery adorned with flowers and birds, illustrations of wall murals depicting decorative border shapes above storytelling paintings with stick figures and boats and fish, and landscape scenes. As I turned to page 115, I felt like I struck gold, for there I found a wall mural that depicted numerous blue monkey figures in various poses, with the fascinating background shapes, like puzzle pieces, which I saw in the dyptic that fateful day at the cocktail party.

After I got over my shock, I began to read about my finding: The Aegean island of Thera, which is now known as Santorini, contained a Bronze Age settlement called Akrotiri.

Ruins of Akrotiri

In 1500 B.C., the settlement was destroyed by an immense volcanic eruption. In the early 1900s, archaeologists discovered the buried settlement and digging ensued. They uncovered a palace room, which they later tagged as Room B6 (shrine) of sector B. Much of the remnants found in the shrine portray a family of blue monkeys climbing on the rocks of the island’s volcano. Also found at the site was a portion of a wall-painting with what appears to be the head of a dog. It is believed that the scene depicts the canine chasing the group of fleeing monkeys.

Room B6 (shrine) of sector B, Akrotiri

Post-restoration

The monkey theme is popular in frescoes throughout Crete and on Thera. It is believed that the monkey motif originated in Crete and was later incorporated in art found at Akrotiri. Artists from both locales used blue coloring to represent the monkey’s coat and skin. The monkeys almost have a human-like quality. It is understood that the monkeys were looked upon by the Minoans and the inhabitants of Thera as sacred animals and servants to the gods.

I left the library with xerox copies I made of the book. I couldn’t wait to create my first blue monkey fresco!

Blue Monkeys No. 1

Blue Monkeys No. 1, which is in my private collection, takes on the colors and abstract shapes of the folliage, however the monkeys themselves are a loose interpretation of the mural monkeys.

In Blue Monkeys No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5, I created frescoes to mirror the Akrotiri wall mural. Beginning with Blue Monkeys No. 6, I chose to create my own interpretation, which I continue to use today.

Blue Monkeys No. 3

Blue Monkeys Nos. 4 and 5

After I opened my gallery in 2002 and began to gain recognition for my work, my Blue Monkey Collection received considerable attention, and I got to be known as “The Blue Monkey Guy”. I was flattered, but I didn’t want to be locked-in by just my blue monkey frescoes. By this time I was producing frescoes based on numerous subject matter not related to monkeys. So, I decided to expand my series to include the Red Monkey Collection and the Green Monkey Collection. That appeared to work, and I became known as “The Fresco Guy”.

In creating my compositions for all of the Monkey Collections, I incorporate movements inspired by ballet and interpretive dance to project fluidity and grace through the monkeys’ torsos, arms and legs. I’ve designed the tails to convey the monkeys’ actions and moods. I work in abstract shapes and designs to enhance the scene and interact with the monkeys. Many of my backgrounds have a subtle shift in color midway between the top and bottom, to give the impression of landscape and sky or, in some instances, the illusion of dusk. My goal is to provide the viewer with an animal unlike any seen in captivity or imagined by anthropologists or zoologists, neither primate nor human, evoking a presence that is mysterious, sensuous and timeless.

Due to the popularity of my monkeys, I began a series of giclée prints. My first series of these archival works were of my blue monkeys, and then I later expanded the collections to include other selected works I’ve created throughout the years. All include artist remarqué and seal.

Needless to say, I am eternally grateful for the Monkeys of Thera and the artists who created them back around 1500bc. These “servants to the gods” have been with me throughout my journey as a fresco secco artist. This is why I didn’t hesitate when deciding on the subject matter for my tattoos.

My Blue Monkey Tats

Thanks to that random day in 1990 at a Hollywood cocktail party, and thanks to Larry, I’m enjoying a life of fresco painting, which brings me tremendous joy to create.

I was introduced to the Minoan civilization back in 1990. I was at a party in Hollywood, CA, and hanging on one wall were two painted panels depicting blue monkeys and antelope. The backgrounds had intriguing designs comprised of geometric shapes resembling puzzle pieces, in blues and reds. The artist was at the party and, knowing that he was relocating to Ireland in a few weeks to ‘retire’ (i.e. drink himself to death), I pumped him with questions about his technique. I wrote down everything he told me on a cocktail napkin, thus the birth of my interest in frescoes. I didn’t think to ask him about the subject matter.

Beverly Hills Public Library

Days later I went to the Beverly Hills Library, which had (and still has) an extensive art department. I went through countless art history books and found a book entitled The Arts of Assyria, which had a cover of a wall mural which had colors similar to those of the panels I admired days earlier. I couldn’t find any monkeys or antelopes, but I did find a bronze relief that I liked. I made a copy of it at the library and created my first fresco.

It wasn’t until many visits later, that I found what I was in search of. There, in the ancient Greek section on the shelves, I came upon Art and Religion in Thera; Reconstructing a Bronze Age Society, by Dr. Nanno Marinatos. I had never heard of Thera, but I thought that it couldn’t hurt to skim through this small book rich with pictures. I could have easily missed it, but there on page 115 were the blue monkeys!

I felt like I had struck gold! I sat for hours devouring the book. Page after page of beautiful frescoes: swallows, saffron gatherers, boxing boys, a fisherman, antelope (yes, the same ones I saw in the panels at the party), landscape and seascape scenes, flotillas, and those blue monkeys that would later have a huge impact on my life as a professional artist. I wanted to possess this book, but it was out of print and I had no way of owning it. Remember, this was before the internet and Amazon was popular, so all I had was this book and a copy machine at the public library at my disposal. I made a copy of the entire book, which was my bible on Thera and the Minoan civilization. Of course, thanks to the internet and outlets like Amazon and many other online resources, I now own all of the books that I used to pour through at the library.

The Minoan civilization is considered to be the one of the greatest civilizations in the Greek Bronze Age (the other being the Mycenaean civilization). The Minoan civilization, named after the legendary King Minos, was based on the island of Crete. This civilization possessed a feature unshared by other civilizations, which was an architectural complex of great proportions called a “palace.” The palace housed the rulers that presided over the city or settlement. It was on the walls of these palaces where numerous frescoes were created.

The Minoan civilization was at the height of existence between 2200 and 1450 BC (end of the Early Bronze Age). Its richest and finest period was around 1725 BC, after the old palace period ended with the destruction of most of the existing palaces by a powerful earthquake. The more notable Minoan palace was at Knossos. The palace offers a rich source of frescoes throughout its walls.

Many of the wall paintings discovered in the Aegean region were produced between 1550 and 1450 BC. The Minoan artists style of painting was spontaneous and exuded grand expression.

The subjects of the frescoes generally fell under two categories: nature scenes and palace life. Nature scenes consisted of landscapes, animals, birds and marine life, and were painted with an impressionistic style. Palace subjects included religious festivals and processions, and court ceremonies.

More recently, archeologists have discovered a lost existence on Thera. The excavations at Akrotiri on Thera, now modern Santorini, provides much knowledge about this rich settlement. Thera was made up of wealthy houses c.1500 BC. Soon after these homes were built, they were destroyed by lava in a huge volcanic eruption. Much of the settlement has been recovered by the Greek Archaeological Service. Here, among the debris, excavators uncovered extraordinary frescoes.

Artists from the area created wall paintings with a style that set them apart from the Cretan artists. Though they possessed an execution similar to the artists of Crete, the Theran artists expressed their stylings through coarse application and depiction of life on the island. Theran artists used brilliant colors in their work, as evidenced in an elaborate scene from the room of the blue monkeys. Other subjects of frescoes found included fishermen, boxing children, crowd scenes, antelopes, and landscapes as they appeared prior to the island’s devastating volcanic eruption.

Frescoes at Akrotiri That Have Most Inspired Me

Blue Monkeys fresco at Akrotiri

The blue monkeys, without question, have made the greatest impact in my fresco career. The wall mural of the blue monkeys was found in a palace room at Akrotiri. Here, a family of monkeys are climbing up on the rocks of the volcano that ultimately destroyed the settlement. The monkeys were considered servants to the gods, and it is believed that the room they were depicted was a room of worship.

Saffron Gatherers

The saffron gatherers are found on the east wall in room 3a of Xeste 3. One woman is shown with her arms outstretched, while gazing at a woman opposite her, with a lively and impatient expression, as if anxious for reassurance that she is performing the task correctly.

Fresco of the Lilies

The Fresco of the Lilies, on the ground floor in room 2 at Akrotiri, as been a large influence for my Swallows With Lilies series. The original fresco adorned three walls from floor to ceiling. Swallows fly amid stalks of red lilies. The slight bend of the stalks implies a gentle breeze. It is believed that the artist was attempting to express the beginning of spring. Because a millstone and sickle were discovered in room 2, the room is thought to have been a shrine where rites were practiced in relation to a harvest festival and/or the processing of grain.

Antelope of Akrotiri

The middle zone on the west, north and east walls of Room Beta 1 were devoted to a study of the antelope.  Though the antelope are rendered in outline only, the artist revealed the strength of his talent, giving them expression and depicting them in an amorous converse, as is shown by the movements of the heads, of the lips and the tails.

Flotilla Festival

The frieze on the south wall in room 5 of he West House depicts a procession of ships, splendidly adorned, which moves between two towns. It has been recognized that the town on the right is Akrotiri itself. It’s unclear what town the ships are coming from. The subject of the frieze is a festival, where a naval fleet plays a large role. The ships vary in size. The passengers are wearing either tunics or long robes. it is reasonable to suggest that they represent people of higher status. This is all the more likely because the ships are in parade and a display of status is surely involved. The special ornamentation of the ships with nature symbols, such as flowers, butterflies and swallows, betokens a religious occasion. dolphins playfully jump around the ships, as if to guide them home.