Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Sept. 29, 1988, edition 1 / Page 5
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ENTERTAINMENT Page 7A la Ul, TITT!^ Im eei^ ssar* mu iiiinir~~~ Juan Logan Cat Prince PHolos/UNEY Prince Sizzling In LoveSexy M.L.LaNey Post Entertainment Editor The tension was building days before the Lovesexy Tour '88 pulled into the Queen City. The city was in a cool sweat Anticipation of what to expect was running high. At the Coli seum Saturday night anti- Prince protestors with a seven- foot cross were denied admis sion, while other protestors passed out leaflets. The leaflets condemned Prince and warned that he was anti- Christian. It didn't matter. A steady stream of tlcketholders poured through the admission gates. Backstage, Prince appeared briefly, wearing a black and white stage outfit. He was escorted by two huge bodyguards. He peered out into the audience and satisfied him self that the fans were frenzied enough to receive him. He returned to his dressing room riding a ten-speed bicycle. Shortly, the band made it's way to the stage. Then Prince drove out in a white picture per fect '57 Thunderbird. The experi ence began. Outside ticket hawkers cried out, "Last minute Prince ticket special, get 'em while he's hot!" Inside, Prince's Lovesexy took the city by storm. It was an energy form that was rare Indeed. Life as we know it was transfigured by the sheer so nority of this performance.The props were wild too. The show was staged on ap proximately one-hundred tons of flashing, falling, rising, ro tating stage. The lighting was brilliant in Itself, with yellow, red and blue bidding for the spotlight. The eight member band was highly charged as they cut into the first half of the show. Singer-dancer Cat and percus sionist Sheila E. contributed sweet sweat to the pulse of Prince's downbeat. Part one ended with Prince proclaiming, " I'm ready to go higher...are you?" During intermission, Cedric "Combread" Maxwell was found taking a break to get refresh ments for his wife and 2 year old daughter. 'This is a wild show, but I'm enJo)dng myself," said Maxwell. The gents and ladies in atten dance reflected a fashion con scious group sporting feathered hats, veiled hats and sombreros. Some men showed off their tor sos, while ladles strutted their silkened legs. Hairstyles too showed a wealth of diversification, with rattalls, closecuts and wlldcuts with a sprinkling of do cut. Angela Duncan, 24, came out with co-worker Regina Hill, 21. They both work with computers at E.S.M. Said Regina of Prince, "I'd nev er seen him before, but I think See Prince/LoveSexy Page 8A Pharoah, A Man Who Would Be God Special To The Post By Dt. Moses Thomas Egypt! Mysterious, exotic, for- blddien - the land of the Pha raohs, of Anthony and Cleopa tra, of Nefertltl, of camels, pyramids, sand and desert, of Moses and the Hebrew children, and as every school child knows, the Nile and the Inscrutable Sphinx. And now the world knows, the land of Ramses II as well. The Greek historian and trav eler Herodotus in the fifth cen tury B.C. called Egypt the "gift of the river," meaning the Nile. And rightly so. It is perhaps the sin gle most Important factor which has shaped Egyptian life, socie ty and history. The Nile has been a creative force. Serving to unify Egypt, it served as the principal highway and promot ed easy communication throughout the valley. It was a factor in the early political unifi cation of Egypt. Elarly Egypt was basically self- sufficient. The raw materl^s not provided by mother nature were close at hand - copper from Si nai and timber from Lebanon. An accident of geography per mitted Egypt to develop its life style in relative isolation. Deserts and cataracts combined to shield Egypt from invasion from east, west, and south and from external immigration as well. Only in the north did the Mediterranean Sea leave Egypt vulnerable. Centuries of relative isolation characterized by peace and tranquillity permitted Egypt to develop its distinctive civilization. The geographical unity of Egypt qulcfiy gave rise to politi cal unification of the country under the authority of a king whom the Egyptians called "pharaoh." Egyptian history tells of a great king, Menes, who united Egypt into a single king dom aroimd 3100 B.C. From that point, Egyptians divide their history into dynasties, or fami lies of kings. The political unifi cation of Egypt ushered in the period known as the Old King dom. an era remarkable for. prosperity, artistic flowering, and the evolution of religious beliefs. The focal point of religious and political life in the Old Kingdom was the pharaoh, who com manded the wealth, resources, and the people of all Egypt. The ordinary Egyptian approached his gods through homage to his pharaoh. And thus the pharaoh could muster workers by the thousands, each laboring to glo rify his king - Eind preserve his ruler's Influence as Intercessor with the divine world. The king was a living link between his subjects and the gods. The pharaoh's power was such that the Egyptians considered him to be the falcon-god Horus in human form. The link be tween the pharaoh and the god Horus was doubly important. In Egyptian religion Horus was the son of Osiris (king of the dead), which meant that the pharaoh, a living god on earth, became one with Osiris after death. The pharaoh was not simply the mediator between the gods frf/^ niuatzration By l^oinaa Hilla and the Egyptian people. Above all he was the power that achieved the , Integration be tween gods and humans, be tween nature and society, that ensured peace and pros perity for the land of the Nile. The pharaoh was thus a guaran tee to his people, a pledge that the gods of Egypt cared for their people. The king's surroundings had to See The God King Page 12A Painter Juan Logan Shows Artsy Depth ByM.L.LiJ«ey Post Entertainment Editor The Light Factory is presently exhibiting a multi-media show titled "Ejuthly Bounds Environ ment As Metaphor." Within this exhibition are sev en paintings from noted artist, Juan Logan. Logan has titled his exhibit, "Soldiers." This inclusion is somewhat unusual because the Light Facto ry is principally a gallery where photographic works have been shown. Logan is originally from Nash ville, Tennessee. The 42 year old artist now resides in Belmont, N.C. Since his boyhood, Logan has had an eye for details. This comes from a love of nature and the comprehensiveness of art as a form of expression. I found the works engaging, if not consummately profound. The nature of the titles would suggest a very narrow thematic format. But Logan says, "This is not the case at all." Logan calls "Soldiers," "An in teresting collection gleened from a much broader grouping of my work." Logan's technique is rather unique in itself for those who have not witnessed it heretofore. He uses layers of paint that are applied and then carefully scraped off with a trowel. Then additional layers are applied in different colors to achieve the desired affect. "Everyone may not like what I do wl^ this par ticular approach, but at least they can be crltcally correct.A critique gave me a very negative review on one of my exhibits, re ferring to my haggardly brush strokes." "But I don't use a brush at all in my work. I'd like to think that when people are critical they are at least paying more attention than that," says Logan. For Logan, there is a degree of irony in the fact that the impac- tual elements of his work are symbolic concepts. He works wholly with the ide as of power and the representa- . tlon of images to suggest subtle relationships. He sees, for instance, a much deeper context for his pieces than would be apparent from an initial interpretation of his works. For Logan, a suit and tie are as powerfiil as a soldiers uniform and/or stripes. The point can be seen in his la beling of the various pieces with titles that aim at Imagery of the peaceful and the ordinary. For example, there Is Week ender #4, White Line #5 and Mi ami Beach #10. Logan contends that, "There is more devastation in the deci sion making power of the politi cian than in the overt effects of the warrior's craft. The social manifestations of corporate magnates are far more lasting than the oppressions of a dicta tor." Nonetheless, some clarifica tion may be helpful for a thor ough appreciation of Logan's alms. Logan is not a great talker, though he speaks Incessantly about his work. He has studied it from a varie ty of angles and found a point of view that is all but his own. In any conversation with Lo gan there is an ongoing flow of ideas about his art. This information is both ab stract and studious in it's appli cation. His doodling has an originali ty that many artist can only ape at. Logan sees a need to further the acceptance of the creative value of black art, not as black art per sey. but as an equivalent form on a level with any recognized expression. He expresses it in this way, "Kids need to have access to the arts, parents must provide that access. You see we don't teach culture to our kids. I think we should all strive to be involved." 'The most Important thing is that parents have to be Involved. We have to send positive messag es to our young people. Why send the wrong message, one that says less is acceptable when it is not." He continued," We have to say that which conveys the positive aspects of endeavor, you have to be veiy critical of your work. It is never desirable to promote less than your very best. To do that is less than worthy of your self as an artist." Logan noted that there are ob stacles to progress in every un dertaking. "Some individuals are not capable of dealing with the system as it exists," says Lo gan. 'Tough times don't last long, but tough people do," advises the artist. "So many times we sabotage our own efforts," says Logan. "1 talk sometimes about prepara tion and opportunity. In order to take advantage of an opportuni ty you must be properly pre pared. Like the sign says there is no greater responslbllty than an- opportunity," touts Logan. Logan's work is subject to a va riety of interpretations. Of "Soldiers" Logan says, "This is my attempt to document what is going on socially around us. The show at the Light Factory is a very exciting one for me." But anyone who is Interested in art will find these paintings pleasing and aesthetically arousing. It is a show that should be vis ited by arts enthusiast and oth ers who will appreciate the di versity of Juan Logan's concepts. The Light Factory is located at 119 E. 7th Street. For informa tion caU (704) 333-9755.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Sept. 29, 1988, edition 1
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