Interpreting "February"

"February" is an intense composition, both in visual complexity and the number of thematic associations it contains.  It is also significantly more personal to the artist, as it represents the month of his birth and several other related themes specific to him. Of course, without a firsthand account from the artist himself, we can only infer what he meant to convey, by using other similar images in his entire body of work.  Since he also includes personal material in his compositions, additional support for any ideas regarding the meaning of his imagery has been garnered from the biography we have of his life, and from comments made by individuals who knew him.  It is henceforth understood that these views are my own however, and for the sake of brevity I will refrain from overly repeating that fact.

Themes that appear to be associated with each other in this composition include:  The legend of how the month of February got its name;  The story of St. Valentine and romantic love;  The artists birthday in February;  His birth under the sign of Aquarius;  Being “born again” to sensual mysticism;  And a reference to his time spent in the orient during his service in WWII, as it somehow relates to his own sexual identity.

“February” contains the two centrally associated and primary themes of spiritual rapture and romantic love.  Secondary themes of heterosexuality and homosexuality, in relation to spirituality, is also implied. These themes are all associated to each other with interconnecting elements particular to the artist's own style of symbolism, especially with his use of birds, and the visual structure of composition.  Many of these birds have symbolic meaning unto themselves, which will be commented on below.  But first, an explanation of how the name of the month relates to this image, and how the artist himself is at the center of it.

The historical roots of how the month of February was named is represented by the most prominent figure in this composition - by the man adorned in a mantle of colorful birds.  In this case, Smarkusz has adapted the ritual purification of Februatio to symbolize a sensual spirituality washing over himself, as he experiences divine rapture – being reborn as a sensual mystic through a blend of hedonistic sensuality and transcendent spiritualism.  He mixes his own symbolic imagery of birds, with the Christian theme of baptism.  He often combines historical symbolism with his own personal iconography.

Historically, Februatio was the Roman festival of ritual purification which was one of Spring washing or cleansing (also associated with the raininess of the season), and Februare as a Latin word refers to a means of purification (particularly with washing or water). The Roman month Februarius ("of Februa" whence the English February) is named for the Februatio festival, which occurred on the 13th to 15th days of this Roman month.  Some sources also connect the Latin word for fever (febris) with the same idea of purification or purging, due to the sweating commonly seen in association with fevers.

In this composition, birds as spiritual entities, and the water pitcher of Aquarius, represent baptism and purification in the spirit.  The man is thus in a state of rapture or spiritual fever.  In some religions, its practitioners are known to be overcome with near erotic pleasure when immersed in a trancelike state of prayer, and the artist appears to be expressing such a sensual and spiritual experience with this image.  Among other things, birds appear to represent the Holy Spirit and divine inspiration in Vincent's art, and in this depiction, the man wears a mantle of them about his neck.  The artist often associates sexuality and spirituality with the use of birds, as symbolic of transcendent experiences - one being earthly and the other being heavenly - as erotic ecstasy and mystical rapture.  In this way, birds symbolize the hybrid quality of this humanly sublime and dual nature.

“After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the Heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. “- Matthew 3:16.

Vincent was raised Catholic in Sacred Heart Church and school of New Britain, CT.  The following paragraph is from Catholic literature, and helps to support the interpretation which follows it:
“The most ancient special devotion of Christians is doubtless that of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Son of God.  The object of this worship is the Heart Itself of Jesus.  And since in Jesus Christ there are two natures, the Divine and the human, and only one person, the Divine Person; the Heart of Jesus Christ is the Heart of the Divine Person, the Heart of the Word Incarnate.  And because the Divine Person is to be honored with the highest worship; the worship to be paid to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which can neither be separated nor taken away from the Divine Person, is likewise supreme.”

Vincent Smarkusz was born on February 18, 1919, under the sign of Aquarius, and four days after St Valentine's Day.  These three concepts are visually connected in this composition forming a large V comprised of three hearts - the internal “sacred heart” of the first man in rapture, down to the cranes head in the shape of a “natural heart”, and back up to the external romantic “symbolic heart”, shaped by the bird of paradise being held by St. Valentine, the martyr of romantic love.  The first heart is internal to Vincent and surrounded by many birds, whereas the last heart is external to the Saint, as but one bird in his hands - the many and the one - the internal and the external - spiritual love and romantic love, mutually inclusive and interpenetrating.

The blood red head of the water crane, is the middle heart forming the bottom of the V, and it looks directly at us framed by the legs of the lovers, to confirm that we are on the right symbolic trail.  It is at bottom between the two, representing both hot blooded sensual love and the cooling waters of spiritual dispassion.  The water bird is associated with the water vessel and the enraptured man's spiritual identity, but the cranes head is also between the blonde haired couple’s knees and its beak points directly at the union of their ankles, suggesting they are linked by sexual desire.

The arms of the man in rapture forms an arc which connects the lovers, and a golden speckled woodpecker associated with his genitals flies between the golden haired couple, representing the artist’s own unique sexuality, and his own desires for both men and women, both spiritually and sexually.  The bird is in her line of sight and points to the man looking back at her.  She yearns for him and he has a Valentine for her.  The man in rapture is facing heaven above, yet stays connected to both male and female lovers on earth.

Now here is the most personal and central theme of this painting, which ties together the romantically linked couple with the man in rapture, and every other element in this composition:  The artist is making a distinction between identities which society views to be in conflict, but which the artist himself would like to see viewed as in harmony – and probably even lived as such.  Sexuality of both kinds, and a deep spirituality, do not conflict with each other.  He envisions them as both integral to a sexual spirituality.  Homosexuality and heterosexuality, spiritual love and romantic love, mutually inclusive and interpenetrating.

The artist was known to be gay, was probably also bisexual, and definitely considered himself to be spiritual (and his art is mystical).  To what degree these statements are true matters less than the fact that the artist appears to consistently express these sentiments in much of his art, and in a way which holds them as mutually inclusive rather than exclusive of one another.  Whether he is making a specific statement about himself, or a general statement about the situation in society, would be interesting to know, but is also irrelevant to the conversation.  The condition of alienation does exist in society, he feels the tension and a need for resolution, and has a way of expressing it in symbolic terms.  What is difficult to talk about in life, let alone live it, can at least be expressed in art through symbolism and fantasy. To a figurative-expressionist and magic-realist painter like Smarkusz, there is no boundary in his art between fantasy and reality where sex and spirit are concerned - he was liberated and liberating in both.  It took him many years trying to reconcile these real differences in his life, as if he ever could, but was finally able to come to terms, and found his outlet in the expression of his art.

Many years earlier, after a nervous breakdown and a long deep depression, Vincent was then born-again in mid-life as an artist of sensual-mysticism.  He aligned himself with the sexual liberation movement and New Age thinking of the 1960's.  The Vietnam War was raging and there are indications that he suffered from PTSD as a result of his own service in WWII.  He surely derived comfort in the notion of a new age dawning under the sign of Aquarius, characterized by a heightened spiritual consciousness of peace and love.  Over the course of his career, Smarkusz had developed an appreciation for mythology and mysticism.  He created this image of his birthday month of “February” sometime in the late 60's, when new age spirituality and astrology were at the height of public interest.

Incidentally, in the spring of 1969, the psychedelic soul-sunshine pop medley "The Age of Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" was released by The Fifth Dimension.  It peaked at number one for six weeks, becoming the first medley to top the American pop charts and was eventually certified platinum.  Vincent’s own work includes secret clues, like the Beatles did on their album covers and in their music during the late 60's.  He appears to have taken great pleasure in creating images with multiple layers of meaning, and secrets known only to him.

In general, his work was most likely appreciated by the younger “hip” generations, proving strange and even frightening to older audiences of the day.  Whether one likes his work or not, Smarkusz was honest and courageous, creating images direct from his imagination without regard to convention, and that say something new.  Bewilderment, and even the occasional disgust, were welcome responses in addition to the immense fascination his compositions elicited from the more open minded viewers.  Vincent had developed quite a devoted following of well-educated and wealthy patrons by the time of his death in 1974 at the age of 55.  Had he lived into his eighties, like so many others of his art contemporaries in the figurative-expressionist and magic realism movements, Smarkusz would have most likely continued to evolve and amaze.

Lest we forget, a brief celebration of St Valentine is in order:
The second most prominent figure in the composition is the man holding the Wilson’s Bird of paradise in the shape of a heart.  He is included to honor St. Valentine, and in celebration of romantic love. The entire scene is backed by a delicate shade of pink.

St. Valentine's Day began as a celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus, and several martyrdom stories were invented for the various Valentines that belonged to February 14.  One account of Valentinus of Rome states that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire.  According to legend, during his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius.  Before his execution he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell.  Valentines day was first associated with romantic love in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.  In 18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines")

One last mystical note:
Another saint named Valentinus, of second century Rome was the best known, and for a time most successful early theologian who founded the school of Christian Gnosticism (mysticism).  He taught that there were three kinds of people, the spiritual, the psychical, and the material; and that only those of a spiritual nature received the gnosis (knowledge) that allowed them to return to the divine Pleroma (Heaven), while those of a psychic nature (ordinary Christians) would attain a lesser form of salvation, and that those of a material nature were doomed to perish.

Smarkusz often appears to represent the mystical hierarchy of Gnosticism in his work, but with a major difference - he represents all three levels of spiritual, psychical, and material, not only as natural, but as necessary and good - as mutually inclusive and interpenetrating.  He sought to maintain the mystical while eliminating the judgmental.  He was not interested in being religiously righteous, but instead desired to be spiritually enlightened. He was too open minded for the religious Christian, appearing downright hedonistic perhaps.

And finally, the mysterious Asian woman:
Smarkusz joined the US Army Air Force on his 22nd birthday in 1941, serving in the Philippines and Japan during WWII.  The appearance of an Asian looking woman behind him in this scene is a curious addition.  Maybe he feels badly for what happened in Japan with the dropping of atomic bombs.  Or more simply, she may be included in keeping with his habit of being multicultural in many of his scenes (a celebration of the diversity of humanity).  Perhaps she is a friend, lover, or acquaintance from his time in the orient during the war.  Did Vincent lose his virginity overseas to an exotic young woman, who he will always honor and never forget?  In any case, she imparts mystery and intrigue to the composition.  She is in the background, expressing humility and grace, which likely also has meaning to the artist.  Vincent consistently likes to include a secret or something mysterious in the background of many of his paintings.  In this case, he appears to be honoring a woman with complete anonymity and respect.  Vincent Smarkusz may have had a wildly interesting fantasy life, but he was a respectful Christian, an honorable soldier and citizen, and quite the gentleman.

Happy Birthday Vincent!

 

"Prayers" by Vincent Smarkusz:

 

"Peacocks" by Vincent Smarkusz:  Interpreting "Peacocks"

Age of Aquarius - Let the Sunshine In (song on you tube):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9S3slDC8SE
 

Smarkusz and his Birds:
The artist had a working knowledge of the appearance of many bird species, having studied and copied them from photographs from an early age.  He adapts their patterning and colors to suit the aesthetic and emotional needs of his compositions.  Birds impart feelings and ideas such as:

To Be Continued……..