Venice Kinesis
Dublin Core
Creator
Rip Cronk
Title
Venice Kinesis
Date
2010-2011
Medium
Acrylic on masonry
Abstract
Venice Kinesis (2010) is a 20 foot mural located in Venice, CA, and named for the Aristotelian philosophy of motion or change. Created by artist Rip Cronk, the mural portrays Western values alongside the general Venice beach subculture, touching on themes of beauty standards, gender, class and clan, and change. It is a contemporary take of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, though it is important to note that it is a pop-surrealistic parody and lack the religious aspect of the Botticelli piece. This mural the latest iteration of Cronk’s Botticelli-parody murals, the first of which was Venice on the Half Shell (1981), and Venice Reconstituted (1989). Cronk painted with the intent that Venice Kinesis become a cultural icon, both preserving and refreshing parts of the mural so that “it continues to have a historical reference along with a contemporary one.”
Description
Venice Kinesis is an acrylic 100 feet by 20 feet mural on masonry that is located on the west exterior wall of a hostel in Venice Beach, Los Angeles, CA. It incorporates the color blue, to represent the clear blue skies that typify sunny Los Angeles; and orange, for the California poppy flowers that float in the mural as spring flowers in the original Birth of Venus. The scene is a snapshot of Venice beach at the boardwalk, with the Pacific Ocean and sand visible to the left of the mural; the paved path in the middle, on which people bike or skate; and buildings such as shops, restaurants, and hotels, on the right. Among the buildings is the hostel on which the mural is painted, displaying a meta image of the Venice Kinesis mural itself.
The mural contains different “floating” objects that represent Venice as a community. On the lower lefthand corner is a set of bongo drums, and just to its left are a pair of 1980s-style red sunglasses. Above the sunglasses floats a retro boombox blasting music, suggested by the musical notes coming out of it. To the right of the boombox floats a man operating a gondola, and just to the upper left of that floats a dumbbell. In the highest middle portion of the mural is a skateboard with no rider, and what looks to be a ballerina marionette. A lime green chainsaw (?) and a soccer ball float to the left of the Venus. On the right side of the mural float three tarot cards and a scooter, also with no rider. Behind Venus reads the name VENICE in large white letters. These items are occasionally updated to reflect trends that the artist feels represent Venice’s identity.
The image is populated with up to 24 visible and eccentric characters—some based on real people, be they newer acquaintances of the muralist, or older friends frozen in time from the previous iteration, Venice Reconstituted. Most people pose as if taking a picture, looking at the viewer to return their gaze. On the lower left is a man in green board-shorts, holding up a white surfboard with what looks like the Mexican flag painted on it. On the lower right of the mural is a young couple, possibly friends of the artist, Werner and Simone Scharff. On the upper left and right corners are three angels, possibly a reference to the name Los Angeles: a man and woman floating on the left, in which the man blows air out to send objects previously mentioned into a floating chaos; and a lone woman floating on the right. In the middle stands a blonde and thin Venus, with one hand placed over her breasts and the other over her pubic area. She wears a cropped white camisole, blue shorts, thigh-high socks, and blue rollerblades. Behind her, floating just above the ground, is the empty half-shell. A thought bubble to her upper left reads “History is myth.”
On the lower left corner, Cronk dedicates the mural to Werner and Simone Scharff, a major Venice landowner and his wife. A patron of the arts, Scharff commissioned many of Cronk’s murals until he passed away on August 17, 2006.
The mural contains different “floating” objects that represent Venice as a community. On the lower lefthand corner is a set of bongo drums, and just to its left are a pair of 1980s-style red sunglasses. Above the sunglasses floats a retro boombox blasting music, suggested by the musical notes coming out of it. To the right of the boombox floats a man operating a gondola, and just to the upper left of that floats a dumbbell. In the highest middle portion of the mural is a skateboard with no rider, and what looks to be a ballerina marionette. A lime green chainsaw (?) and a soccer ball float to the left of the Venus. On the right side of the mural float three tarot cards and a scooter, also with no rider. Behind Venus reads the name VENICE in large white letters. These items are occasionally updated to reflect trends that the artist feels represent Venice’s identity.
The image is populated with up to 24 visible and eccentric characters—some based on real people, be they newer acquaintances of the muralist, or older friends frozen in time from the previous iteration, Venice Reconstituted. Most people pose as if taking a picture, looking at the viewer to return their gaze. On the lower left is a man in green board-shorts, holding up a white surfboard with what looks like the Mexican flag painted on it. On the lower right of the mural is a young couple, possibly friends of the artist, Werner and Simone Scharff. On the upper left and right corners are three angels, possibly a reference to the name Los Angeles: a man and woman floating on the left, in which the man blows air out to send objects previously mentioned into a floating chaos; and a lone woman floating on the right. In the middle stands a blonde and thin Venus, with one hand placed over her breasts and the other over her pubic area. She wears a cropped white camisole, blue shorts, thigh-high socks, and blue rollerblades. Behind her, floating just above the ground, is the empty half-shell. A thought bubble to her upper left reads “History is myth.”
On the lower left corner, Cronk dedicates the mural to Werner and Simone Scharff, a major Venice landowner and his wife. A patron of the arts, Scharff commissioned many of Cronk’s murals until he passed away on August 17, 2006.
Contributor
Arianna Dal Santo, Beariyam Damtew, Rocio Escobar, Beatrice Lanza, Jackeline Lopez, Emi Osaki, and Lourdes F. Rea.
Relation
Rip Cronk, a muralist whose work is intrinsically tied to the history of Venice, has contributed to this hub of public art since 1976. Cronk has created numerous artworks that saturate Venice today, including the Botticelli-parody murals on Venice beach—the latest interpretation of which is titled Venice Kinesis. It is important to note, however, that the murals are a pop-surrealistic parody and lack the religious aspect of the Botticelli piece, Birth of Venus.
His first parody piece, Venice on the Half Shell, went up in 1981 as an impermanent work on an exterior wall of the Venice Pavilion (a former landmark known for its high-quality and ever-changing graffiti art). The Pavilion was demolished in 1999, though some of its walls were left standing as a memorial to the artwork that decorated its exterior for decades. These remaining walls became what is now known as “The Pit” or “The Graffiti Pit,” and are an iconic landmark of Venice today.
In 1989 Cronk painted another mural, Venice Reconstituted, on the exterior of a nearby building as a replacement to Venice on the Half Shell. Its name comes from the impact and aftereffects of multiculturalism in the area; according to Cronk, “in 1989, a post-modern Venice is at the leading edge of that process… [as a result] the world is slightly topsy-turvy, and as it settles back it becomes reconstituted.” Cronk used the higher portion of the mural to update the piece, adding or removing details that defined trends at the time. Particularly in a space that is prone to graffiti and transformation like the Venice Pavilion or The Pit, Cronk operated at the time with the idea that murals will only survive for about 10 to 15 years, and reflected a consideration of impermanence in his work. With Venice Reconstituted, the lowest portion of the mural was deliberately splatter-painted so that it would be adaptable to graffiti; however, during the early 2000s when graffiti art was made legal in The Pit, it inevitably spread to areas nearby. The lower portion of Venice Reconstituted was eventually lost to graffiti.
The destruction of Venice Reconstituted led to the parody’s latest iteration in 2010, Venice Kinesis. Painted in approximately four months, this iteration is named for the Aristotelian philosophy of motion or change. Notably, this mural has been painted higher up on the wall than Venice Reconstituted was, to help preserve its longevity (the idea being that other graffiti artists will be deterred from altering the piece by making it harder to reach). Venice Kinesis is an attempt to represent “the spirit and mindset of the beachside community.” The mural portrays Venice as a bonding space for all, displaying eccentric characters that hint at Venice’s popularity as a tourist attraction and a space for public art.
Thematically, the mural portrays Western values defined alongside the general Venice beach subculture, manifesting most obviously in Western standards of beauty. If Botticelli’s Birth of Venus was the symbol of beauty from the Renaissance period, Venice Kinesis can be considered the ideal representation of the feminine form in today’s society. While Botticelli’s Venus is typified by the accentuated curves and folds that characterize the female body, Cronk presents an ideal woman whose body is more elongated and slimmed, with the type of waifish frame that was popular in the 1990s. The pale complexion of the Venus reaffirms the preconceived notion that whiteness is synonymous with “good.” The shell might also be symbolic of female genitalia, as in the original Birth of Venus; portraying the thin blonde rollerblader, or Venice itself, as the ideal provenance. The mural can be considered accusatory to the stereotypical female role in society where women are shown as entertaining figures. By rolling on rollerblades while wearing revealing clothes, the subject provides a visually pleasing but also provocative image.
Other themes that reflect greatly within this mural are affirmations of identity, such as class boundaries and race. The individuals living in the Venice community today are likely wealthier social classes, though that hasn’t always been the case; when observing the people that are painted into the background of this mural, it is clear that the sociocultural melting pot is the essence of the Venice community. This can be compared to James Luna’s The Artifact Piece, which provokes the point of view that American dominant culture has on Native Americans, and functions as an affirmation of self-identity on a communal scale. Notably, both the mural and the installation teach about the different elements that showcase a living culture. While Cronk’s mural expands on the lifestyle and diverse sociocultural classes that make Venice the place that it is, Luna’s art instillation incorporates physical possessions such as ritual objects and other cultural items alongside the artist himself as a living and breathing being who represents Native American identity. Both artists long to hold the cultural history of their roots while emphasizing its relevance today.
Lastly is the theme of change: Cronk painted with the intent that Venice Kinesis become a cultural icon, both preserving and refreshing parts of the mural so that “it continues to have a historical reference along with a contemporary one.” His notion regarding the limited lifespan of murals has changed since Venice Reconstituted as well, stating that historical context imbues the piece with significance, giving it a maturity that will make it more important now than when it first went up. The mural is revisited occasionally for repairs and updates that reflect contemporary trends, seeking to define the beachside community by portraying its diverse narratives and lifestyles throughout time. It replicates Venice in regards to its structure and the energy of the community, down to the fashion choices that are currently or were once iconic to the area.
A display of items in disorder function as symbols that define Venice’s cultural activities from the 1990s to modern-day. For example, on the mural’s lower lefthand corner are drums, which reference drum circles that serve as popular social events on the beach. This demonstrates the importance of music in the community’s daily life. We also see weights that likely represent Muscle Beach, an iconic gym in Venice that draws in bodybuilders, spectators, and fitness businesses. The gondola, tarot cards, skateboards, etc., are all relevant aspects in the self-representation of the Venice community. The most notable image in the mural is the Venus herself, whose thought bubble states, “History is myth.” This statement bridges today to the past and further prompts a consideration of motion and change.
His first parody piece, Venice on the Half Shell, went up in 1981 as an impermanent work on an exterior wall of the Venice Pavilion (a former landmark known for its high-quality and ever-changing graffiti art). The Pavilion was demolished in 1999, though some of its walls were left standing as a memorial to the artwork that decorated its exterior for decades. These remaining walls became what is now known as “The Pit” or “The Graffiti Pit,” and are an iconic landmark of Venice today.
In 1989 Cronk painted another mural, Venice Reconstituted, on the exterior of a nearby building as a replacement to Venice on the Half Shell. Its name comes from the impact and aftereffects of multiculturalism in the area; according to Cronk, “in 1989, a post-modern Venice is at the leading edge of that process… [as a result] the world is slightly topsy-turvy, and as it settles back it becomes reconstituted.” Cronk used the higher portion of the mural to update the piece, adding or removing details that defined trends at the time. Particularly in a space that is prone to graffiti and transformation like the Venice Pavilion or The Pit, Cronk operated at the time with the idea that murals will only survive for about 10 to 15 years, and reflected a consideration of impermanence in his work. With Venice Reconstituted, the lowest portion of the mural was deliberately splatter-painted so that it would be adaptable to graffiti; however, during the early 2000s when graffiti art was made legal in The Pit, it inevitably spread to areas nearby. The lower portion of Venice Reconstituted was eventually lost to graffiti.
The destruction of Venice Reconstituted led to the parody’s latest iteration in 2010, Venice Kinesis. Painted in approximately four months, this iteration is named for the Aristotelian philosophy of motion or change. Notably, this mural has been painted higher up on the wall than Venice Reconstituted was, to help preserve its longevity (the idea being that other graffiti artists will be deterred from altering the piece by making it harder to reach). Venice Kinesis is an attempt to represent “the spirit and mindset of the beachside community.” The mural portrays Venice as a bonding space for all, displaying eccentric characters that hint at Venice’s popularity as a tourist attraction and a space for public art.
Thematically, the mural portrays Western values defined alongside the general Venice beach subculture, manifesting most obviously in Western standards of beauty. If Botticelli’s Birth of Venus was the symbol of beauty from the Renaissance period, Venice Kinesis can be considered the ideal representation of the feminine form in today’s society. While Botticelli’s Venus is typified by the accentuated curves and folds that characterize the female body, Cronk presents an ideal woman whose body is more elongated and slimmed, with the type of waifish frame that was popular in the 1990s. The pale complexion of the Venus reaffirms the preconceived notion that whiteness is synonymous with “good.” The shell might also be symbolic of female genitalia, as in the original Birth of Venus; portraying the thin blonde rollerblader, or Venice itself, as the ideal provenance. The mural can be considered accusatory to the stereotypical female role in society where women are shown as entertaining figures. By rolling on rollerblades while wearing revealing clothes, the subject provides a visually pleasing but also provocative image.
Other themes that reflect greatly within this mural are affirmations of identity, such as class boundaries and race. The individuals living in the Venice community today are likely wealthier social classes, though that hasn’t always been the case; when observing the people that are painted into the background of this mural, it is clear that the sociocultural melting pot is the essence of the Venice community. This can be compared to James Luna’s The Artifact Piece, which provokes the point of view that American dominant culture has on Native Americans, and functions as an affirmation of self-identity on a communal scale. Notably, both the mural and the installation teach about the different elements that showcase a living culture. While Cronk’s mural expands on the lifestyle and diverse sociocultural classes that make Venice the place that it is, Luna’s art instillation incorporates physical possessions such as ritual objects and other cultural items alongside the artist himself as a living and breathing being who represents Native American identity. Both artists long to hold the cultural history of their roots while emphasizing its relevance today.
Lastly is the theme of change: Cronk painted with the intent that Venice Kinesis become a cultural icon, both preserving and refreshing parts of the mural so that “it continues to have a historical reference along with a contemporary one.” His notion regarding the limited lifespan of murals has changed since Venice Reconstituted as well, stating that historical context imbues the piece with significance, giving it a maturity that will make it more important now than when it first went up. The mural is revisited occasionally for repairs and updates that reflect contemporary trends, seeking to define the beachside community by portraying its diverse narratives and lifestyles throughout time. It replicates Venice in regards to its structure and the energy of the community, down to the fashion choices that are currently or were once iconic to the area.
A display of items in disorder function as symbols that define Venice’s cultural activities from the 1990s to modern-day. For example, on the mural’s lower lefthand corner are drums, which reference drum circles that serve as popular social events on the beach. This demonstrates the importance of music in the community’s daily life. We also see weights that likely represent Muscle Beach, an iconic gym in Venice that draws in bodybuilders, spectators, and fitness businesses. The gondola, tarot cards, skateboards, etc., are all relevant aspects in the self-representation of the Venice community. The most notable image in the mural is the Venus herself, whose thought bubble states, “History is myth.” This statement bridges today to the past and further prompts a consideration of motion and change.
Files
Collection
Citation
Rip Cronk, “Venice Kinesis,” SMC Digital Humanities, accessed May 17, 2024, https://smc.omeka.net/items/show/24.