Bill Viola: The Passions
The National Gallery, London 22 Oct. 2003 – 4 Jan. 2004

Bill Viola: Five Angels for the Millenium
Tate Modern, London 20 Oct. 2003 – 4 Jan. 2004

[Writers Note: While in London I went to the National Gallery to view Bill Viola: The Passions which I had seen last spring in Los Angeles at the J. Paul Getty Museum. The following article focuses mainly on the pieces I saw and studied at the Getty. Most of these artworks are in the National Gallery exhibit though Five Angels for the Millennium is currently on display at the Tate Modern. The Greeting and The Crossing were not at the Getty.]

Bill Viola: The Passions – The National Gallery

LONDON, Dec 10, 2003/ FW/ --- One needs time and patience to view Bill Viola’s: The Passions.

For some the exploration of human expressions as he presents them may be too painful to deal with. It is almost like seeing the drawings of an animated film one frame at a time.

The friend, who accompanied me to the exhibit in London, owns an art gallery but was not familiar with Bill Viola’s video art. It was fascinating to see her reaction.

Viola, Bill Man of Sorrows, 2001 Color video on freestanding LCD flat panel 49.2 x 38.1cm Bill Viola Studio, Long Beach, CA © Bill Viola. Photo: Kira Perov

The first piece she studied was Man of Sorrows. (See above photo)

She assumed it was a stationary video portrait so when the eyelids of the man started slowly moving, she leapt back. She was amazed.

When I viewed The Greeting my initial reaction was to think about the way greeting hugs and kisses differ in societies.

In the US it seems to be the single-hug system sometimes with a pat, pat, pat or the hearty buddies hug.

In some countries in Europe it is the double-cheek kiss-the-air hug, in others it is a triple-cheek air-kiss hug. It is always an adjustment when I go back to the States.

I was unaware of the roots of this Viola piece; it was based on The Visitation by Jacopo Carrucci, called Pontormo, about 1528-9 – the meeting between the pregnant Virgin Mary and her cousin Elizabeth.

In 1995 Viola was the U.S. representative to the Venice Biennale, where this piece was exhibited.

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