Viggo Mortenson - Recent Forgeries

Rating:
Summary: Recent Forgeries is more like Past Truths
Review: This book is a reflection of an artist's soul a mirage of images which tell a story, reach out to capture your attention, yet remain hidden in the shadows. The depth of emotion in the writings mesmerizes the spirit of the reader. The pictures, depict happy times, endearing times and places lived in and left behind. It shares the movements in the author's life, not only physical moves but emotional and spiritual. Mortensen gifts us with a variety of creative mediums, photography, paintings, poetry, bed time stories and even music and singing. Just when you think you're getting to know this very creative being, the tone changes the notes ring out of tune and you're left with a very elusive and intriguing individual. The CD which accompanies this book is captivating with not only the melodic voice and resonance of the verses but with the altruistic view striving for balance and harmony in life's situations. If you enjoyed Coincidence of Memory this book will enrich the experience as it exposes more of Viggo's talent as a multidimensional artist.

Rating:
Summary: Recent Forgeries is more like Past Truths
Review: This book is a reflection of an artist's soul a mirage of images which tell a story, reach out to capture your attention, yet remain hidden in the shadows. The depth of emotion in the writings mesmerizes the spirit of the reader. The pictures, depict happy times, endearing times and places lived in and left behind. It shares the movements in the author's life, not only physical moves but emotional and spiritual. Mortensen gifts us with a variety of creative mediums, photography, paintings, poetry, bed time stories and even music and singing. Just when you think you're getting to know this very creative being, the tone changes the notes ring out of tune and you're left with a very elusive and intriguing individual. The CD which accompanies this book is captivating with not only the melodic voice and resonance of the verses but with the altruistic view striving for balance and harmony in life's situations. If you enjoyed Coincidence of Memory this book will enrich the experience as it exposes more of Viggo's talent as a multidimensional artist.

Rating:
Summary: Recent Forgeries
Review: This collection of poems, photographs, and art work is truly mesmerizing. It completely captivates any and all who respect and strive to find a different view to the creative outlet. I love Viggo's voice, and the reciting of his work makes this piece even more extraordinary. The spoken word is so intense, and gave me goosebumps. Viggo paints a picture in all of his poetry, and sets up a connection between himself and the listener/reader. This is a wonderful collection of Viggo's work, and one that truly exibits an artists passion for understanding the complexity of our world, and bringing those situations to a beautiful and alternative view. Thank you Viggo....where's your 2nd book?...

Rating:
Summary: Day breaking Down the wall or are you Shadow
Review: This is a jewel, and the Cd is wonderful two of the tracks 6 and 12 included soft romantic songs.
A treat for fans of the actor, more than poet.The poet is closer to the real thing.

Rating:
Summary: Worth the search!
Review: This is by far my favorite Viggo book and I was delighted when I found out that the publisher (smart art press) still had copies for sale on their web site. Recent Forgeries documents Viggo's first solo exhibition as a painter. It is an extraordinary look into the mind of an artist whose boundless creative output touches a myriad of media, from photography to painting to poetry to acting. A minute gesture, an accidental encounter, a change of light-Mortensen uses his art to capture the simple moments of his life, to give them meaning, to satisfy his curiosity, and to express his wonder at the "suchness" of people and things in the passing world. The writings, paintings, collages, and photographs (color as well as black and white) in this book point to the fluidity of meaning in a world of flux. Illustrated within this publication are some of the painting Viggo did for the movie A Perfect Murder. It may be hard to find, but it is well worth the search.

Rating:
Summary: Aragorn Fans Beware
Review: Those who are buying this book because they want to get more of that feeling they had watching Viggo Mortensen be noble in leather with a really long sword in the Lord of the Rings may very well be completely mystified by their purchase. Mortensen's own art is subtle, even a bit secretive, and does not necessarily repay a casual viewer with much. His photography, which I think is the most skillful and evolved of the artforms offered here, is of banal suburban objects and situations, imbued with a poignant irony. The eye of the photographer is compassionate, hopeful, often wincing but determined to see, not what is beautiful, but what is. All the photographs seem to say: we are surrounded by this, all the time.
Mortensen of course has a wonderful speaking voice, and hearing him read his small quiet ironic prose poems brings them to life. They resemble his photographs, deliberately captured moments carefully framed but never explained; they have to be their own explanation. He cannot sing, however. Oh well. And his paintings are not very accessible to me as yet. Some of this might be because these large paintings translate poorly to a small book format; also it is a relatively new medium for him. I continue to look at them, as it took me a while to appreciate the photographs. Viggo Mortensen always inspires me to want to make things myself, take risks, be obsessive and observant and vulnerable, as he is. Really, you can't do better than that.

Rating:
Summary: Surprising and beautiful.
Review: Viggo Mortensen, Recent Forgeries (1998, Smart Art Press)

Did you know Viggo Mortensen, alternately by turns Lucifer, Aragorn, the American Yakuza, and Tex is also an accomplished painter, poet, short fiction writer, and musician? (Well, I'm taking the "musician" part on faith, because the CD had been removed from the copy of this I just finished by someone who is not me.) And I'm not talking "accomplished" like Jimmy Stewart, Jewel, and Ally Sheedy are accomplished. Nope, Mortensen can be a little loose with his verbiage sometimes, but the man's got it. (And, really, all those reviews from people who had never heard of the man until Lord of the Rings? Where you folks been for twenty years? You never saw The Prophecy? Albino Alligator? Witness? The Indian Runner? The awful remake of Psycho? Get thee to a video store.) And while I'm far less schooled in the arts of photography and painting than I am poetry, it's obvious that Mortensen's photographs have a definite thematic unity to them, when they show up in series, and that the man has an eye for what makes a good picture. The paintings, which have a more restrained Basquiat-esque feel (one wonders if Mortensen's dating Julian Schnabel's daughter had any effect on that), seem as if they're a bit more confused, but still powerful. I liked the representations of both here, certainly enough to go looking for Mortensen's other published works in those two areas.

The poetry was what really floored me. The short fiction is good, but the poetry rips it up (aside, as I said, from some loose verbiage here and there). Mortensen is a man who truly understands the value of image in poetry. You'd think that obvious from someone who works in the film industry, but take a read of Jimmy Stewart's book sometime and get back to me on that. I guarantee you won't find anything as worthy of being called poetry as

...An errant vine has sprouted
two blue flowers
where it reaches
roots of the lemon tree.
They are beautiful;
I am suspicious.
("Cuttings")

A wonderful little book. Probably more wonderful had not some enterprising soul stolen the CD, but I can recommend it without hesitation. And come on, people, add a copy of Albino Alligator, one of the best films ever made, to your order. ****

Rating:
Summary: Not just any guy!
Review: Viggo. Wow. Not only is he a wonderful actor, who brings his character to life. He's a painter and a poet with such amazing insight and passion. This man has the ability to pull you into his world when he writes. Not only is this a book of some of Viggo's work, it also comes with a CD with Viggo reading some of his work and it just adds to the wonder of this man. I highly suggest this book to those who have an open mind and who wish to experience something fresh and new.