What do you go to your father for? Tips on how to throw a baseball, scraped knees, a bedtime story, his stir-fry recipe, or help fixing the faucet in your bathroom sink. If your father happens to be a celebrated musician, painter, or filmmaker, perhaps that list expands to advice on cutting together a film scene, capturing mid-afternoon light, or writing a bridge. Ahead of Father's Day this weekend, read through Francesco Clemente's patient take on parenting, David Johansen's rebellious view of celebrity, and Philip Guston's thoughts on the expansive purview of an artist.
Francesco Clemente, painter and father of filmmaker Chiara Clemente
“Waiting is the key … Waiting for a painting to appear, for a feeling to unfold and surprise, to learn the many truths that make a person. It has been said that children are born with a loaf of bread in their hands. I take this to mean that each child has their own particular destiny, their own inclinations—all we need to do is let them be what they become.”
Siniša Mačković, director of Karma Gallery
“You can imagine [artists] like kids and gallerists like parents, in that you care about where they’re going to school or who their friends are. But I think that’s infantilizing. Because the stakes are obviously higher with a kid. They’re helpless without you for a long time. That’s why I see myself more as a partner with the artist rather than someone who holds their hand to cross the street.”
John David Ratajkowski, painter, sculptor, and father of Emily Ratajkowski
“If you take somebody who knows who they are and put them out in the world, they’ll do great things. My feeling about life, in general, is to make things first and talk about them later, you know? Raising you, I wanted to put everything out there—ideas, materials, questions—and leave you alone with it … A lot of parents can’t do that. They direct their child’s life when parenting should be more like painting: Give them the tools and see what comes out of it. Then, talk with them about it later.”
Caitlin Cronenberg, photographer and daughter of filmmaker David Cronenberg
“The greatest lesson [I've learned from my father] has been to love what you do. Put all of yourself into your work and do not compromise your creative vision because other people think you should. He has always been his own biggest supporter and you need to do that for yourself when you are in this industry. You will have champions but you need to have your own back. Also, to respect everyone along every step of the process, because everyone is important. And don’t be afraid to let your weird show.”
Leah Hennessey, actress and stepdaughter of New York Dolls frontman David Johansen
“For better or for worse, [David Johansen] has always been a role model for me. It was a miracle I ended up with him as a dad when I did. He's really the antithesis of the brainwashing of today—the programming that's so invested in convincing us that we can't be happy if we're not famous and rich and successful and vampirically forever young. It's hard to dismiss that wisdom when it's coming from someone who is so categorically, undeniably, infinitely hip, and such a star. He tasted all of that stardust and kind of said, 'There's got to be more to life.'"
Musa Myer, author and daughter of painter Philip Guston
“From my father, I learned by example that all of life, not only the satisfactions and joys, but also—or perhaps especially—the losses and tragedies, were fit subjects for art; that the injustice and cruelty of the world demand a response and that above all, art should be real—grounded in authentic expression, questioning and doubt.”
