Mars, God of War.

(Mars image from a larger painting by Lew Ayres of Mars (left) and Venus (right)

This image came from a time when my father was still emerging from the Second World war.  The later work that comes to mind: "the Dilemma of a Non-Intrusive God" (painted wood sculpture, relief, c. 1980) depicted nuclear warheads.  this has an element of that 1930's or 1940's art style: "American Scene Painting" a depiction of early 20th century technology.  The armored figure depicted Mars himself, and is reminiscent of a similar armored figure that Lew photographed in his Altars of the World documentary.

As noted I believe the painting was inspired in part by themes from Holst's Planets Suite: Mars.

Don't Bet on Love

1933 brings forward the film Don't Bet on Love.  This is an admirable first gesture of the Ayres Archive immediately available online.  What is more this is a film showing at least some shades of the relationship between Lew Ayres and Ginger Rogers (married 1934-1940).

To be honest there is little that my father would actually ever say about Ginger, aside from his enduring appreciation of her as a very fine soul.  He spoke a little about playing tennis with her, and he spoke about her influence in terms of understanding Christian Science.

I would like to start this thread to see if there are comments pertinent to understanding and appreciating this film.

I note the presence of Carl Laemmle as the producer of this film.  My father had a very positive, caring relationship with Mr. Laemmle to his last days.  I remember visiting Laemmle's home as a child of eight or nine years of age.  We visited him more than once.  It seemed his room was enormous and open, with a very great view.  I remember that there was an aloneness to the residence, the presence of in-home care-giver... and of eating corn chips in the kitchen while my dad talked with Carl.

The Figure of Venus

(painting of Venus from an image depicting Mars and Venus by Lew Ayres)

My father had a complex relation to feminine being.  This image of Venus seemed to be reconciled to him: the straight lines behind Venus were bars of iron, to the lower right we see a stock of corn.  Another line, not depicted here shows tractors moving off to the horizon.  The image was his vision, perhaps inspired by Gustav Holst's Planets (orchestral suite) which he adored: Venus, the Bringer of Peace.  Like the Planets suite, there was a terrible dichotomy between Mars on the left hand side of the painting, and Venus on the right, around her the image of growth and trust, and even further behind her, the sun, symbol of attention and caring insight.

I have begun to note the young child's face implicated here.  The child appears almost Asian to me, barely suggested in the painting.

Concerning this relation to the feminine: idealized: divine, but almost trans-parent (as opposed to a regular "apparent parent"): fading away into spiritual subtlety.  There is a strong relation between this figure and a casting of a statue that my father brought into the home: I seem to remember the statue being brought in a laborers truck: it had been set in a bunch of cut tree branches.  That is what I remember of the statue.  The statue was missing her left forearm.  The right held a water pitcher hanging at her side.  This stiffness of the feminine does speak to my father's perspective and position as he moved through his 6th and 7th decades.

The stillness of this "Venus" figure seems to be quite dissimilar to how I remember my mother; who was always very active: tennis and bridge and social engagements.  Perhaps it was the intense Artemesian component of this particular "Venus" that makes her so peaceful. 

Both Venus and Artemis have war-like capabilities.  It is the gift of Aphrodite that sparks the Trojan War.  Artemis carries a bow and delights in her deadly distant accuracy.  Perhaps this is part of my father's "soul" (anima) and her spirit (animus) that he was unable to reconcile in the circle of her ongoing existence.  He did manage to capture a sense of feminine peacefulness that he longed for and seemed to strive for his entire life in this image, at least a moment thereof.

Playing the Keyboard

1933 Leo Reisman - Don't Blame Me (Howard Phillips, vocal) 

My father's chords were strong and satisfying.  This image from a time when he seemed his finest and most magnanimous.  I imagine Lew immensely happy to be playing.

These Images seem to fit

Lew Ayres, (prepared to kill) in Lewis Milestone's All Quiet on the Western Front

It occurs to me that this situation is portrayed as humorless

in the deepest sense of the term.

So many of his later films had a touch of humor:

(Holiday, and Maisie Was a Lady)

This film seemed to set an ethical trajectory for Lew Ayres.  

From here on, Ayres was bound to look for friends with an interest in healing 

The world's terrible convulsive predicament

of warfare.

An important last look, and perhaps a perfect one:

"The essence is separation and farewell."

Ayres in the phillipines, examining the foot of a youth.  

The youth appears healthy, quizzical, though perhaps under-nourished.

Tents, an onlooking mother and a child.

This is the hope.

But Ayres did not stay in the Philippines after the War: 

he went back to his career in the United States

He actively pursued the latter half of his career on film and television.

It remained an active livelihood and support.

So I look to my father as being in some way 

An ethical hero.

It is a difficult role to play.

Lew Ayres, US Army medical corp.

This looks and feels like it fits.

Those eyes gaze into the distance,

Is that really him?

Lew Ayres, War Effort, 1942.

These images are not new: they are well published on the internet.  They remain the most facile record of this man's life.

It would be helpful to consider the work of Lesley L. Coffin.

Lew Ayres: Hollywood's Conscientious Objector

I believe Chris Lombardi has also produced work that reflects a part of this, my father's spirit:

I ain't Marching Anymore

This seems to fit.

An Introduction to the Lew Ayres Web Project

Lew Ayres was a remarkable man.

It is very much to his credit that he existed as a personality, and had a beautiful, and very humane approach to this world.

I am concerned that there is not enough awareness of the full extent of my father's life and work, and I want to use this web-log to help facilitate an increase of consciousness about him.

The areas of discussion will relate to his films.  I believe that there is real room for taking the available online content related to Lew Ayres films and making some observant discussions out of them.

The areas that are missed:

• Philosophy
• Painting
• Biography

I hope to provide some real insights into this man who was in many respects a consumate artist, a gifted, multi-talented man, and a successful, peaceful and intelligent life.