Willard Balthazar

Willard Balthazar is an artist and a graphologist. Currently based near London, England, Balthazar has dual UK and US nationalities and grew up in both countries with an American father and a British mother.

Willard Balthazar with his portrait of George Harrison's mind

Background

Balthazar attended the Harrow College of Art, but quickly rejected the educational process when he realised he could work faster and more creatively alone. As with many artists, he began conventionally, honing his skills painting many landscapes and portraits as commissioned works.

Alongside his painting, Willard Balthazar studied graphology, the art of interpreting personality from handwriting. He lectured in graphology and has undertaken forensic analyses for commercial organisations.

Breakthrough mind-painting concept

His analysis of the signature which reveals the whole personality is intuitive as well as analytical and it was a Eureka moment when his art and graphology suddenly collided and joined with another deeply held interest, the psychology of colour.

He realised he had discovered a way to paint the mind - a completely unique concept as it comes from the unusual combination of two talents in one person. His is a significant step in the story of art as, for the first time it is possible to express the full personality rather than capture just the single expression of the traditional portrait.

And because Balthazar's concept is based upon the signature as a way of revealing the mind, it means he can also bring back the dead - at least in the sense that his analysis of the character brings to life the personality.

Painting the mind from the signature formed the title of Willard Balthazar's first solo exhibition, ‘[Portraits of the Mind]' in London's Mayfair in 2008.

The colours in which Balthazar paints a signature are dictated by the subject's personality. The viewer can allow themselves to absorb the colours and follow the forms of the signature in the painting until they enter into Balthazar's interpretation of the personality. Each colour has an emotional effect. This has been the case since ancient times. Red, for example, is the colour of life, of blood flowing, of energy and vitality. When the colour varies its intensity, so does the intensity of energy within the colour. A dark dense red for instance shifts the vitality of vibrant red into an expression of aggression. Balthazar uses different strengths of the various colours to depict the varying elements of the energies and forces of the personality.

The form that flows from the signature and reveals the emotional impulses is an important element in Willard Balthazar's mind-paintings. These unique forms that reveal the personality express characteristics through sharp angles for energy or violence as well as the gentle curves of a warmer personality. The result is as if the signature has been dropped into a pool of paint, allowing the colours and forms to ripple outwards. Within the signature's formation, the emotional force and energy of a person is captured. Each signature is of course unique because each person is unique.

If someone has a great deal of driving energy, like Paul Gauguin1 or Scary Spice, Melanie Brown2, for example, then the signature's form expresses itself as decisive zig-zagging lines. If the writer has a more gentle personality, such as Paul Smith3, the famous English designer, it is reflected in the constructive curves of his signature and the harmonious colour palette.

The Beatles' four portraits create a spectacular presence with John Lennon4 and Paul McCartney5 sharing ample reds, oranges and yellows reflecting their energy, vibrant force and ambition, although Paul McCartney's portrait glows with greater warmth as his personality is open and friendly, while John Lennon has an impatience and impenetrability. Ringo Starr6's portrait reveals a private and proud person. George Harrison7 too was a very private person who did, however enjoy the good things in life.

Rather surprisingly, the portrait of Fidel Castro8 is very popular - perhaps this is an attraction often felt towards strong, dominant men. Balthazar has confessed this was a difficult portrait for him to paint as Castro's personality is very aggressive, obsessive and controlling and his signature has very heavy over-arching and strong deep, dark underlining in dense red and black. Ché Guevara9's signature is a complete contrast with swirling open pastels that reveal his idealistic temperament.

Balthazar’s portraits are often grouped as he explores subjects with an interrelationship or association. It is why he has painted Bill Gates10, the head of Microsoft, and STEVE JOBS11, the head of Apple.

He has also painted the authors, [Marcelle Bernstein]12 and [Eric Clark]13, who happen to be married. The film ‘Le Pacte du Silence' starring Gerard Depardieu was written by Marcelle Bernstein, as was the TV series ‘Body and Soul' which was based on her book of the same name. Eric Clark has written many thrillers including ‘Chinese Burn' and ‘Hide and Seek'. He has also written extensively on marketing issues in ‘The Want Makers' and his most recent, ‘Toy Story' as well as regular feature stories for The Telegraph.

Another interesting relationship was that of Vincent van Gogh14 and Paul Gauguin15 whose portraits contain many jewel-like colours, although Gauguin's dense red and black tell something of the cruel side to his personality. Van Gogh's defensive arches and outreaching curves reveal the contradiction of a deeply reticent person desperate to reach out.

Tony Blair16’s portrait appears to be sliced in half. Balthazar suggests this may account for the two elements of his personality, one side the clear logical intellect and the other a strong social conscience. The pink shows he is considerate of others while the yellow reflects his shrewd intellect.

Daniel Craig17's portrait features green, the colour of balance, and yellow for a quick intellect.

The Spice Girls are an exciting collection of colour and personality with Victoria Beckham18's elegant and controlled script next to Geri Halliwell19's warm-hearted and friendly and thoughtful orange curves; and Emma Bunton20's strong will and clear mind with Melanie Chisholm's steadfast and reliable signature, with its green/blues which reveal a desire not to expose her inner self and, lastly, Melanie Brown21, whose strong opinions and positive self-image slice their way through her portrait in strong vibrant colours.

A major work is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth22 who is revealed as an affectionate but reserved person with a sober yet imaginative mind, all described by the colours deep pink, green/blue and yellow. Her strong underline declares her importance.

Terry Waite Terry Wait, a hostage for over five years in the Middle East when he tried to help other hostages in his role as the Archbishop's Envoy, has set up the charity Hostage UK. Before his capture and since his release, Terry Waite has worked tirelessly on behalf of other hostages and their families and his charity is a focus to these efforts. Interested in the psychology behind the analyses of Balthazar’s work, Terry Waite has asked Balthazar to paint his signature portrait to auction to raise funds for Hostage UK. To find out more about Hostage UK, go to www.hostageuk.org 23

References

1. “[The artist Willard Balthazar has put a set of unusual artworks on his website, based on the signatures of famous figures…]” The Guardian

2. ‘[Walking Through Time]’ by Kate Arblaster Illustrated by Willard Balthazar ISBN 019541831-0-X

[Official website] http://www.willardbalthazar.com