OK, I admit: I only knew him as the director of “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”, the movie that amazingly touches my heart each of the several times I have watched it.

Last week at the members’ preview night of his exhibition at the AGO, “Julian Schnabel: Art and Film”, I discovered Mr. Schnabel’s main source of artistry – his paintings and installations.

His massive canvases and independent style are absolutely fascinating – the dazzling colors and the clever choice of subject behind each piece perfectly appealed to my modern-art taste. I now have even more respect than I ever had for the one and only Julian Schnabel. His creative mind and narrative imagination are what I often desire for myself.

S

P.S. “Julian Schnabel: Art and Film” at the AGO will be on until January 2, 2011.