All Fabio Capello Wants for Christmas is Some Art Work

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Art and Soccer
Hey everyone welcome back to Advantage Played, pull on your art hats and your tight jeans ‘cause today we are going to explore what Fabio Capello wants for Christmas.

I was going to show you some boring old pie charts of the MLS season but screw that. After reading about Capello’s wish list (thanks to duNord) I am compelled to show some of the English national team head coach’s favorite contemporary artists.

The Quote
In his interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Capello revealed his Christmas wish is:

"A painting, like always. In the letter I write to Santa Claus I put down three contemporary artists: Cy Twombly, an American, Georg Baselitz, a German, and the Englishman Peter Doig. The problem is that they don't do sales."

What do these artists tell us about Capello? Come with me on a magical art journey where I show you pretty pictures and explore Capello’s psychology!

The Art - “Cy Twombly, an American”
Twombly, besides having a great last name, is best known for his almost painting / calligraphy that stretch across many canvases. His dramatic, large scale, art work speaks of power, size, and precision with loss of control. Twombly brings us back to a time when we were small and forced to write on horrible chalkboards.

What Does Twombly Tell Us About Capello?
Twombly’s paintings tell us that Capello knows what it is to have control and no control at the same time. While Capello can draw up battle plans, learn and train his players, and shape their mindsets, in the grand scheme he has no control.

When the English players go on the field they are like the paint dripping out of the lines Capello has so neatly painted. As long as they hold true to his basic lines they will not only make their own mark but show the true genius within Capello. If Capello has not painted the original lines correctly the footballers will fall to the ground and seep into the earth.

The Art – “Georg Baselitz, a German”
Georg Baselitz politically and sexually charged painting have caused political scandal and outrage. Despite police intervention Baselitz continues to be a bestselling painter who will not stop. He shows us unease. Baselitz’s images are at once bloody, ominous, sexual, and beautiful. Baselitz is a neo impressionist who is naturally drawn to sexuality and the past warfare in Germany.

"An object painted upside down is suitable for painting because it is unsuitable as an object."
—Georg Baselitz

What Does Baselitz Tell Us About Capello?
Baselitz shows us that Capello is not afraid to look at the world from a different direction. He knows that Fleet Street is not to be taken at face value. Their perspectives are often the most obvious. They view situations right side up. They love the sexually charged but at the same time are afraid of it.

Capello looks at football from every angle. He knows football is about everything. Love, sex, blood, and war. To be successful at football he has to look at what the rest of the world looks at right side up and examine it from the angles that elicit fear. Capello views the normal as abstract. He knows that we are all sexual and the orgasm of scoring is closer to the moment of fulfillment in sex than we realize.

The Art – “Englishman Peter Doig”
Peter Doig (actually a Scotsman), layers his paintings so they are real, yet have an element of fear. Doig often used postcards and pictures as reference points before showing us what we expect from angles we had no idea were possible. Danger and the abstract lurk behind even the most calming scenes.

What Does Doig Tell Us About Capello?
Doig shows us that Capello is capable of looking at even the most peaceful scenes and divining both the positive and negative outcomes. Doig’s unexpected layers and angles tell us that when Capello looks on a lonely football pitch in a stadium full of empty seats he can see all the outcomes.

Capello knows that the football pitch is capable of bringing forth feelings that are deep within us. Football makes us look at time both in the short and the long term. On the pitch the long term is often obscured by the moment. Capello knows that the red card is not only an ending but a new beginning full of opportunity and chance. The defeat is often a win though no one but Capello can tell it is so.

Next Time on Advantage Played
Who knows? I keep telling you and then changing my mind.