The premeditated and deliberate use of these two photographs — one symbolizing my father and Elizabeth as the lovers in
Another instance of the morbid influence of Man Ray's photographs on my father is exhibit 36: Man Ray's 1945 photograph of his wife, Juliet, beneath a silk stocking mask. I maintain that photo was the inspiration for Father's altering the photograph of his assault victim, seventeen-year-old Armand Robles (exhibit 36):
In the early 1970s, after having lived and practiced in Manila for twenty years, George Hodel attended a one- man show at the Philippines Cultural Center called the
In the months prior to his death, George Hodel was preparing to market his private collection to the public, which required that he develop a strategy and promotion campaign. His first step would be to tell the world something about the artist, who by that time had developed a reputation in Europe and Asia but was less known in the States. Included in this marketing program would be a description of the artist and his developing vision, which had evolved over his twenty-year career through various stages. A sampling of the works from Modesto's different periods of development were included in Father's brochure, along with relevant catalog descriptions. This catalog copy was not comprised of Modesto's interpretations of his own art, but rather those of his patron, a pioneer in marketing, a businessman, and a psychiatrist.
FERNANDO MODESTO
by Dr. George Hodel
Page 2, 1976 —(Examples 17-21)
They seem to have several levels of meaning. One level appears to reflect the artist's views on the universality of the erotic drive, which impels all creatures and unites them in a cosmic identity.
Page 3, 1982 — (Examples 35-36)
Homage to Man Ray. Modesto has always greatly admired, and has been inspired by, the work of Man Ray. He has collected many books on Man Ray, and often looks at these photos, paintings, and sculptures.
From Father's private collection of these artworks, there is only one piece that specifically relates to the investigation of the murder of Elizabeth Short. I call it
June told me that she and George had traveled to Paris in 1986 or 1987, where Father had presented an identical work to Juliet Man Ray.
Did George Hodel specifically commission this drawing and provide the artist with all of the details to be included, or did Modesto merely use his own creative energies and imagination, independent of his patron? The answer may be hidden in the work itself and what it appears to represent. First, the work is a form of flattery: it's an imitation of Man Ray's 'lovers' lips' that extend across the horizon. However, unlike the Man Ray work, the lips in the Modesto are not full red, and the bottom lip is only partially covered. Also, the irregularity of the bottom line in the Modesto suggests dripping blood rather than lipstick. And directly above the lips are three human phalluses. To the left of the lips is a blue canal the shape of a vagina, above which a squadron of nine yellow and ten blue oval- shaped objects seems to be flying, each with its own trailing spermlike tail. Do the two different colors represent George Hodel and Fred Sexton? These were some of the questions I asked myself when I looked at this painting again in the context of what I had just discovered. I am also convinced that my father's trip to Paris was no simple visit hut a pilgrimage, a formal presentation of
In and of itself, the Modesto painting is at best tangential to the case I'm building. But,
In former Los Angeles crime reporter Will Fowler's 1991 book
Intense interest lingers regarding this murder mystery simply because it remains a mystery. And by this fascination, it has earned its niche in the annals of crime history as being the most notorious unsolved murder of the twentieth century.
Elizabeth Shorts slaying might be solved in the distant future, but I sincerely hope not. It's like an unopened present. The present always remains a wondrous thing, as long as it remains unopened.
The Black Dahlia murder still remains 'a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.'
I take strong exception to Fowler's comparing the unsolved torture-murder of a young woman to 'an unopened present' and 'a wondrous thing.' It is his statement, however, that 'the Black Dahlia murder still remains 'a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma'' that has become almost a signature quote for the entire Black Dahlia murder investigation. Most people think the quote originated with Winston Churchill, who in a 1939 radio broadcast used the phrase to describe Russia. When I first read the quote in Fowler's book during my early research on the case, I knew I'd heard it before but couldn't recall where. The next time I read it, I was able to pinpoint the source and put together a pattern of thoughtprints that led me directly back to my father and Man Ray.
