David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :
'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)
(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia.
(2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.
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As discussion continues (
here) about the Trustees of the AGNSW awarding the Wynne Prize, for "the best landscape painting of Australian scenery in oils or watercolours", to Sam Leach's
Proposal for Landscaped Cosmos, his reworking of a 1668 'Dutch' depiction of an 'Italian' moment ...
... here's a timely old favorite from the heap. The original regard of this, hereabouts, a V&A postcard. Verso, it is labelled thus :
Artist copying a European print on to glass.
Watercolour on paper.
China (Canton); about 1790.
34.1 x 41.5.
FE 175
D.107-1898.Our artist-in-residence editioned a set of these in the mid 1980s.
All hands that will, to the wheel.
detail
A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
someone looks at something ...
LOGOS/HA HA
