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.


28 April 2011

THE ESTHETIC DRIVE

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On the road again. Wheels within wheels. In the background the circus, in the foreground our binary vehicle. Three animals, too.


So far so good...



Wheel of Life (detail)
The three linked animals at the hub represent ignorance, anger and desire. Click here for full image and commentary.

ESTHETIC ROAD RAGE!


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26 April 2011

FOUR EGG SAMPLE

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It all started well enough : one who is on the path, others minding their own business, a moment of regard, a rub of the tum, craving kicks in, yum!





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24 April 2011

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Easter Eggs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

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Today is Easter Sunday. A time when ritual eggs are exchanged.

It's obvious the egg would be widely regarded as a symbol for birth, rebirth, renewal, reincarnation or resurrection.

Below, for instance, is a protester's egg from the streets of Syria six weeks ago.


"A Yemeni anti-government protester holds an egg painted with the colours of his national flag and bearing the Arabic writing 'Leave Ali' during a rally demanding an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule outside Sanaa University on March 16, 2011."

Mostly, egg symbolism is obvious; however, a couple of egg scenarios, at hand here, have us speggulating.

The first of these is a 1904 German postcard, Fröhliche Ostern! (Happy Easter!) A portrait of an elf has just been painted on a large egg. Three elves now regard it; one appears to be crying. The egg is set among rocks on the ground. Is this a funery egg, marking the grave of the one depicted? If so, why an egg? Is it to symbolise a new life beyond this grave?



From that to thoughts of other funery portraits. Especially the Fayum mummy portraits: ancient Egyptian-Roman-Coptic portrait boards placed over or wound into the wrappings of mummies.



Our favorite death egg art is Lucio Fontana's series Concetto spaziale: La fine di Dio (Spatial Concept: The End of God). Here's a golden one, from 1963.



The second of today's two egg art portrait puzzlers is this :


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22 April 2011

VIA CRUCIS : STABAT REGARDER

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+ GOOD FRIDAY +
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17 April 2011

IMMURED IN PACE

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Vale John Barbour

John Barbour_1987_Look of Love_sRGB.400

The Look of Love (1987)
both sides



1988_1st April_Thought for the day_THINK_John Barbour_sRGB.400

On the back of the above, John has written :
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

BARBOUR '88 (April 1st 1988)
The date in parentheses is in green biro, the rest in pencil. Perhaps the more precise date was added as an AFTER THOUGHT or to draw attention to this being an April Fool's prank writ large, this THINK thing.

Later, there's a big paint version. Here it is in the John Barbour survey Work For Now at the AEAF in 2010.



click here to read Ken Bolton's
Some thinking about John Barbour’s Work For Now
(Australian Experimental Art Foundation, Nov 11—Dec 12, 2010)



Vale John de Silentio

IMMURED IN PACE
JOHN DE SILENTIO

Exhibition at 200 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, May 1988.

click here to see and read John Barbour's accompanying text to this exhibition

John Barbour-John de Silentio_Gertrude St_street view
John Barbour-John de Silentio_Gertrude St_canvas in corner
John Barbour-John de Silentio_Gertrude St_dunce in corner detail

Here's another such from then.


Around this time your correspondent was in the Melbourne Eye and Ear Hospital, the result of a fly-fishing injury. A hook in the eye! John came to visit. In the bed opposite was a man who, in tragic circumstance, had lost an eye. Thus it came to pass, in the history of famous introductions - "Dr Livingstone I presume"/" I am a British object"/ "But after me will come one who is more powerful than I" and so on - I was able to enjoin :

"John de Silentio, I'd like you to meet John Voice.
John Voice, John de Silentio."


Vale Joao Solitaire

joao solitaire
email in reply: 29 January 2007
RE: Big Day Out (Hepburn Springs)


Amen, dear Poeter.

JB_JOY_MHA

love, Joao



REQUIESCAT IN PACE


16 April 2011

Portraits On Parade

Theatre of the Actors of Regard

presents

Portraits On Parade
1910_Postcard_T.A.R._A Late Call_sRGB.400
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15 April 2011

Archibald Prize Announcement : All Portraits Reckoned Void

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... in which case you will judged a victim of your own mistaken identity.

Archibald_dream portrait_mistaken identidy.sRGB_400
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10 April 2011

Archibald Prize : Portrait Arrives After Deadline

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09 April 2011

Archibald Prize : The Final Touch

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Continuing on with the Picture Arrival Ritual theme,
as reported in The Australian :
"Some were putting the final touches to their paintings in the backs of cars; others gave their pictures a last-minute dust-off as they were carried or trolleyed to the holding bay."

Artists face off in bigger battle for the Archibald
Ian Cuthbertson, 'The Australian', April 02, 2011


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07 April 2011

Archibald Prize : EN ROUTE POUR LE SALON DE PEINTRE

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Following on from yesterday's post (Picture Arrival Ritual),
as reported in The Australian :
THE loading dock at the Art Gallery of NSW was a sea of art in motion yesterday as artists rushed to meet the deadline for entries for the Archibald Prize.

Artists face off in bigger battle for the Archibald
Ian Cuthbertson, 'The Australian', April 02, 2011
Below is the photo that accompanied the report.



Again it rang some very familiar old bells.














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06 April 2011

Picture Arrival Ritual

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The Archibald Prize for Portraiture is to Art in Australia what the Melbourne Cup is to Horse Racing. Something serious for a few,
a bit of fun for the folk.

Every year both events enter their season and we are lead through the stages.

First, the nation is informed that this year's entries are arriving: horses with prospects from Ireland, New Zealand, The Arab Emirates... and Portrait Paintings from "all over Australia".

It's that time of year again. The Archibald Cometh!
"The annual exhibition of Archibald Prize finalists will visit the TarraWarra Museum of Art in the Yarra Valley, its only Victorian appearance and its first pitstop in the state for two years.

Hundreds of entries from around the country are arriving this week at the Art Gallery of New South Wales before the finalists' nomination on April 8 and announcement of the $50,000 winner on April 15. The 40 or so works that make the final cut will be shown at the gallery from April 16 until June 26, before touring TarraWarra in July..."

Yarra Valley gallery to host Archibald Prize finalists
The Age, Gina McColl, 30 March 2011

TEN News beams into our homes The Arriving of the Paintings at The Art Gallery of New South Wales.



This picture arrival ritual has been going on, here and elsewhere, for a long time...








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05 April 2011

T.A.R. to enter Archibald Portrait Prize

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Theatre of the Actors of Regard
presents
Tableau Vivant :
Self portrait with red paint
(a little colour won't hurt)
2011.04.05_un peu de couleur_self portrait_400_sRGB


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04 April 2011

found wanting

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Self-Portrait

such an odd term

Locate the Self


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03 April 2011

round peg

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Yesterday, an archeological site of intense regard.



Today, we unearth the long-term effect.


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02 April 2011

archeoLOGOS/HA HA down under

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On last evening's walk with Susie-the-Dog we encountered a juggler practising his art: stepping with care, tossing and catching the traditional wooden pins and balancing on his head a globe of planet Earth.
That came back while looking at the image below in today's The Australian newspaper. A digger who made history: Geoffrey Blainey's review of 'Digging Up a Past' by John Mulvaney

2011.04.02_J M looks at &<span class=
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