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.


03 January 2016

Fukurokuju Rocks OK


We appreciate the ever cool ways of Fukurokuju, the Japanese Lucky God of Wisdom and Longevity.

Here, below, we see him pictured at LACMA, entertaining for TAR with his fellow Lucky Gods. Yes, it's Fukurokuju pretending to be Jimi Hendrix. Writing with his head bound fox hair axe the characters of "Scuse me while I kiss the sky".

The other six all laugh and cheer, and then the Seven as One chorus "Oooooooooooooooooooh, there ain't no light nowhere! (It's a favourite old party trick of theirs.)

Theatre of the Actors of Regard  
Fukurokuju Writing with His Head
Series: Sketches by Yoshitoshi
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Japan, 1839-1892)
Japan, 1882, May
Prints: woodcutsColor woodblock prin
Image: 6 5/8 x 9 3/8 in. (16.8 x 23.7 cm)
Paper: 7 1/8 x 9 3/8 in. (18.0 x 23.7 cm)
Collection: Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) - Herbert R. Cole Collection (M.84.31.352)
Japanese Art
Fukurokuju is always available to the projects of his friends and students. Here, today, with the flaming pearl of wisdom in one hand and his staff and scroll-of-lives in the other, he holds steady as one of his students paints the sign of our present regard on the sky-kissed ediface of that noble being.


click image to enlarge 
 detail
 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
 someone looks at something...

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