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.


08 June 2016

from Hakuin to Henry


HAKUIN 
paints an enso 
to help us see
 Hakuin Ekaku (1686 - 1768)  
                  
HENRY NO LOGOS
Henry is a comic strip created in 1932 by Carl Anderson. The title character is a young bald boy who is mute (and sometimes drawn minus a mouth). With the exception of a few early episodes, the comic strip character communicates only through pantomime, a situation which changed when Henry moved into comic books. (Wikipedia)
             
                   
Henry steps onto the set of 
I Am Comic Curious (Yellow)

He is carrying a framed portrait by Carl Anderson, 
a can of black paint and a brush.
           

          
Henry hangs the portrait on his free-floating name.

Henry turns to face us.
       
Henry paints an enso round his right eye.
         


Henry turns back to face the portrait.

 Henry paints an enso round the portrait's right eye.

      
Standing beside the portrait, Henry regards us.

This is
Black Hole Henry's Meta-Portrait Enso Show 
painted to help us see
      
Henry exits stage right
       

  detail
  A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
  someone looks at something...

  LOGOS/HA HA