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.


04 December 2016

Playing At Giants


The metaphor of dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants (Latin: nanos gigantum humeris insidentes) expresses the meaning of "discovering truth by building on previous discoveries".[1] This concept has been traced to the 12th century, attributed to Bernard of Chartres.

 Its most familiar expression in English is by Isaac Newton in 1676:
"If I have seen further, 
  it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."[2] 

 Below, the blind giant Orion carries his servant Cedalion on his shoulders to serve as the giant's eye.
                                                                    - Wikipedia
   
Playing At Giants :
a beautiful old favourite by Master Goya 


Francisco Goya, Jugando en el Giants/Playing at Giants (c.1792)
        
An Antipodean View 
Mike Parr

Mike Parr, The College of Cardinals (2005)

 A Yankee at the Court of TAR 
after FIAPCE
after Luis Jacob
after Davies & Co. (Melb.)
          ] after whom, Houdini (
after The American Frikell
after Washington Simmons
after Dr H. S. Lynn
after Wiljalba Frikell
after Mark Twain


Theatre of the Actors of Regard featuring Luis Jacob's 'Sphinx'  
 detail
 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
 someone looks at something... 
         
 LOGOS/HA HA