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.


12 April 2017

BAR click NETT click NEW click MAN click BAR NET NEW MAN


Modern Merican Painted Canvas didn't always float free to be seen in Independence Daze on the staged walls of Theatre of the Actors of Regard.
Various photos of Barnett Newman in his studio show him with heavily-suspended stretched right-angles of canvas anchored by chains before during and after the paint. 

These proof sheet photographs are from the 1965 studio portraits of Barnett Newman by Ugo Mulas.
In the mid-1940s Newman painted a small number of mostly untitled circle/sun motifs. One was clue-titled Pagan Void. After that, the vertical line motif ("zip") on the field (of colour) motif predominated the play. 

His 1948 consolidation work - one vertical zip centred on a vertical format canvas - he titled Onement (at one out of atonement). The son of Jewish immigrants from Poland, he had studied philosophy in New York and it all showed. Soon came By Twos (1949).

We do wonder about the presence/influence/role/
dynamic of the suspension chain verticals 'outside' 
on the painted verticals 'inside'?
Photos of the early exhibitions of these artworks, such as at Betty Parsons gallery, show them still in obvious suspension, not 'free floating'.

Ditto when shown in Melbourne in 1967.
We conclude this now with the Sight Gag song as...
Barnett Newman conducts the Choir of Eyes (TAR) 
               detail 
               A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
               someone looks at something... 
         
               LOGOS/HA HA