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.


09 October 2019

Self-portrait as Return To Sender : Delivered/Undeliverable/Signature Required


Today, we received two noteworthy photographic images of reflexive regard. 

 The first via an academia.edu alert for an article by Jacquelynn Baas : 'Marcel Duchamp and the Artist of Tomorrow' (Interalia Mag. issue 3, 2014)



 Marcel Duchamp (American, b. France, 1887-1968). Details of 
 To Be Looked at (from the Other Side of the Glass) with 
 One Eye, Close to, for Almost an Hour, 1918. 
 Oil, silver leaf, lead wire, and magnifying lens on glass, 
 mounted in a standing metal frame, 20 1/8 x 16 x 1 3/8 inches. 
 Museum of Modern Art (New York) Katherine S. Dreier Bequest
 Photo: Jacquelynn Baas.

The second image via Marcus Bunyan's Art Blart :
  

 Aenne Biermann (1898-1933)
 Self-Portrait with Silver Ball
 1931
 Gelatin silver print
 Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg

Theatre of the Actors of Regard  
 detail
 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
 someone looks at something...
  
 LOGOS/HA HA