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.


01 July 2021

Archibald Prize for Portraiture : 100 Years of


"Show me your original face before your mother and father were born."

You cannot describe it, you cannot picture it,
You cannot admire it, you cannot sense it.
It is your true self, it has nowhere to hide.
When the world is destroyed, it will not be 
   destroyed.

- Mumon, The Gateless Gate #23 (1288) 
   Do Not Think Good, Do Not Think Not-Good

 .  .  .  .         

2021 is the 100th year of the Art Gallery of New South Wales' Archibald Prize for portraiture.

From the 6000 portraits exhibited as finalists over the past century, cold case detectives at AGNSW have identified 100 of these for a Portrait of the Nation two year Tour of Shame : Archie 100

AAA : Art Archive Australia  

"There are eight million stories in the naked city. This is one of them."

- NAKED CITY (1958-1963)

Signed Confession :

"It was in my mind to say that a portrait should be the image of one spirit received in the mirror of another"

- PORTRAIT IN A MIRROR, Charles Morgan (1933)

Suspended Sentence : TAR co-portrait (-1991-)    

Known Associates :

2018.03 Michael Buxton and Charles Justin

collection : Buxton Contemporary, Melbourne  
Last seen :

Art Gallery of New South Wales
    5 June – 26 September 2021
Geelong Gallery
    6 November 2021 – 20 February 2022
Cairns Art Gallery
    18 March – 12 June 2022
Art Gallery of South Australia
    9 July – 2 October 2022
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston
    24 October 2022 – 8 January 2023
Bathurst Regional Art Gallery
    26 January – 26 March 2023
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
    15 April – 25 June 2023
Home of the Arts, Gold Coast
    15 July – 2 October 2023
National Portrait Gallery, Canberra
    21 October 2023 – 28 January 2024

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