Bertram Mackennal
artists - No Comments » - Posted on November, 30 at 5:46 am
I’m just back from Melbourne which was a feast of arts in several forms, and a feast of food and family as well! One of the reasons I headed over the Bass Strait at this time was to liaise with my researcher brother to try to solve a mystery (well it is to me) about a particular monument to our relatives from from the late 1800’s who were very active members of the new city of Melbourne. But I did get a little side tracked in the Kew Cemetery by Bertram Mackennal’s massive monumental work the Springthorpe Memorial. The superb lead light ceiling radiates a glow of varying red tones across the marble sculptures, in dedication to Annie Springthorpe who had died in childbirth.
This impressive monument is also a monument to a period of time when craftsmanship was appreciated beyond the time it took to complete such a work, and of course to a period of time that allowed time to be slow, although of course they probably thought time was moving so much faster than the century before them.
In the Ian Potter Centre which is part of the National Gallery of Victoria has the bronze sculpture “Circe” (1892-93) which really launched his career as he challenged the current trends to create work that was different in style and form. His reputation and skill eventually lead him to work for the British royal family and become the first Australian artist to be knighted.
So that was a really good distraction, but I’ll get back to the other bits from Melbnourne over the next few days.
Mike Parr
artists, exhibitions, tasmania - 8 Comments » - Posted on November, 22 at 4:33 am
Last night was a bit unusual. Mike Parr was performing another time focused event that highlights his ability to endure circumstances that would leave most people cold in a few minutes. His steady and patient demeanour emanated from the section of flooring, built into the corner of the historic Bond Store in the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in Hobart, with only his head visible. The expansive surface of the flooring accentuated the scale of his head, appearing very small with a spotlight shining down to highlight his calm and somewhat disconnected expression. Eyes closed, then opened to just a slight slit to entertain the performer watching the watchers, then closed again with a collection of thoughts and images to keep himself busy again.
The Bond Store has several floors and has recently been opened to the public. It was the original loading bay for the ships unloading the goods from abroad or from the mainland in the colonial days of Tasmania. The lower floor, below the current ground level, had a video performance, House of Cards, beaming through the dank darkness of cobweb shrouded beams onto a screen at the end of the room. The atmosphere added to the installation in total contrast to the white cleanliness of the video, which features Parr constructing a house of cards out of his many self portraits. The frustration of time passing as he constructed the form with the added difficulty of missing a left lower arm spilled out and infected the watchers, most leaving after a couple of minutes, but perseverance was rewarded with a similar sense achievement as Parr himself expressed with a sigh and grin at the end of the performance.
The ground floor also featured video performance, but the second floor was truly inspiration with a field of bronze heads on plinths that you could move freely around. Spread through the room they create quite a powerful installation. Then on up to the third floor where Parr was being filmed in a feat of endurance.
Of course I couldn’t take photos, so just the outside of the building cast in a dull light from the late evening air and gentle rain will have to do! Mike Parr is sitting up on the top floor right at this moment of the photo being taken.. some imagination will have to fill in the rest until the catalogue is released following the show which will include some documentation of the event. There is also a selection of work at a second venue, Detached Artspace, which I haven’t made it to yet - so more to come! I’m told there are some of his prints there..
Flowers and memory
general - 3 Comments » - Posted on November, 20 at 3:48 am
I must admit I have enjoyed watching the landscape shows that feature a family garden being renovated to something entirely new and different in a weekend, but when I think about it as an option my own garden I can’t help but wonder how I could enjoy a garden that isn’t full of plants that have a history.
I’m sure most people are the same - planting shrubs or trees or flowers at significant moments in our lives. Sometimes I’m the keeper, looking after a plant until the owner can claim it, like the cactus above that belongs to Craig and has grown significantly since he left it in my care years ago, but every time I see it and especially when it bursts into bloom I think about Craig.
And so the garden grows, with memories and love and pain.
A question of talent
general - Comments Off - Posted on November, 16 at 5:09 am
There is a bit of a discussion about the Internet at the moment about natural talent and developed skills. This is quite close to home for me as my childhood home was filled with people of high standing in the arts in that period of time. For example Sam Fullbrook who was larger than life in many ways and I can say without doubt that his art is a true expression of who Sam was. Sally Curry was painting at that time, along with Elizabeth Poole and Geoff Morrison among others with an overall effect of being surrounded by a swirl of large figures and talent in the fine arts.
It could be argued that this was why our family grew up to be involved in the arts, but actually this is exactly why we didn’t. There was an expectation that talent was purely of a natural foundation, and when we didn’t create outstanding works as we climbed out of our nappies we were destined for more conventional directions. But as the discussion unfolds through the question of passion to develop skill and the natural abilities of an individual it reveals that it is really the expectations of society in any given period of time that creates the measuring stick of talent.
For example, is the painting by Elizabeth or the one by Sally that hung in our home of the same calibre of work that they are creating now? Well no, I think not little ducky. Their natural talent has been nurtured and developed and they have found mediums and subject matter that responds to their touch through years of perseverance. Geoff, had an exhibition once in Brisbane, with my Dad (both sadly passed away), but neither of them really leaped into developing a reputation of an artist as that is not what they wanted, but did they have natural talent, well yes.
So at the end of the day, if you don’t have passion to develop skills, then perhaps the talent - natural or developed skills (which really is quite hard to split as a natural talent can become stunted if it isn’t developed, but for the sake of discussion…) won’t become broad and encompassing. It is certainly passion that has allowed me to challenge the assumption of natural talent and take up the batten. I’m yet to see the flame, but hopefully that will come with time, or perhaps that is something an artist never really sees about their own work?
If you follow the link to Steven’s website there is a good read about the discussion and his article links to others if you are interested in tracing back the thread.
Sketch by Elizabeth Poole (Elizabeth Frith at the time) around early 1970’s
