The American century (the 20th) meets the Chinese Century (the 21st) in this fascinating exhibition at NGV in Melbourne. The subversive counter culture of Warhol and the amazing use of materials and strong political messages of Ai Weiwei. Thoroughly enjoyed this show. The presentation of this exhibition highlights the parallels, intersections and points of difference of these two artists.
Selling Holland /
My favourite Dutch 17th Century artist Jacob Van Ruisdael is often credited with presenting the Dutch landscape as it really was - overcast and damp. "He carefully studied the fascinating characteristic movements in the sky: he was entranced by the infinite gradations of grey and how you'll often see a patch of fluffy brightness drifting behind a darker billowing mass of rain cloud. He didn't deny there was mud or that the river and canal banks are sometimes messy. Instead he noticed their special kind of beauty and made a case for it." THE BOOK OF LIFE
But the Dutch tourist board would prefer a different image of the country to be presented. (below) There may be the occasional place and a few times of year when the Netherlands may actually look like this, but the countryside that Van Ruisdael depicted is something the tourist board would prefer to stay quiet about. In it's determination to lure visitors to it's country, the Dutch tourist board engages in exaggeration, or at worst - lies.
The Other Pro Hart /
Bill Leak's wonderful portrait of Pro Hart who died in 2006.
I must admit that I grew rather weary of Pro Hart and his blokey, outback scenes with their garish colours. But there was another Pro Hart who produced some remarkable abstract and semi abstract paintings in earlier years.
Grasshoppers
Construction
Many thanks to artist John Adam for making me aware of Hart's earlier work. Perhaps in later years Pro Hart became a victim of his own success. I once made the mistake of driving up to Broken Hill with a friend and at every turn we were confronted by his imagery or that of local hangers on. It fair drove us nuts.
Jacob Van Ruisdael /
"Bleaching Ground In A Hollow Near A Cottage" Oil on Canvas 1645-1650
I've always admired the dark, brooding work of this artist. He is able to invoke an intimate relationship with the landscape so that the viewer becomes a participant in the scene rather than a detached observer. Direct observation of Van Ruisdael's scenes can lead to inward meditation and he achieves this by capturing a particular light or moment.
Is There Anybody Out There? /
Oil on canvas, 2015, 122 cm x 152 cm.
The title is a song by Pink Floyd, from their album "The Wall". As the night closes in and features lose clarity, imaginings begin, perhaps religious or ghostly imaginings. It can be a time of anxiety and haunting. As a child I was not a good sleeper.
Oliver Sacks 1933 - 2015 /
In his essay for the book "Asylum - Inside The Closed World of State Mental Hospitals" by Christopher Payne, acclaimed neurologist Oliver Sacks writes of the original concept of asylum as refuge, protection and sanctuary. The Oxford English Dictionary describes asylum as "a benevolent institution affording shelter and support to some class of the afflicted, the unfortunate or destitute."
Sacks writes of one called Anna Agnew who was judged insane in 1878 after several suicide attempts and her attempt to kill one of her children. She felt profound relief when the institution closed protectively around her and having her madness recognised.
"Before I had been an inmate of the asylum a week, I felt a greater degree of contentment than I had felt for a year previous. Not that I was reconciled to life, but because my unhappy condition of mind was understood, and I was treated accordingly...." Anna Agnew
The decline and eventual closure of institutions for the insane is well documented, not to mention the catastrophic consequences for many of the former inmates. But beyond all this, Sacks reminds us of the immeasurably deep sadness of mental illness, a sadness reflected in the often grandiose but melancholy architecture of the hospitals that once housed the mad.
More Than Observation /
When an artist pays homage to something as mundane as a clump of turf it makes you think. Certainly this is more than a scientific or botanical study. In the book Art As Therapy, the authors argue 16th Century artist Albrecht Durer was presenting an experience of nature that particularly moved him. They believe Durer was hoping his work would encourage us to go outside and look with greater clarity at some aspect of the natural world, rather than take our surroundings for granted.
A Large Piece Of Turf 1503 Albrecht Durer
Down and Out In Paris /
"What Is Called Vagrancy", 1855 (132 cm x 162 cm) by Alfred Stevens. Three soldiers escort a beggarwoman and her 2 children off to prison whilst a passing woman appears to be making an offering, only to be warned off by one of the soldiers.
I've always admired the art of the 19th Century social realists as I like to refer to them as, depicting the lives of the anonymous poor as an urgently topical subject, to quote art historian Robert Rosenblum. Whilst they had a powerful message to convey, they never forgot that they were artists, first and foremost. Today the message seems to drown out the art in many instances, judging by what I encountered at art school and beyond.