Portrait 1

G'day Possums,

Back in the 60's German Historian Joachim Fest published his literary portraits titled "The Face of The Third Reich," an important work analysing not only the main protagonistsof the Nazi plan but the functionaries, wives and mothers and the intellectuals who supported this regime and I thought it timely given the recent dog-whistling of the far right and its tacit approval of neo-nazi "demonstrations" to pen a few myself. 

This portrait came from an earlier blog entry from 2016 when I was commenting on works from the Archibald Prize being exhibited in Ballarat with the Title "The Art of Lifting and Leaning"  which came from juxtaposition of the over life-size and cunningly adjacent portraits of Annie Smithers and Josh Frydenberg.  

Smithers is the chef/owner of du Fermier restaurant just up the road from our burrow, in Trentham; and in admirably succinct and honest utterance declared to artist Daniel Butterworth that,  "...the bottom line for her was that all her hard work ends up down the toilet." 

Camillo De Luca: "Polymath"

But no such profundity from Frydenberg. Smugly comfortable, depicted as artfully dishevelled in blue-tied banality, Camillo De Luca's portrait aims in its materials of charcoal and wood with copper frame to indicate this  faux Treasurer's ministerial position of that time, Resources and Energy with a white halo apparently symbolising his outstanding achievements.

Just what these achievements were or are I couldn't think then, and can't now which perhaps, is why as a large work, it seems so small.

Frydenberg, belongs to the Ruling Rabble which is systematically destroying the country's economy and degrading its social contract so effectively that we are becoming a pariah nation. This "rising star" of the Liarbril Party is painted on two sheets of plywood making a square which suitably approximates his ineffable dullness and by being split down the middle it asserts a closer truth of his real aspirations than the artist probably intended. 

Trees, Alice Springs

The rawness of the ply was to signify a work in progress though I think it more roughly indicative of the conceptual abyss and policy vacuum that Frydenberg's rabble are forcing Australia into. That De Luca considers him a Polymath is more cynical than I can bear. This is a person of achievements: utterly minimal. A public functionary flaccidly supporting  the most nasty, brutish, right-wing rabble of faux xtians this land has ever seen including those ex-IPA members who even advocate dismembering the arts and halting any funding; who mutely condones anyone offering frank advice being attacked, sacked or publicly denigrated and on hearing evidence of the only actions of excellence practised by  the Ruling Rabble: their near collective criminality of rorting their entitlements, lets the sounds glide by unheard.

That's pretty much what I wrote then..... and see little reason nearly three years on, to alter it. 

Hoo-roo Petals,

Shane.

Trees, Alice Springs

Libertarian Follies on QandA

Shane with Brushes

G'day Possums,

some more pics from the Archibald which impressed me and a little rant about two amusingly pathetic performances on QandA.

Ohh,  my goodness....  who in their right (sic) mind(s) decided to place two of the most inept, cant driven and lightweight  proselytisers for the Fascist State into public display on national television?

On QandA (7-11-16), the panellists displayed for all to savour were Don Watson, (probably best known as a speech writer for Labor PM Paul Keating) whose droll understated sharpness of wit empathised with the clinical mind of celebrated Canadian social shit stirrer, Noami Klein who was in turn was supported  by Labor leftist, Anthony Albanese.

Clara Adolphs, Terry Serio

This formidable trio were pitted against two of the most inept lightweights ever to spill from the Coots-With Queer-Ideas-From-a-Parallel-Universe, (IPA) kindergarten, the newly minted (and probably one only term) senator, Jimbo, Pasty Paterson  and the (ever present, on ABC, at least) false hope of the Downer political dynasty and failed candidate for the federal seat of Goldstein, Georgina, Gorgon Downer. Both, who seemed determined to adhere as instructed or brainwashed to spout the IPA script much of which sounded borrowed from the both the Ugly American, Murdoch's press and the equally dysfunctional "Tea-Party" currently dismembering the American electorate. These two social vandals conclusively proved for the public that the IPA must be a place only inhabited by the most intellectually barren and empathy deficient individuals. (It's worth noting that the science deficient climate change denier, Mal-Addled Roberts from the One Notion Party is also a member and has received funding from them to travel overseas to imbibe more nonsense to dull his already limited perceptions.)

Guy Maestri, Shattered (Griggs)

Uncomfortable at being pulled back to relevance to answer audience questions rather than tangentially delivering their rote propaganda pieces, Pasty's impassive face only showed some emotion as a smug sneer split it when Klein correctly called into question his professed  belief in climate change as a lie and that he and his right-wing think-tank ilk were more than happy to stall any progress toward alternative energy than closing down the polluting fossil fuel industry in attempting to save the planet. Gorgon Downer on the other hand, when eventually able to launch into her interminably mangled and stumbling answers gave me the impression that she would be a perfect dinner party guest to close it down through utter, utter boredom.

India Mark, Day at the Gallery with Dane Taylor

As Jane Caro tweeted, this pair's "confected outrage about freedom of speech and 18C" was also shot to pieces by Klein, who observed that the attacks on Gillian Triggs were very similar to those by other right-wing groups in both Britain and the U.S. who see any restraint on their libertarian ability to smear at will an affront to their rights and also that their faux dismay at Trump's proposed wall against the Mexicans was nonsense and in fact was already in place at the Manus and Nauru refugee concentration camps.

John Wolseley, Peter Wegner

This pair of Cuckoo's in the nest also avoided the obvious reason as to why so many places are in political turmoil. Their adherence and promotion of a capitalist system badly in decline, that disadvantages the majority and is causing the death of the planet not only indicates their limited imagination and lack of social responsibility but also their real fear, that of community.

Hoo-roo Petals,

Shane

Sam Harris, Zoe Young

Toni Zeltzer, Sinead Davies

The Art of Lifting and Leaning...

Shane between the Lifter and the Leaner

G'day Possums,

Mrs Wombat and I toddled along to the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery the other day to see the  finalists of the 2016 Archibald Prize.

This year the prize was awarded to Louise Hearman for her portrait titled "Barry." 

Unusually, being behind glass has added to the diagonal depth this finely handled depiction of satirist and artist Barry Humphries. 

Barry, Louise Hearman

A work, like many in this show, of  modest proportions and it's C17th Dutch heritage playing a Baroque space, to project the head  to the front of the picture plane where it is isolated by dual light sources as on a darkened stage. Wearing  a white coat and shirt belying his more outrageous characters you are allowed to concentrate on the slightly bemused but intense look Humphries returns to the viewer.  The bare board in the "unfinished " lower parts of the figure seem to indicate the artifice of both Humphries and the artists professions.

Annie Smithers, Daniel Butterworth

The title for this blog entry came from juxtaposition of the over life-size and adjacent portraits of Annie Smithers and Josh Frydenberg.  Smithers is the chef/owner of du Fermier restaurant just up the road from our burrow in Trentham; and in admirably succinct and honest utterance declared to artist Daniel Butterworth that "...the bottom line for her was that all her hard work ends up down the toilet." 

No such profundity from Frydenberg, though. Smugly comfortable depicted in his blue-tied banality, Camillo De Luca's portrait aims in its materials of charcoal and wood with copper frame to indicate his ministerial position of Resources and Energy with a white halo apparently symbolising his outstanding achievements. Just what these achievements are, I can't think which is perhaps why it's so small. He, Frydenberg, belongs to the ruling rabble which is systematically destroying the country's economy and degrading its social contract so effectively that we are becoming a pariah nation. This "rising star" of the Liarbril Party is painted on two sheets of plywood making a square which not only approximates his dullness but by being split down the middle is probably closer to the truth of his real aspirations than the artist intends.

Polymath, Camillo De Luca

The rawness of the ply was to signify a work in progress though I think it more indicative of the conceptual and policy vacuum that is forcing Australia into the abyss. That he considers Frydenberg a Polymath is  more cynical than I can bear. This is  a person whose public function is to support the most nasty, brutish, right-wing rabble this land has ever seen and whose ex-IPA members even advocate dismembering the arts and stopping any funding for it. A place now where any frank advice is met with being attacked, sacked or publicly denigrated and practising the near criminality of rorting entitlements is the order of the day. 

Smithers on the other hand, actually produces food. She prepares food and feeds people. She is depicted streaming with her own sweat and the steaming  rivulets of the kitchen and is seated in the exhausted quiet at the end of a very long day.... whilst mentally preparing for the next. 
Unlike the "Leaner" Frydenberg,  Smithers' is a "Lifter" whose productivity is real, not just "spin."  "du Fermier" 42 High St Trentham  Ph: (03) 5424 1634. French Garden to plate, excellent food but be prepared to book well ahead.

Wandering through the gallery later we came across Patricia Piccinini's  "Graham" but the surreality was not the film prop sculpture but the people standing around listening into head phones.

Plastic Arts

One more to finish off,  Alice by William Rhodes a lovely little quiet piece of intimacy.

Alice by William Rhodes

Hoo-Roo petals,

Shane