Week 6: [Topic 7] Of all the paintings seen today, which is your favourite painting and why?

Francis Bacon Study from Portrait of Pope Innocent X by Velazquez (1959)

 

The visit to the Art Gallery last week proved to be rather insightful. Placing Modernist artists and their work within a context and comparing them to their predecessors allowed their intentions and techniques to flourish. I admired many of the artworks seen, Rodin’s Burghers of Calais and Picasso’s Nude in a Rocking Chair to name a few. However,  even almost after a week since the visit, no painting viewed has stayed with me more than Francis Bacon’s Study from Portrait of Pope Innocent X by Velazquez (1959).

Personally, I am quite dense when it comes to art so for me, first impressions are often the most important when it comes to viewing artwork. I find my initial reaction to a painting quite potent in deciphering wether I like it or not, simply because I would not give it the time it needs to be appreciated if it didn’t catch my eye.The impression I got when i first glanced at Bacon’s portrait: raw and honest. The colours were dull and stripped back and the lines were simple (especially compared to Picasso’s work which was seen just seconds before). The deep green backdrop and red cloak gives the subject regality, as does his throne-like position. Onlookers can immediately  infer that the subject is of great importance and power however, Bacon’s unexpected strokes over the face expose a deeper purpose of his artwork.

The defacing of the Pope left Bacon’s subject sitting vulnerably. The very presence of him is lost and feelings of existential agony become apparent. The harsh morphing of the subject’s face also reveals an inner self. While his eyes continue to stare out at you, there is a complex struggle appearing behind them. From a bit of background research, Bacon himself has commented that his purpose was not to attack the Pope personally. It can be inferred that Bacon’s purpose was something bigger than a single figure. His comments would appear to be on superiority and power itself and the despair that these titles bring. The horrific expression which is set upon the subject’s face can act as a mirror of the psychological turmoil that is placed upon an individual of such power.

It is appropriate that this artwork is situated just by the exit of the Modernist room in the NSW Art Gallery as it is definitely a piece that leaves you questioning the very notion of power, responsibility and sacrifice.

Week 5: [Topic 3] In a short paragraph express your own personal sense of how the study of war writing in the last two weeks has impacted on your view of the world.

Having no immediate connections to war myself, I came into this area of study with a completely open mind. Sure, I’ve seen the bulletins on the evening news and the headlines that stream the paper (even the horrific images that pop up on my Facebook News Feed because a friend of a friend has hit the ‘Like Button’ in the hope to share it around), but I am the first to admit that I am quite uneducated when it comes to war. Now, just because I myself have no immediate connection, I’m certain in saying my grandparents were directly affected by it. Coming from a European background, it would be naive of me to think otherwise. It’s just that they’ve never talked about it, around me anyway. And through studying some of the works we have in the past two weeks, I don’t blame them. I knew war was terrible, that’s a given, but what the authors we have studied have opened to me, is the terror that goes beyond the field of combat. That is, the emotional toil and mental terror. I have always been on the outside looking in, but what these authors have given me is a view from the inside –  a sense of what it was really like to be amongst the violence and warfare. A disheartening and horrific awakening.

The Western Front

Week 4: [Topic 3] Write a short prose passage that expresses what Kemmerich is thinking as he approaches his own death as a 19 year old.

What was it all for?

As I lay here, that’s all I can think about.

Nineteen. I’m just a school boy. A school boy that used to run and jump and swim and do what all school boys did. I was curious and clever and cunning. Like all boys, I wondered and imagined and hoped and dreamed.

What was it all for? 

Nineteen and they put me here, in their playground. They told me it was the most cunning game of all; told me I was a crucial part of the team; told me it was for the ultimate prize. I followed the rules and learnt the tricks. I was ready to come home a winner.

What was it all for? 

Paul sits beside me, assuring me that I will go home. I’m not going home. I’m never going to see my family again. They’re just going to put me with all the other guys. All the other ‘crucial members’ of the team. They probably won’t even remember my name.

So what was it all for?

How can my life be over, when I haven’t even had time to have one. It’s like I wasn’t allowed to. So why give me one in the first place? Why let me run and jump and swim if eventually it’s all going to stop. Why give me wonder and imagination and hopes and dreams if I can’t fulfil them?

Nineteen. I have my whole life ahead of me.

Correction. Had.

 

 

Week 3: [Topic 2] Imagine yourself in the role of Kurtz’s intended. Describe what you are hoping to hear from Marlow. Have you been disappointed by what you have heard?

Over a year now, though it still only feels like yesterday.

I can’t say that I was all that looking forward to the company. For there was only one person who I wanted to see, and it was that one person who would not knock upon my door ever again. Some would say that the sorrow has gone on too long, and my mourning was long past expired. But obviously those people did not know him. My beloved. Anyone who knew him would know that mourning forever would still not be enough. He brought out the best in any one who was fortunate enough to meet him. Yes those people did not know him.

I knew him. And he knew me. And he loved me. Of course this man was here to tell me how noble he was and how good he was. I knew that. He would also tell me how much he loved me. Oh! How my Kurtz adored me; how he missed me; how he spoke of me, fondly and frequently. My Kurtz, so noble and loyal.

Then he told me my Kurtz’s final utterance. My Kurtz had breathed his final breath while saying my name. It came as no surprise. I knew that in his final moments he would think of me. What else and who else would he possibly think about? I was his life. And he was mine. Even within his final moments he still managed to shine. That was just like him, so full of light. How could I not mourn forever for my Kurtz? My poor, beloved Kurtz.

ENGL202: Week 2: [Topic 1] With Conrad’s description of art in mind, build on your poem of the magnolia tree which you started in class.

The poem I have written reveals my personal experience when observing the magnolia tree during our first tutorial. Having been in the very same classroom on at least 25 separate occasions before, I had never noticed the magnolia tree which stands just outside the window. This surprised me, as the first thing I noticed was its intense beauty. With Conrad’s description of art in mind, it was the aesthetics of the magnolia tree, its background, its colours and its light that made me question, if I was able to miss out on this for so long, how much more was I actually missing?

 

Just past noon, draped in winter’s chill,
The velvet buds stand perfectly still.
Delicate hues of pink and white,
Attract an almost angelic light.
Between the two towers that they grow,
Against the stone their life does show.
Footsteps and chaos and deadlines too much,
The branches hang unseen; unnoticed; untouched.
How can something with beauty so profound,
Be missed within such a frequented ground.
Until today, I too had missed,
The magnolia tree and all its bliss.

 

 

[ARCHIVED] 2013: Week 9: [Creative] Group Vlog: Louis Nowra “Radiance”

[ARCHIVED] Week 8: [Creative] Find a digital web site that introduces Digital Kinetic poetry (where text is animated on the screen) and discuss the creative possibilities of this kind of “writing”.

Digital kinetic poetry is a form compiled of many creative possibilities that are not necessarily omitted from the traditional form of poetry as text, but are undeniably enhanced when applied using digital media. Digital media provides the composer with the opportunity to experiment with a number of elements to further convey their intended message to audiences as well as evoke a new range of emotions that may be difficult to achieve in the form of writing. Unique to this type of presentation include:

Visual imagery – a major component of Digital kinetic poetry, not only completed with the use of pictorial representations but also through the visualization of words.

Auditory mechanisms – can be used to, not only enhance the enjoyment of the poem, but also to allow the overall message of the poem to be clarified. This includes the use of music, sound effects or an actual reading of the poem. (From personal experience, hearing the poem aloud provides greater insight than just reading it from a page myself).

Movement – can be manipulated and used in digital kinetic poetry to provide a sense of direction for the audience.

There is the opportunity, within digital kinetic poetry, to add depth to a piece of work without compromising the structure or the overall intent of it. Authors of digital kinetic poetry acknowledge that this new way of presenting their works not only increases interest in their work, but also provides a greater understanding for their audiences.

Click here to see examples of Digital Kinetic Poetry

[ARCHIVED] Week 7: [Critical] Chose one of Kevin Hart’s poems and explain in your own words what you think it means and why you find it personally engaging.

I find that I am immediately drawn to shorter poems (not just because there is less to read, but) because I am always interested to see how effectively the author is able to convey his/her message within such a limited space. I find it fascinating how an author is able, in a short prose, to provoke the same emotion and reaction in a short prose as that of an epic. Kevin Hart’s Night Storm is no exception. Night Storm is compiled of only two stanzas, both in which Hart identifies with the subject matter through personification. What is really interesting about Hart’s piece? The distinct voices, differentiating the two stanzas. Within the first, when recognizably describing the storm, Hart uses loud and harsh imagery to depict the brutality and intensity of the storm. On the contrary, throughout the description of a still night in the second stanza, Hart uses the control of long sounds and alliteration to highlight a sense of tranquility and ease. By cleverly creating and highlighting an antithesis between the two elements of his poem, Hart is able to flawlessly steer the emotion of one extreme to another. I think that is the overall intent of this particular poem: to reveal to his audiences the variability and power of emotions, which can be evoked from a single source.

 

[ARCHIVED] Week 6: [Critical] Give a short description of one of the Australian paintings currently hanging in the Art Gallery of NSW and explore the ways in which it illuminates at least one literary theme and/or method explored in Australian Literature studied this semester.

Tom Roberts’ “The Golden Fleece” (1894) is situated in the second room of the Art Gallery of NSW. On the surface, Roberts’ depicts an average sheep shearing work shed. However, upon closer viewing, it is evident that it is more a depiction of the strength in manual labor and hard working ethic of Australians at the time. Australia, the world’s leader in producing and exporting wool, was at an industry height in the 1800’s, when exporting wool to the UK began. The shearer, evidently, became a central character in Australia’s economy and hence, an image which was highly correlated with Australian industry and culture. By conveying the subjects in his artwork with such virility and power, Roberts’ is able to convey their importance to his audience.

It is interesting to note the comments that Roberts’ himself made about his work, “a subject noble enough and worthy enough if I could express the meaning and spirit – of strong, masculine labour, the patience of the animals whose year’s growth is being stripped from them for man’s use, and the great human interest of the whole scene. (Roberts)” We can see Roberts’ desire to also portray the significance of the individual and his relationship with the natural world, utilising it to his advantage. It is left to the audience to question whether the end means is worth the tampering of the natural environment.

[ARCHIVED] Week 5: [Creative] Compile a mini digital reference kit for any one of the authors studied. Find a youtube video, a strong web site and maybe a really insightful introduction to their work.

Oodgeroo Noonuccal

Here is short film by Don Featherstone on Kath Walker (Oodgeroo Noonuccal) which gives a bit of background on the Australian Poet and includes a reading of ‘The Dispossessed.’

This list of websites give a brief biography of Noonuccal and outline some of her achievements in both the Indigenous and literary worlds.
http://www.qut.edu.au/about/oodgeroo/oodgeroo-noonuccal
http://indigenousrights.net.au/person.asp?pID=988
http://www.reconciliation.org.au/home/resources/school-resources/1967-referendum/women–1967-referendum/oodgeroo-noonuccal

This is a link to one of Noonuccal’s ‘Aboriginal Charter of Rights.’ A poem which speaks for itself.
http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/noonuccal-oodgeroo/aboriginal-charter-of-rights-0771030″ title=”Aboriginal Charter of Rights

Another interesting read is a journal article written by Alexis Wright and published in Overland. Here, Wright discusses the lasting impact that Noonuccal’s writing left on it’s readers. (NOTE: You may need your student ID and password to access the database)
http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy1.acu.edu.au/fullText;dn=200813163;res=APAFT