tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065694115454910742.post285662486906076231..comments2024-01-13T23:40:11.599+11:00Comments on tachisme: Brett Whiteley at the Sydney Opera HouseHarry Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05025438150292484846noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065694115454910742.post-38940353043300341182012-01-09T06:44:28.195+11:002012-01-09T06:44:28.195+11:00One of the major things that makes me interested i...One of the major things that makes me interested in Whiteley is his interest in negative capability, except he used terms like 'IT'. For instance, he once said ,"Only by annihilating every semblance and iota of deliberateness, by being desireless and not wanting anything. Suddenly, when drawing, one glimpses the Real Order, trhe absolutely inexpressible Flash." So it was essence he was after through what Taoism calls wu-wei.<br /><br />I know what you mean about manic. Was this just his enthusiasm and energy for life? Was he on something? Was he bipolar? Sometimes he goes on and on and i wish he would just give it a rest. I'm not sure i like this opinionated side of his character. <br /><br />But then, he had a lot of opposition from art critics so i guess he had his polemic well rehearsed. I'm not sure that he was disciplined. I think he was immensely ambitious and worked very hard for success.<br /><br />I am interested in his conflicted inner life, his vulnerablity that masqueraded as certainty, his intuitive way of working in a world that wants answers. It's in this mix that i see his depression. I don't intend to emulate his style. He was a master of line, and line is not my bag. Rather, i want the idea of 'Brett the Australian spirtitual artist' to be a source of inspiration for me in my own art making, such as it is.<br /><br />Thanks again, Davida, for the time and effort you put into writing such a thought through and thought provoking comment. It's a great stimulus to help me sort my ideas.Harry Kenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05025438150292484846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3065694115454910742.post-16825801095987754022012-01-08T15:08:02.339+11:002012-01-08T15:08:02.339+11:00I can see why you are attracted to Whitley's w...I can see why you are attracted to Whitley's work. I was not familiar with him so I looked him up on Wikipedia and watched the video and looked at as many of his works that were available online.<br /><br />He seemed to have had the ability to put down the essence of something or someone without any extraneous mark or stroke. No accident is saved unnecessarily. Nothing is redundant. That takes great discipline. I think he has exercised his negative capability!<br /><br />The video, as I interpret it, shows a man who appears manic. He talks so fast that I have difficulty following what he has to say. Some of it seemed to border on the nonsensical. It is in contradiction with the discipline that shows in his exuberant work. <br /><br />Your portrait gives him a sadness. You are definitely more familiar with him and his work than I. You may have perceived something of him<br />that I can't see because of the limitations of the internet to portray such things. Yet his work is so powerful in its spareness that emulating his discipline is well worth a series. You've made such a good start. Run with it. It will be interesting to see where it will go.lifeartisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17125150782316360619noreply@blogger.com