On my way into the studio, a breezy quarter of a mile walk from home, I often drop into the National Museum of Wales to have a quick look at the Cézanne’s or sometimes I check out a patch of one of the Monet Water Lilies or one of the sad and scary Van Gogh’s,
‘Landscape at Auvers in the Rain’- from the last few days of his life in July 1890 . . . All of them soooo present and as real as lightning, the most 'present' painting I've ever seen by the way is Vermeer's 'The Maidservant Pouring Milk' when it toured with other Vermeers to the National Gallery some years ago. It's 'there' like nothing else I've ever seen. Keeps me fighting fit.
I’m only in there half an hour, it’s like grabbing a slice of toast for breakfast, but this morning I’d had no breakfast and it was cold – I needed a cooked breakfast to set me up – I went to my usual place – upstairs in the covered market (it used to be a women’s prison) and who should be tucking into the same, but Doc Franklyn.
Dr Franklyn: Hey … good to see you, early start …?’ I look at him sideways, smiling. ‘Hungry start I think …You too I see…?’ and ordered knowing that I’d only have to wait a few minutes, it was busy and the griddle was in full sizzle. As usual with the good Dr, there’s hardly any preamble, he’s into it all fulltime – and so am I – so off he starts as I pull out the chair next to him and place my mug of tea and knife n fork in front of me.
Dr Franklyn: 'Listen, Something about those drawings got me thinking - I think it was their title, started me musing - the ones you were having some trouble with, the - We Enter As Animals - yes?. '
Me: 'Yes that’s right.'
Dr Franklyn: 'So if we enter animals, how do we leave? Is that it?'
Me: ‘That’s correct.’
Dr Franklyn: ‘I propose a solution … but you know what they say about cures…’ My breakfast arrived – I attacked it and he let me be as I set to and made up my mind whether I wanted to follow this one.
Me: Let’s jaw on that one another time Doc, if we can – I’m doing something with them right now and it’s too close to talk about.
Monday, 29 October 2007
The Colour With No Name 2 0f 7
Dr Franklyn: ‘Fair enough … the other topic I’ve been mulling over was ... the colour with no name.
Me: I had to put my knife and fork down.
‘Where did you come up with that from?’
Dr Franklyn … Laughing ‘I was watching a Clint Eastwood film the other night on TV, the man with no name stuff. It occurred to me that there are plenty of sounds without names – just onomatopoeic resemblances – and plenty of colours without names - what is a POW! ? Not forgetting the exclamation mark of course - it usually means someone is hitting someone else or something … what is a SKREEK! ? It could be nails on a blackboard or a bird call ( people were looking at us now) so what then, is the colour of this tea?’
Me: ‘It’s a milky tea colour of course Doc … and I guess there has been a milky tea colour since the 17th century at least … before that, errr I wouldn’t like to think what they called it - might put me off breakfast! … but I see your point, that is a literal description of what it is … other than that it’s one of the millions of pale browns of some kind – Harmonics I’d call them – colours that people don’t notice until they have to call them something – or they are decorating a room – then they become flavourised’ ( the Doc laughed)
Dr Franklyn: ‘Is that a technical term?’... still laughing.
Me: ‘Does the trick doesn’t it … yes .. flavourised colour descriptions, like White with a hint of Apple – Barley Haze – Cinnamon – Petunia, they’re all apt descriptive names – even if we do tend to laugh at them.’
Me: I had to put my knife and fork down.
‘Where did you come up with that from?’
Dr Franklyn … Laughing ‘I was watching a Clint Eastwood film the other night on TV, the man with no name stuff. It occurred to me that there are plenty of sounds without names – just onomatopoeic resemblances – and plenty of colours without names - what is a POW! ? Not forgetting the exclamation mark of course - it usually means someone is hitting someone else or something … what is a SKREEK! ? It could be nails on a blackboard or a bird call ( people were looking at us now) so what then, is the colour of this tea?’
Me: ‘It’s a milky tea colour of course Doc … and I guess there has been a milky tea colour since the 17th century at least … before that, errr I wouldn’t like to think what they called it - might put me off breakfast! … but I see your point, that is a literal description of what it is … other than that it’s one of the millions of pale browns of some kind – Harmonics I’d call them – colours that people don’t notice until they have to call them something – or they are decorating a room – then they become flavourised’ ( the Doc laughed)
Dr Franklyn: ‘Is that a technical term?’... still laughing.
Me: ‘Does the trick doesn’t it … yes .. flavourised colour descriptions, like White with a hint of Apple – Barley Haze – Cinnamon – Petunia, they’re all apt descriptive names – even if we do tend to laugh at them.’
The Colour With No Name 3 of 7
Dr Franklyn: ‘That’s right - people need them of course; They are the same as Vermillion red or Cerulean, commonly held descriptives or flavourisations – to use your word. Everything we see, hear, touch and smell has to be described in one way or another of course, and a perceived marketplace, or a science, a history, or something’s manufacture defines the kind of description.
Is Magnolia forever Magnolia? or, does it miraculously and expensively transform into a Honey Silk somewhere in the higher echelons of interior design, – but what I was really interested in are the colours that aren’t noticed, or haven’t been sold, the shy colours – the colours with no names…’
Me: Welllll…There are a whole batch of colours that I and a couple of other painters know, we call them Neptunian…’
Dr Franklyn: Are they from a particular part of the spectrum? Can you point to any around us?
Me: No – there are none around us, I can tell you that without looking. From the time when you did all that painting on the island - you know about simultaneous contrast don’t you? – or you found out by empirical methods - that a colour changes it’s value depending on the colour next to it, or the colour surrounding it etc. Well - a Neptunian colour becomes such; not only because of that effect – which can be purposefully encouraged to an end, or built at a subconscious level; but can be mixed to act as such with other colours of it’s ilk… often by scumbling one colour over another.’
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Okaay… I think I followed you there - and a scumble is a layer of paint who’s basic nature is to be opaque but which is rendered semi opaque by the action of it’s application ? a scumble …’
Is Magnolia forever Magnolia? or, does it miraculously and expensively transform into a Honey Silk somewhere in the higher echelons of interior design, – but what I was really interested in are the colours that aren’t noticed, or haven’t been sold, the shy colours – the colours with no names…’
Me: Welllll…There are a whole batch of colours that I and a couple of other painters know, we call them Neptunian…’
Dr Franklyn: Are they from a particular part of the spectrum? Can you point to any around us?
Me: No – there are none around us, I can tell you that without looking. From the time when you did all that painting on the island - you know about simultaneous contrast don’t you? – or you found out by empirical methods - that a colour changes it’s value depending on the colour next to it, or the colour surrounding it etc. Well - a Neptunian colour becomes such; not only because of that effect – which can be purposefully encouraged to an end, or built at a subconscious level; but can be mixed to act as such with other colours of it’s ilk… often by scumbling one colour over another.’
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Okaay… I think I followed you there - and a scumble is a layer of paint who’s basic nature is to be opaque but which is rendered semi opaque by the action of it’s application ? a scumble …’
The Colour With No Name 4 of 7
Me: Laughing…’ I couldn’t have put it better Doc – yes – and the important thing in a scumble, is that the under painting shows and contributes. Generally all kinds of harmonic colours can appear, unless your scumbling something like a white over blue of course… Phew … you’ve got me having to remember stuff now – when I paint or draw I forget as much as possible, it’s in me now and I don’t want it in the way – I simply reach for things naturally when I need them – I still mess up though. That’s why you can teach people to paint, how to render stuff that will wow their friends – and very satisfying it is too – we all need time at that - but how they internalise it all, and find form for it within themselves is really up to them – even if your just having leisure fun – you want to own something of the skills – it’s a human thing – to be proud of hard won skills.
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Yes, that’s the way of things - I spent a few years when I had a practise in Barcelona, I was copying and doing my own versions of the Masereel black and whites – I couldn’t get enough, photocopiers had just become the norm and I spent hours reducing and enlarging seeing how far go, and drawing on the paper first sometimes and then photocopying over the top – good fun a new toy.’
Me: Laughing ‘Yes good old photocopy art - all the rage at one time. Masereel would have had a state of the art machine I think – but he didn’t need one, he is one of the truly greats Doc - I spent a long time with his work too, but let me finish this scumble thing for now...
The optical effect of a glaze is generally to retain or enhance clarity,the optical effect of scumbling,putting on thin layers of opaque paint; is to loose clarity,and to often give atmosphere or texture. Sometimes it can be akin to a dry brush technique.’
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Yes, I thought so – all the great descriptive painters were great scumblers – Rembrandt, Franz Hals…you could go on forever… Question! - how do you paint flimsy material over flesh ?
Together: ‘ You scumble it…!’ Laughing.
Dr Franklyn: But you don’t use it like that do you?’
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Yes, that’s the way of things - I spent a few years when I had a practise in Barcelona, I was copying and doing my own versions of the Masereel black and whites – I couldn’t get enough, photocopiers had just become the norm and I spent hours reducing and enlarging seeing how far go, and drawing on the paper first sometimes and then photocopying over the top – good fun a new toy.’
Me: Laughing ‘Yes good old photocopy art - all the rage at one time. Masereel would have had a state of the art machine I think – but he didn’t need one, he is one of the truly greats Doc - I spent a long time with his work too, but let me finish this scumble thing for now...
The optical effect of a glaze is generally to retain or enhance clarity,the optical effect of scumbling,putting on thin layers of opaque paint; is to loose clarity,and to often give atmosphere or texture. Sometimes it can be akin to a dry brush technique.’
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Yes, I thought so – all the great descriptive painters were great scumblers – Rembrandt, Franz Hals…you could go on forever… Question! - how do you paint flimsy material over flesh ?
Together: ‘ You scumble it…!’ Laughing.
Dr Franklyn: But you don’t use it like that do you?’
The Colour With No Name 5 of 7
Me: ‘ No, that’s right, all I want is the colour, but the real thing that makes a Neptunian colour Neptunian, is that they carry their own atmospheres with them – individually they are the colours without a name if you like … and very different from that other useful descriptive phrase ‘Autumn colours.’
I’ll show you some Neptunes in a couple of paintings when you come to the studio next … You'd spot them now anyway. I ought to spend time doing a whole series using just those colours sometime – but they can be a bit scary .’
Laughs.
I went up to the counter to get two more teas.
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Thank you – Ok, let me try a verbal description of one of those colours see if I can get close … A deep and dark Crimson under painting, scumbled over with Yellow Ochre ?
Me: ‘Could be useful – I like it, try one from the greens.’
Dr Franklyn: A Chrome Green scumbled with Cobalt blue and Violet… laughing… it’s a new kind of word game isn’t it – like wine tasting. A full bodied red with a smoky aftertaste and a hint of liquorice.’
Me: It’s a game I played a lot as a student – still do – I look at a colour I see on a bus or somewhere like here and think – now how would I mix that? You start with the most obvious mixes, but if you know your hots and colds – and hot and cold colours tend to cancel each other in a mix, but things can get very interesting if you experiment - anyway - you can come up with some surprisingly odd and viable solutions…’
I’ll show you some Neptunes in a couple of paintings when you come to the studio next … You'd spot them now anyway. I ought to spend time doing a whole series using just those colours sometime – but they can be a bit scary .’
Laughs.
I went up to the counter to get two more teas.
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Thank you – Ok, let me try a verbal description of one of those colours see if I can get close … A deep and dark Crimson under painting, scumbled over with Yellow Ochre ?
Me: ‘Could be useful – I like it, try one from the greens.’
Dr Franklyn: A Chrome Green scumbled with Cobalt blue and Violet… laughing… it’s a new kind of word game isn’t it – like wine tasting. A full bodied red with a smoky aftertaste and a hint of liquorice.’
Me: It’s a game I played a lot as a student – still do – I look at a colour I see on a bus or somewhere like here and think – now how would I mix that? You start with the most obvious mixes, but if you know your hots and colds – and hot and cold colours tend to cancel each other in a mix, but things can get very interesting if you experiment - anyway - you can come up with some surprisingly odd and viable solutions…’
The Colour With No Name 6 of 7
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Yes, I think I know what you mean, I had a great love of chromatic blacks at one time when I was painting a lot – allied to the normal toning down of a primary with it’s opposite, like cooling off a red with a green. Loading a black with a lot of Cobolt or Ultramarine can make a stunning blue black or you can warm it up to a zingy violet black, it’s marvellous, but put in the wrong place it just looks like a plain old black or falls flat.
Me: ‘Yes, we’re really getting into the Harmonic areas now – you know how a Blue can sing against an Orange or Red, or vice versa as in primary contrasts ? - and produces involuntary afterimages and flickerings in the eye – well imagine if you could do that with Chromatic Blacks or Chromatic Whites.’
Dr Franklyn: ’That’s amazing – can you do it?’
Me: ‘The answer is yes – but here’s a funny thing Doc – It’s an old saw, but it goes back to what I was saying about simultaneous contrast and what you were just saying about putting chromatic black in the wrong place - context is everything and intention and unintention sits within it.’
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Most excellent, so in those cases when you’re painting - you must create the context itself for the thing to happen within it – as it were? – and If I could extrapolate further. You imply, that often you are not making a painting, or a picture as such – but providing the context for the unknown thing.?
Me: ‘ That’s pretty much correct Doc, and apart from the technical aspects,
the provision of context in a painting is for me, the state of the contract between minds. Ones own and the lookers - the painting and the audience …
Me: ‘Yes, we’re really getting into the Harmonic areas now – you know how a Blue can sing against an Orange or Red, or vice versa as in primary contrasts ? - and produces involuntary afterimages and flickerings in the eye – well imagine if you could do that with Chromatic Blacks or Chromatic Whites.’
Dr Franklyn: ’That’s amazing – can you do it?’
Me: ‘The answer is yes – but here’s a funny thing Doc – It’s an old saw, but it goes back to what I was saying about simultaneous contrast and what you were just saying about putting chromatic black in the wrong place - context is everything and intention and unintention sits within it.’
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Most excellent, so in those cases when you’re painting - you must create the context itself for the thing to happen within it – as it were? – and If I could extrapolate further. You imply, that often you are not making a painting, or a picture as such – but providing the context for the unknown thing.?
Me: ‘ That’s pretty much correct Doc, and apart from the technical aspects,
the provision of context in a painting is for me, the state of the contract between minds. Ones own and the lookers - the painting and the audience …
The Colour With No Name 7 of 7
Dr Franklyn: ‘Go on … this is interesting’
Me: ‘ Welllll … for me, it’s the work to be done - and where the fissures and frissons of meaning might reside. For me that is the art – the providing of a context. It’s difficult, and many won’t get it – why should they – nevertheless, you do it as well as you can – you let all the bits and pieces of your armory have their moment or not, as they want, as you direct - then you let it be. Often things don’t work – but others like them – that’s why you have to let it bide – because we all have a common journey – and sometimes you can’t see it yourself – you have to let others have the time to say – ‘I see this’ without explanations all the time –without ones self interest.
I am not after all, painting The Golden Pond – or whatever it is, as a descriptive thing – I am painting something else; it’s neither better or worse – it’s just what I do. They look like ‘paintings’ of course because that’s the form - I’ve never been big on trying to make the ‘art object’ as such Doc, it’s people that count – but that is the place I am caught up in - the whole malfangled art market place thing,Which was ever so of course – and having picked up the ball I’m run with it, all over the field, beyond, and as far as I jolly well.’
Authors note: Listen to the 49machines song ‘ I Am Only Working On This Hill’at www.myspace.com/49machines cut and paste to another browser window.
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Very very good – I’m glad I watched Clint Eastwood the other night.
We aught to talk more about Harmonics and perhaps Masereel next time – I’ll get us another tea… or something stronger, I think you need it now.’
Me: ‘ Welllll … for me, it’s the work to be done - and where the fissures and frissons of meaning might reside. For me that is the art – the providing of a context. It’s difficult, and many won’t get it – why should they – nevertheless, you do it as well as you can – you let all the bits and pieces of your armory have their moment or not, as they want, as you direct - then you let it be. Often things don’t work – but others like them – that’s why you have to let it bide – because we all have a common journey – and sometimes you can’t see it yourself – you have to let others have the time to say – ‘I see this’ without explanations all the time –without ones self interest.
I am not after all, painting The Golden Pond – or whatever it is, as a descriptive thing – I am painting something else; it’s neither better or worse – it’s just what I do. They look like ‘paintings’ of course because that’s the form - I’ve never been big on trying to make the ‘art object’ as such Doc, it’s people that count – but that is the place I am caught up in - the whole malfangled art market place thing,Which was ever so of course – and having picked up the ball I’m run with it, all over the field, beyond, and as far as I jolly well.’
Authors note: Listen to the 49machines song ‘ I Am Only Working On This Hill’at www.myspace.com/49machines cut and paste to another browser window.
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Very very good – I’m glad I watched Clint Eastwood the other night.
We aught to talk more about Harmonics and perhaps Masereel next time – I’ll get us another tea… or something stronger, I think you need it now.’
Thursday, 4 October 2007
PRUNING TREES 1 of 6
We had arranged to meet in Roath Park Hothouse as early as possible. I had been painting, trying out some new watercolours for an hour when the Doc turned up.
He produced a large flask and a Dundee cake. The Doc knew his business, when painting with a couple of friends up on the Black Mountains week in week out, that was our staple fare, flasks of coffee and tea and a mountain of homemade fruit cake, keeps the cold out and perfect comfort food – we set too.
Dr Franklyn: ‘ I’ve been mulling over things about Hirst’s platinum and diamond skull reliquary.’ he looked at me sideways.
I laughed shaking my head. ‘ I know what you’re doing Doc…mmm this cake is good.’
Dr Franklyn: ‘Well - criticism would be a waste of time, he’s an Artist, it’s his right to make anything that he wants, as you well know - but to try some meta-think context might be worthwhile - seeing as the biggest thing about that skull is that it’s way off most scales of Art and Craft as generally understood - or of Jewellers and Goldsmiths for that matter - so how come such a hyper object?.
He produced a large flask and a Dundee cake. The Doc knew his business, when painting with a couple of friends up on the Black Mountains week in week out, that was our staple fare, flasks of coffee and tea and a mountain of homemade fruit cake, keeps the cold out and perfect comfort food – we set too.
Dr Franklyn: ‘ I’ve been mulling over things about Hirst’s platinum and diamond skull reliquary.’ he looked at me sideways.
I laughed shaking my head. ‘ I know what you’re doing Doc…mmm this cake is good.’
Dr Franklyn: ‘Well - criticism would be a waste of time, he’s an Artist, it’s his right to make anything that he wants, as you well know - but to try some meta-think context might be worthwhile - seeing as the biggest thing about that skull is that it’s way off most scales of Art and Craft as generally understood - or of Jewellers and Goldsmiths for that matter - so how come such a hyper object?.
PRUNING TREES 2
Me: ‘ So… Reliquary eh, definitely a meta game then…but you know very well that his skull isn’t for keeping holy relics in, or like one of those errr, Monstrance objects with a glass centre where the Host wafers are kept.’
It was his turn to Laugh.
Dr Franklyn: Yes… and you just reminded me about the whole idea of Sleeping Beauty in her Glass Coffin - it’s all part of the same meta thing – a matter of wheedling out what the game actually is, not what I want it to be, and on the contrary, I think the skull is very much a reliquary, a repository and embodiment of all Hirst’s Quixotic and religious fancies – it could also be an answer to his alchemical yearnings. He doesn’t have to saw and pickle flesh and bone this time to try and transubstantiate death into Art – he’s done it enough – it’s lost it’s shock and awe - well, for those who had it anyway. This time that skull becomes transubstantiated, transmuted, cleanly into a precious metal, platinum by fire – keeping the teeth and making them much much more splendid than they ever could have been in that persons lifetime was a crucial, maybe a flippant decision, but it has good Dada value.’
I laugh again at this collision of ideas. ‘ Go on Doc, you’re on a roll here.’
Dr Franklyn: ‘..and the sheep, sharks and cows in glass boxes? now there’s a perfect parallel of your Monstrance, a Sleeping Beauty, all imbued with the same tangled morbid fears and philosophies of the miracle performed, the miracle dared, the miracle to be enacted again at some ‘perfect’ time, all are pokes and fist shakes at the ‘God’idea -the promisaries of everlasting life, of the Kingdom come covenant – Hirst loves it and hates it - he can't help himself.’
It was his turn to Laugh.
Dr Franklyn: Yes… and you just reminded me about the whole idea of Sleeping Beauty in her Glass Coffin - it’s all part of the same meta thing – a matter of wheedling out what the game actually is, not what I want it to be, and on the contrary, I think the skull is very much a reliquary, a repository and embodiment of all Hirst’s Quixotic and religious fancies – it could also be an answer to his alchemical yearnings. He doesn’t have to saw and pickle flesh and bone this time to try and transubstantiate death into Art – he’s done it enough – it’s lost it’s shock and awe - well, for those who had it anyway. This time that skull becomes transubstantiated, transmuted, cleanly into a precious metal, platinum by fire – keeping the teeth and making them much much more splendid than they ever could have been in that persons lifetime was a crucial, maybe a flippant decision, but it has good Dada value.’
I laugh again at this collision of ideas. ‘ Go on Doc, you’re on a roll here.’
Dr Franklyn: ‘..and the sheep, sharks and cows in glass boxes? now there’s a perfect parallel of your Monstrance, a Sleeping Beauty, all imbued with the same tangled morbid fears and philosophies of the miracle performed, the miracle dared, the miracle to be enacted again at some ‘perfect’ time, all are pokes and fist shakes at the ‘God’idea -the promisaries of everlasting life, of the Kingdom come covenant – Hirst loves it and hates it - he can't help himself.’
PRUNING TREES 3
Me: ‘I’m following you – and I see that it wouldn’t be a valid reading if Hirst wasn’t already bound up in all this stuff by his past and various statements about an obsession with death. He’s recently said that he’s stopped worrying about what Art is – but that’s an answer of course to all those screaming Artsters who must get on his nerves. Hey Doc, at his prices they can get on my nerves all they like – but seriously, when you look at the work and its climate, it’s plain to see why he must take up that position sooner or later. The truth of it for me is that Art wearies and wilts under his - ham fisted and po-faced works. The point being, that he himself isn’t po-faced at all, he goes out of his way not to be, he plays the uncaring Jester to the hilt like some rocking art barbarian who thinks he has the ‘common touch’.
It was the Docs turn to laugh now.
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Very good, and yes I think he’s ham fisted too if I must express a personal opinion directly – but I do believe that luckily for him, and plenty of others in on the big art grab of this century; that there is hardly any critical opinion from a Modernist viewpoint, and probably any other viewpoint, that can survive in that Torricellian gap fashionably inhabited by Post Modernist ideas. Who can?...even Brian Sewell can’t penetrate it!!!... and that’s some jazz!.’ Laughing.
Me: ‘Who can indeed; Time will out, as they say, but it’s also symptomatic of these times - who could be bothered and to what purpose? I would very much like to hear Prof George Steiner’s take on it, I've read ‘Real Presences’ a few times and it’s still completely absorbing – or the philosopher Paul Virilio – Peter Fuller would have been good, but sadly he was killed in a traffic accident, blimey there are lots of takes I’d like to hear….’ Laughing ‘ but yours is pretty good Doc…‘
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Thank you - Yes, I remember that happening – Fuller was a sad loss to art criticism, but for the job in hand I can’t help feeling that ,for all his academic jousting, he was just-too nice.’
It was the Docs turn to laugh now.
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Very good, and yes I think he’s ham fisted too if I must express a personal opinion directly – but I do believe that luckily for him, and plenty of others in on the big art grab of this century; that there is hardly any critical opinion from a Modernist viewpoint, and probably any other viewpoint, that can survive in that Torricellian gap fashionably inhabited by Post Modernist ideas. Who can?...even Brian Sewell can’t penetrate it!!!... and that’s some jazz!.’ Laughing.
Me: ‘Who can indeed; Time will out, as they say, but it’s also symptomatic of these times - who could be bothered and to what purpose? I would very much like to hear Prof George Steiner’s take on it, I've read ‘Real Presences’ a few times and it’s still completely absorbing – or the philosopher Paul Virilio – Peter Fuller would have been good, but sadly he was killed in a traffic accident, blimey there are lots of takes I’d like to hear….’ Laughing ‘ but yours is pretty good Doc…‘
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Thank you - Yes, I remember that happening – Fuller was a sad loss to art criticism, but for the job in hand I can’t help feeling that ,for all his academic jousting, he was just-too nice.’
PRUNING TREES 4
Me: ‘ Yes, I know what you mean Doc – I also get the feeling looking at photographs of the skull – or just thinking of it as an idea, that it’s a sort of terribly old fashioned idea – a studenty kind of thing, borrowed from the Aztecs, or the Mayan - or the Tibetans for that matter – not forgetting the ‘killing fields’ of skulls in the Cambodian Pol Pot regime of the 70’s - I’m sure it’s been done in reality and in art plenty of times – talking of old fashioned,do you remember Chapter Arts Centre recently gave over the gallery to an Artist who decided to show nothing, and that the gallery should simply be a white meeting place for ‘chats’… what can you doooo with these people? … no sense or idea of history at all…’
Dr Franklyn: Laughing ‘Oh yes, I remember that nonsense- and the C.V.A. debacle as well . Y’know; it’s a funny thing about Hirst’s statement about not caring what Art is. Who does? such an idea!- it’s never ever bothered Joe Public in the slightest, your ordinary person couldn’t give two hoots about what art is – come to that, most people wouldn’t give tuppence to hang ‘art’ on their walls - and the idea of going to a gallery for a chance ‘chat’is nonsense - and Wilde’s little Dictum, ‘Of course all art is perfectly useless’ fits Hirst like a glove, here’s a dictum of my own to fit his situation, and was the endplace of my original mulling - Rich Boys play with Rich Toys, and don’t forget, he famously said of his spot paintings, 'They're bright and they're zany, but there's f*** all there at the end of the day.’ he should have the self discovery of your friend who realised he had nothing to say – and get out of the kitchen.'
Me: Laughing ‘Hmm, lets not get on to the CVA – I’ll be steaming – but yes, that’s exactly it Doc. Rich boys do indeed play with rich toys. Platinum, Diamonds, Ivory, all stickily stuck together like some crazy over-indulgent Blue Peter thing, like Peter Carl Fabergé making his mad Easter eggs for the Tsars…talk about religious reliquaries, blimey! And of course the skull has that very shifty title ‘For the Love Of God’ I think it’s more a case of I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water …’
Dr Franklyn: Laughing ‘Oh yes, I remember that nonsense- and the C.V.A. debacle as well . Y’know; it’s a funny thing about Hirst’s statement about not caring what Art is. Who does? such an idea!- it’s never ever bothered Joe Public in the slightest, your ordinary person couldn’t give two hoots about what art is – come to that, most people wouldn’t give tuppence to hang ‘art’ on their walls - and the idea of going to a gallery for a chance ‘chat’is nonsense - and Wilde’s little Dictum, ‘Of course all art is perfectly useless’ fits Hirst like a glove, here’s a dictum of my own to fit his situation, and was the endplace of my original mulling - Rich Boys play with Rich Toys, and don’t forget, he famously said of his spot paintings, 'They're bright and they're zany, but there's f*** all there at the end of the day.’ he should have the self discovery of your friend who realised he had nothing to say – and get out of the kitchen.'
Me: Laughing ‘Hmm, lets not get on to the CVA – I’ll be steaming – but yes, that’s exactly it Doc. Rich boys do indeed play with rich toys. Platinum, Diamonds, Ivory, all stickily stuck together like some crazy over-indulgent Blue Peter thing, like Peter Carl Fabergé making his mad Easter eggs for the Tsars…talk about religious reliquaries, blimey! And of course the skull has that very shifty title ‘For the Love Of God’ I think it’s more a case of I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water …’
PRUNING TREES 5
Dr Franklyn: ‘ Wooo, you’ve got it – the title is typical of a new barbarian who is still a little nervous!!! But wants it all his own way. Oh yes, there are always obscenely overwrought things to be made for the new Tsars, for their companies and companions, and the point is this; except for those who buy ‘masterworks’ to put into bank vaults, Hirst’s skull object is a homage to Them, it speaks of no ones wealth, of no ones mind of purpose, of no other ideas but Theirs, and crucially for a rich boys toy, its worth must be held within its materials, then it’s completely their game, not yours or mine, or Art’s - in the end the diamond and precious metals market are the only arbiters of its value.’
Me: ‘Wow - I’m reminded of Michael Jackson in that documentary a few years ago on a shopping trip for obje’d’art in some Las Vegas mall… why should anyone care, it’s all voyeurism – and as someone else said in a review - if Hirst's work is supposed to mirror society that is not its strength but its weakness, so If it’s satire, give me political cartoonists any day.
Dr Franklyn ‘ Yes, me too – interestingly there’s an answering satire by The Polish artist Peter Fuss called ‘For the Laugh of God’ his look alike skull encrusted with fake diamonds is a mild £1000 and prints at a £1 or so, I think I’ll get a couple actually – Hirst’s prints meanwhile, range from £900 to £10,000 depending on size and edition….no contest – it’s interesting that if ideas are transferable – invested meaning must be too.’
Me: ‘Wow - I’m reminded of Michael Jackson in that documentary a few years ago on a shopping trip for obje’d’art in some Las Vegas mall… why should anyone care, it’s all voyeurism – and as someone else said in a review - if Hirst's work is supposed to mirror society that is not its strength but its weakness, so If it’s satire, give me political cartoonists any day.
Dr Franklyn ‘ Yes, me too – interestingly there’s an answering satire by The Polish artist Peter Fuss called ‘For the Laugh of God’ his look alike skull encrusted with fake diamonds is a mild £1000 and prints at a £1 or so, I think I’ll get a couple actually – Hirst’s prints meanwhile, range from £900 to £10,000 depending on size and edition….no contest – it’s interesting that if ideas are transferable – invested meaning must be too.’
PRUNING TREES 6 Last
Me: ‘ Doc that’s a very interesting idea – look its 12 o clock, shall we meet up next Friday, I’ve got to get over to Flat Holm to do some drawing, a friend is taking me and his boat leaves in an hour.’
Dr Franklyn; ‘ Ok, good luck,I'm going up to the Lake, let’s meet for breakfast upstairs in the Old Market if you can make it - ring me – and as a parting shot as it were - Hirst made a dreadful mistake when he said of the skull, that he hoped
“...anybody looking at it would get some hope and be uplifted...” But, lest we forget, or get too sanctimonious, think of the last lines of Po Chu i’s famous ‘Pruning Trees’ – a long-time favourite of mine.
'... and my eyes, and my mind, went far away. Of Things; There are none, that do not bide both good and ill. Of Men; There are none, who do not have some preferences.’
bonchance.'
Dr Franklyn; ‘ Ok, good luck,I'm going up to the Lake, let’s meet for breakfast upstairs in the Old Market if you can make it - ring me – and as a parting shot as it were - Hirst made a dreadful mistake when he said of the skull, that he hoped
“...anybody looking at it would get some hope and be uplifted...” But, lest we forget, or get too sanctimonious, think of the last lines of Po Chu i’s famous ‘Pruning Trees’ – a long-time favourite of mine.
'... and my eyes, and my mind, went far away. Of Things; There are none, that do not bide both good and ill. Of Men; There are none, who do not have some preferences.’
bonchance.'
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