overcoming moore+bacon

The AGO once more houses a fantastic exhibit, "Francis Bacon and Henry Moore: Terror and Beauty" up until July 20th. Though most of us are no strangers to the work of either artist, having them in the same room is not something to be taken lightly. If you are planning to go to the show, do so on a happy-go-lucky day, so that the optimist in you can handle it without much effort. Be sure to load up on sugary treats before you get there (spoonful of honey, an apple, chocolate) to grant the much needed sustenance during and after your visit. The show's title makes no effort in concealing the somewhat disconcerting theme to the exposition, and I confess I was deeply affected by its content, Bacon has that particular effect on me. It's been a few days since my visit, and I'm still struggling to articulate a coherent thought about it, a testament to a most emotional and exceptional subject matter.

Painting (left) by Francis Bacon, Three Figures and a Portrait, 1975. Sculpture (right) by Henry Moore. Photo by Derek Flack for blogTO.

Through the enlightening accounts found all over the galleries, the viewer is not only educated but also eased into the historical context that melds these two artists, offering further acumen through Bill Brandt's beautiful photographs.

Henry Moore by Bill Brandt, 1960.

Francis Bacon by Bill Brandt, 1963.

The exhibition is spectacular and exquisitely curated, grand in both scale and theme, a perfect exercise in contrast and comparison. The great discovery: Moore's London's shelter drawings during World War II. Extraordinarily beguiling.

Interestingly enough, Henry Moore created some beautiful designs for textiles (not included in the show), a discipline he delved into quite prolifically.
Click here to get you started on this particular aspect of his work.

Henry Moore, textile design. Barbed Wire, c.1946, spun rayon, printed by ASCHER.

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Please click here and here and here  if you would like to learn more about the show.

on drawing and the metaphysical doodle

Late in August, Canadian artist Shelagh Keeley offered a drawing workshop to CTS members and friends. This was my third and last workshop of the summer and the perfect follow up to Maxine's class. The environment was once again most amiable and the hours soon saw us building up to different exercises in drawing. It was fun and substantial, with relevant handouts and visual aids. One way or another, we all benefited from diverse and sometimes unconventional ways of drawing, all of which rendered very auspicious results.

Some of our drawings on the table.

In the end, we all managed to reconnect with the joy of letting the hand glide freely on the paper and respond to various visual and tactile stimuli, leading to the creation of a significant number of marks that eventually transcended professional backgrounds and most importantly, expectations.

A closer view of our drawings.

Fully recharged after this workshop, September found me back in the studio with a new goal: To fully resolve and print one [new] design a week. I continue to draw as often as possible, but so far, the two designs that have been produced these last couple of weeks are from my drawings during Shelagh's workshop.

From left to right: Original drawing for "hecha nudos" (in knots). The right-most is a turned overprint.

Hecha nudos, infinity scarves.

The left image is the original drawing for "esto no es un chayote" (this is not a chayote). The right one is printed on  a fabulous cotton/hemp canvas in three colours.

"Esto no es un chayote" in pillow form out for a test drive at home.

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Continuing on the subject of trying new things and making them work, I find the following merge of talents intriguingly successful. How did this ever happen? And it's been six years! It is September, let's continue the creative celebration.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Gone, Gone, Gone. Rounder Records, 2007.