Homage to Picasso, Part 2 - Postcards from Picasso

The following sketches were all drawn in the Musée National Picasso in 1997 during my Marten Bequest Travelling Art Scholarship.
I had run out of paper, so I took some free postcards from the bookshop to record my thoughts.

This is the other side of the postcard from the bookshop of the Musée National Picasso.

I used the back of these to draw on at first as an act of desperation - I had run out of art materials and money!
However, from that time on, whenever I visit an exhibition I now always use the catalogue or booklet from the gallery to record my thoughts about the exhibition. It gives the sketches some context, I can remember exactly what I have seen and where.
At school I had driven my teachers crazy by annotating my textbooks in a similar fashion whenever I was bored, which meant about 99% of every lesson. This turned out to be a good foundation for my future career rather than timewasting and daydreaming. Somewhere in a dusty school cupboard there might still exist a few of my "illustrated manuscripts".


My sketch of "Study for 'Les Desmoiselles D'Avignon' "
Pablo Picasso 1907
ink on card 18 x 13cm 1997
Available 

During my Travelling Art Scholarship I filled page after page every day with annotated sketches of famous paintings and observations about my surroundings. Sometimes this was to learn some technique or to note some aspect of the painting for use later in one of my own paintings. Mostly it was just to make sure that I really looked at the works and didn't just skim over them. If I draw something I will remember what I have seen. If I've just taken a photo of something, I'll swiftly forget it. The greatest compliment you can pay to a work of art is to give it your time and attention.

I was interested in seeing the working sketches for iconic works such as 'Les Desmoiselles D'Avignon'- what was included; what was discarded - the paths not taken.The painting is now such an icon of modern art that it is easy to forget that its final form was not inevitable, but arrived at after months of struggle.


My ink drawing of
"Head of Marie-Therese Walter" Pablo Picasso, Boisgeloup 1932
ink on card 18 x 13cm 1997
Available 


My drawing of "Le Viel Homme Assis" by Pablo Picasso
graphite on card 18 x 13cm 1997
Available 


My drawing of
"Le Fou", a bronze sculpture by Pablo Picasso from 1905
graphite on card 18 x 13cm 1997
Available 
This little bronze was also exhibited in the current exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW "Picasso: masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris".


My ink drawing of one of Pablo Picasso's classically inspired heads.
ink on card 18 x 13cm 1997
Available 
I love the Protean nature of Picasso's art - how he would switch from the restrained classical poise in this example to the wild energy and cartoonish violence of the next example without missing a beat.


My gouache and ink drawing of

Pablo Picasso's Le baiser (The kiss) 1969, oil on canvas,

97 × 130 cm, and above it "Les Banderilla"

ink and gouache on card 18 x 13cm 1997
Available 

This oil painting is also included in the current exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW "Picasso: masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris".

My gouache and ink drawing of
Pablo Picasso's 1961 "Woman and child"
ink and gouache on card 18 x 13cm 1997
Available 

My gouache and ink drawing of Pablo Picasso's

1961 project for a monument

"Femme aux bras ecartes"

ink and gouache on card 18 x 13cm 1997
Available 


My gouache and ink drawing of
Pablo Picasso's"La Jeune Fille assise"
ink and gouache on card 18 x 13cm 1997
Available 


My gouache and ink drawing of a faun by Pablo Picasso
ink and gouache on card 18 x 13cm 1997
Available 


My gouache and ink painting of
"L'homme au mouton (Man with sheep)" Pablo Picasso, 1940s
ink and gouache on card 36 x 13cm 1997
Available 

Close up detail of my gouache and ink painting of
"L'homme au mouton (Man with sheep)" Pablo Picasso, 1940s
ink and gouache on card 18 x 13cm 1997
Available 

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." (Pablo Picasso) I loved the gentle expression on the face of "L'homme au mouton (Man with sheep)" Pablo Picasso, 1940s. If I was having a difficult day, I would feel revived by looking at his calm and tender features.
"I paint the way someone bites his fingernails; for me, painting is a bad habit because I don't know nor can I do anything else." (Pablo Picasso)
In the very first week of my Travelling Art Scholarship, I had accidentally dropped my camera off a bridge in Rotterdam. It seemed like a disaster at first, but it turned out to be the best thing I could have ever done to hone my drawing skills, as it forced me to get faster and more decisive with my work or miss the moment entirely. My drawings were more interesting than my photos were anyway and I didn't bother replacing my camera until after I got back to Australia.
Another thing that initially seemed to be a disaster and turned out to be a blessing in disguise, was that I am completely useless at learning new languages. Despite my best efforts, my German is appalling, my French is pitiful and my Italian is worse. And according to the English, I don't speak English all that well either! If I wanted to make myself understood, I would have to draw whatever I needed. This would at least get a laugh, if nothing else. It worked a treat, and I had no problems with communication wherever I went. Art is truly a universal language.
It taught me that a work of art can have many purposes, from shallow to deep.

Related articles

Pablo Picasso show pays belated homage to Spanish genius

(guardian.co.uk)

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Homage to Picasso Part 1

A view from a Bridge

A reproduction of my painting of the 'Closing of the Gap' painted from the top of the Anzac Bridge is now the focus of the newly renovated Reading Room of the State Reference Library.
Here are some behind the scenes photos of the preparation :

Workman preparing a reproduction of my painting of the 'Closing of the Gap' painted from the top of the Anzac Bridge which is now the focus of the newly renovated Reading Room of the State Reference Library.

Workman preparing a reproduction of my painting of the 'Closing of the Gap' painted from the top of the Anzac Bridge which is now the focus of the newly renovated Reading Room of the State Reference Library.

Here a workman adds some finishing touches before the Reading Room is open to the public.

I'm in front of a reproduction of my painting of the 'Closing of the Gap' painted from the top of the Anzac Bridge which is now the focus of the newly renovated Reading Room of the State Reference Library.

I couldn't resist a sneak peek at the massive reproduction of my painting, so I crept down the stairs for a preview before the official opening!

I'm in front of a reproduction of my painting of the 'Closing of the Gap' painted from the top of the Anzac Bridge which is now the focus of the newly renovated Reading Room of the State Reference Library.

I'm used to seeing a little bit of construction debris around my paintings!

I'm in front of a reproduction of my painting of the 'Closing of the Gap' painted from the top of the Anzac Bridge which is now the focus of the newly renovated Reading Room of the State Reference Library.

The image has been enlarged to take up the entire wall behind the copying desk. It must be at least 3 times as large as the original canvas.
I wish I could have taken a canvas this large up to the top of the bridge, but I would have ended up hang- gliding all the way to New Zealand if I had!

State Librarian Alex Byrne opening the newly renovated Reading Room of the State Reference Library.

State Librarian Alex Byrne opened the doors to officially declare  new-look State Reference Library (SRL) OPEN at 9am this morning.

The Library staff wait expectantly for the doors to be opened.

I'm in front of a reproduction of my painting of the 'Closing of the Gap' painted from the top of the Anzac Bridge which is now the focus of the newly renovated Reading Room of the State Reference Library.

I was so thrilled that a reproduction of my painting 'Closing the Gap' is now displayed in the new look Reading Room!

I'm in front of a reproduction of my painting of the 'Closing of the Gap' painted from the top of the Anzac Bridge which is now the focus of the newly renovated Reading Room of the State Reference Library.

I'm in front of a reproduction of my painting of the 'Closing of the Gap' painted from the top of the Anzac Bridge which is now the focus of the newly renovated Reading Room of the State Reference Library.

The 'cats whiskers' of the cables radiate out from the pylons like open arms welcoming the visitors.

I'm in front of a reproduction of my painting of the 'Closing of the Gap' painted from the top of the Anzac Bridge which is now the focus of the newly renovated Reading Room of the State Reference Library.

I was amazed at the clarity of the image - how vibrant the ultramarine blue of the harbour appears. It has been described as "Yves Klein blue", but to me it is the quintessential Sydney blue, the blue of Brett Whiteley's Lavender Bay. Ultramarine - literally "outre mer" - beyond the sea. Originally ground from a semi precious stone, lapis lazuli, ultramarine was the most regal and expensive colour, used only to paint heaven or the cloaks of saints. Now this pigment has been replaced by cheap synthetic alternatives but the colour retains its almost mystical aura.

Ultramarine pigment

Lapis Lazuli

I'm in front of a reproduction of my painting of the 'Closing of the Gap' painted from the top of the Anzac Bridge which is now the focus of the newly renovated Reading Room of the State Reference Library.

One nice touch is that even though my signature should have been cropped and obscured by the skirting board holding the panel in place, the design team very thoughtfully added my signature to the image at the lower right corner. Visitors will also be able to use the QR sign on the wall to link with this blog.

I'm in front of a reproduction of my painting of the 'Closing of the Gap' painted from the top of the Anzac Bridge which is now the focus of the newly renovated Reading Room of the State Reference Library.

A quote from the website of the State Library :

 "Our love of Sydney is clear throughout the Library with some spectacular images from our world-renowned collection on show, including Jane Bennett’s stunning Closing the Gap (1995) and Thomas Woore’s Panorama of Sydney (1829)."

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Eveleigh Windows - (Very) Stained Glass Windows Part 3

Hidden Beauty

E85 Eveleigh Windows 2011 oil on canvas 51x 41cm

Sold : $2,400

Enquiries

The most apparently unpromising place can reveal unexpected moments of beauty. 

I feel sometimes that my paintbrush can act as a magic wand.

 A fleeting shaft of light can magically transform a pile of rubble or a dilapidated roof in a fraction of a second.

Image by Jane Bennett Artist via Flickr

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• Eveleigh - (Very) Stained Glass Windows Part 2
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Irons in the fire - Part 6 -Better than a poke in the eye with a burnt stick

A Tale of 2 Prizes

Just returned to Australia from my exhibition in Seoul, South Korea, to find a little box of acrylics, sketch books and other art paraphernalia that had been sitting on my doorstep unnoticed.
As well as winning actual money as 2nd prize at the Royal Easter Show, some kind sponsor had thrown in some art equipment as well.

I could easily go through all the paint in those little tubes in a single afternoon, but all donations gratefully received!

E83 'Blacksmith forging '2011 
ink pastel acrylic on paper 9 x 10cm  
WINNER 2nd Prize for Miniature Painting 
2011 Royal Easter Show
Sold 
PRIVATE COLLECTION : SYDNEY
Enquiries : janecooperbennett@gmail.com

When you add the cash amount to the cost of the box of paints, this tiny little painting actually won more than double its price in prize money ! I wish I could keep that standard up for every painting!

'The Blacksmith' 2011

oil on canvas 75 x 100cm
PRIVATE COLLECTION : SYDNEY
Enquiries : janecooperbennett@gmail.com

However, my other equally worthy contenders for prizes got nowhere. 

A thorn in my side has been the so-called "Plein Air Painting" Prize. I doubt that I will ever bother entering again.

As I am one of the very few genuine plein air painters in existence, who doesn't just paint small studies but lugs giant canvases around wharves, demolition sites and foundries, to the bemusement of hundreds of surprised wharfies, blacksmiths and demolition contractors,  I consider this art prize a farce. The trouble is that after decades of painting swiftly in adverse weather conditions in front of workmen and passers-by, my works just don't have that clumsy slapped together look demanded by the organizers. 

My works rarely have much 'studio intervention' other than simple repair work ( bird dirt, insect,twig and dust removal ; and removal of grubby fingerprints from carrying them awkwardly) They have been painted quickly, but as these might well be the only records of a particular event or even an entire location, they have to look as though time were not an issue, or the lack of time an excuse for bad painting. In other words, they have to compete on their merits. 

Ironically, the same works entered in the Plein Air Painting Prize (not the ones shown here by the way) had won art prizes elsewhere in which the painting process was not an issue.

Now I've had good works chucked out of countless other art prizes and just laughed about it - I take a philosophical attitude.

The funniest occasion was when my rather nice watercolour of the Spit Bridge got thrown out of the Royal Easter show, and, wanting to get it out of my lounge room, I put it in the Wynne Prize for Landscape for a bit of a laugh. It promptly won the Trustee's Prize for Watercolour and the Pring Prize  - the joke was that if it hadn't been chucked out of the Royal Easter Show I would never have thought of entering the Wynne.

In all my years of winning prizes and selling paintings at the Royal Easter Show, getting my painting thrown out was the biggest favour they ever did me!

So why does this particular art prize stick in my throat? Because it is a Plein Air Art Prize.

I have never had a work hung in this particular art prize where I am quite possibly one of its few genuine practitioners. And I probably never will.

I have been told that my works don't have the 'look' of having been painted 'en plein air'. Yet they are. To be regarded as 'credible' my paintings should be messier, more thickly painted, more indecisive,dumber, clumsier, more unfinished, with less ambitious perspective and simpler composition and design. I have paid the penalty for my painting skill.

The works should be smaller as well- this art prize has the strange size restriction of being geared towards vertical work, with a generous vertical height limit of 2m but a horizontal one of only 85cm.

Because "nobody paints large canvases 'en plein air' !"

The predictable result is a bias towards a vertical grid of little studies. Fine, but one of the valid aspects of landscape painting has always been the "sublime"- the feeling of being overawed and overwhelmed, even physically threatened by the landscape. In this art prize there is no room for the heroic.

In short you mustn't challenge their preconceptions of what a plein air painting is. And I have no use for work that toes the line and does the 'expected'. I have been punished for my temperament as well as my skill in painting.

 I've seen artists (usually amateurs) paint outdoors in parks, gardens or the rural environment. But in all my decades of painting I have never seen anyone except Tom Carment tackle the urban environment we all mostly actually live in, 'en plein air'. I can't help feeling that artists  indulge in escapism by going off for expensive weekend retreats to the bush for 'inspiration' instead of noticing the hidden beauty closer to home.

So today I will take my unloved and unbelieved paintings  from the art gallery loading dock, back to the wharf, construction site or foundry where they were created. At least the truck-drivers, wharfies and security guards who watched me paint them, know how to appreciate them.

And they certainly do.

These works have now all been sold.

 E53 The Blacksmith Bay 1 Eveleigh

2011 oil on canvas 122 x 152cm
PRIVATE COLLECTION : SYDNEY
SOLD
Enquiries  : janecooperbennett@gmail.com

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• Watching the forge fires fade
• Playing with fire
  

• Macdonaldtown - A Station without a suburb
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•  Eveleigh paintings
• The village smithy (sydney-eye.blogspot.com)
• Time for Safety 
• The slow return from the fire 
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A good Korea move : Part 2 "Together in Harmony"

The exhibition "Together in Harmony for 50 years",was part of the celebration event for '50 years of Friendship Between Australia and Korea' at the Noori and Arum gallery in the Korea Foundation Cultural Centre in Seoul, Korea. The opening was on 4 -7pm Friday 29th April 2011 and the exhibition will continue until 17th May 2011.

I was one of 106 Australian and Korean-Australian artists invited to display one work in this major international exhibition. I was also one of the 40 artists invited to display a work in the Bom Gallery, in the Cheongdam-dong gallery precinct in Seoul.

Me, outside the Korea Foundation Cultural Centre, in front of the poster for the exhibition

My painting is in the centre of this photo, 2nd to the right of the man closely inspecting the exhibits. My work was hung in a very good position, almost directly opposite the entrance. But all the works were hung and lit beautifully- there were no bad positions.

Lost in Translation
K.W.A.S.S., the Korean Women's Art Society, had kindly provided my ticket, accommmodation and some spending money, in return for a seminar on my own  painting processes and techniques and a brief history of Australian Landscape Painting. 

This sounds deceptively easy, but it is a lot of ground to cover in an hour. Actually Robert Hughes, Elwynn Lynn, John McDonald and many other famous art critics and historians have tried valiantly to capture the essence of Australian Landscape Painting in less than 500 turgid pages and half a lifetime's study. And mostly failed just within sight of their goal, like so many other intrepid explorers lost in the Australian outback.

As well, I had to submit my entire talk several days before, so that it could be translated into Korean. I hadn't realised that this would be necessary, as I knew that someone would be available as a translator. So for the first couple of nights, jet-lagged as I was, I had to sit up until 3.30 am writing and re-writing my seminar. I realised that I had to cut down on slang or idiom to make it as coherent as possible for the translator,Kim Tae Eun. Trying to find a rational explanation of Sid Nolan and the Kelly myth in 25 words or less close to impossible. It would probably have been easier to learn Korean.
I wonder how "Such is life" translates...

Usually, I like to speak without notes, just referring to images for inspiration, while I work without a safety net! I couldn't do that here, so I hope that the information was interesting enough to make up for any lack of spontanaeity.

I also showed a few photos of me painting "en plein air" at Barangaroo, which the audience seemed to respond to. When in doubt show a picture.

Related posts in this blog

• A good Korea move (janebennettartist.blogspot.com)