18.12.08

Selective Cruelty - Crueldad Selectiva



Crudelitas (Lat. cruelty)

European cuckoo. The cuckoo is a type of grey European bird that lays eggs in others birds’ nests. When a female cuckoo is ready to lay her eggs, she finds a nest of a suitable host species and waits for the host bird to leave the nest unattended. She needs only a few seconds to fly to the nest, pick up one of the host’s eggs in her beak, and lay one of her own eggs in its place. Immediately afterwards she flies off, abandoning her offspring to the foster parents and eating the stolen egg. When the host bird returns, she usually accepts the cuckoo’s egg and incubates it with her own eggs. The cuckoo’s timing is precise, and its egg usually hatches before the host eggs. The hatchling cuckoo, with its eyes not yet open, ejects the unhatched host eggs from the nest. This process of ejection is innate. After ejecting the host’s eggs, the young cuckoo getsthe undivided attention of its foster parents, which will feed and nurture it.



Ejection of host eggs from nest by cuckoo hatchling



When a hatchling senses that an adult bird is near, it begs for food by raising its head, opening its mouth, and cheeping. In turn, the foster parent stuffs food in the gaping mouth. These innate behaviors are replayed over and over, even after the young cuckoo is much larger than the adults.


The foster mother keeps feeding the cuckoo chick

Cuckoo's research references and picture credits: Neil A. Campbell, Lawrence G. Mitchell, and Jane B. Reece, Biology: Concepts and Connections, Redwood City, California: Benjamin Cummings, 1994, pp. 720-21; Cecile Starr and Ralph Taggart, Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life, Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1995, p. 914.


Selective Ones

It is not what they built. It is what they knocked down.
It is not the houses. It is the spaces between the houses.
It is not the streets that exist. It is the streets that no longer exist.
It is not your memories which hunt you.
It is not what you have written down.
It is what you haveforgotten, what you must forget.
What you must go on forgetting all your life.

The workmen are dismantling the houses of the dead.


And silence is made. / Y el silencio se hace

Selectivos

No es lo que construyen. Es lo que derribaron.
No son las casas. Es el espacio entre las casas.
No son las calles que existen. Son las calles que ya no existen.
No son tus recuerdos que te persiguen.
No es lo que has escrito.
Es lo que has olvidado, lo que debes olvidar.
Lo que debes seguir olvidando toda tu vida.

Los trabajadoresdesmantelan las casas de los muertos.

Él olvida continuar el asunto.
No es lo que quiere saber.
Es lo que quiere no saber.
No es lo que dicen.
Es lo que no dicen.


He forgets to pursue the point.
It is not what he wants to know.
It is what he wants not to know.
It is not what they say.
QIt is what they do not say.

A painted bird? / ¿Pájaro pinto o pintado?

REFERENCES. Visual sources: And silence is made (“Et le silence s’est fait,” European beer advertisement); Puppet (Teatro Municipal General San Martín, Buenos Aires, c.1983-85); A Lesson (digital image inspired by Samuel Bak’s homonymous oil painting of 1968; Bak: Paintings of the Last Decade, New York: Aberbach Fine Art, 1978, p. 131); Painted Bird (photographer unknown). Literary source: James Fenton, “A German Requiem” (1981), from The Memory of War and Children in Exile: 1968-83; strophe 1, lines 1-7; strophe 4, line 8; strophe 9, lines 6-9 (The Great Modern Poets, ed. Michel Schmidt, London: Quercus, 2006, pp. 220-21). Translation of Fenton’s words into the Spanish language, idea and design: Mariano Akerman.

REFERENCIAS. Fuentes visuales: Y el silencio se ha hecho (“Et le silence s’est fait,” anuncio publicitario promocionando cierta cerveza europea); Títere (Teatro Municipal General San Martín, Buenos Aires, c.1983-85); Una lección (imagen digital inspirada por óleo homónimo de Samuel Bak, 1968; Bak: Paintings of the Last Decade, Nueva York: Aberbach Fine Art, 1978, p. 131); Pájaro Pinto (fotógrafo desconocido). Fuente literaria: James Fenton, “Un réquiem alemán” (1981), tomado de su serie The Memory of War and Children in Exile: 1968-83; estrofa 1, líneas 1-7; estrofa 4, línea 8; estrofa 9, líneas 6-9 (The Great Modern Poets, ed. Michel Schmidt, Londres: Quercus, 2006, pp. 220-21). Traducción de las palabras de Fenton al castellano rioplatense, idea y diseño: Mariano Akerman.

20.11.08

Mi Linda Maestra

por Mariano Akerman

Moroca era el sobrenombre con el que era conocida mi tía, Elisa Akerman, pintora figurativa argentina, activa en Buenos Aires durante la segunda mitad del siglo XX.


Realizó óleos, pero la témpera fue indudablemente su técnica predilecta. La aprendió a través de su maestro, el pintor surrealista Juan Batlle Planas. Fue también alumna de Juan Carlos Castagnino y Raquel Forner. Castagnino le dejó un imperecedero afecto por el dibujo. Forner sacudió las bases de su identidad, y la empujó a confrontarla, sin concesiones.


En sus témperas, Moroca representó figuras, especialmente de músicos y arlequines que recuerdan la imaginería de Pablo Picasso y Emilio Pettoruti.


La calma de sus figuras en las terrazas porteñas tiene bastante que ver con sus predecesoras en la obra de Lino Enea Spilimbergo. Pero lo que en Spilimbergo es masa, se vuelve línea y plano en el caso de Moroca.


La pintura de Moroca presenta una frescura que es infrecuente en el arte argentino. Su manejo del color es admirable. Gran conocedora de la lógica y la armonía, tanto en la perspectiva como en las proporciones del cuerpo humano, Moroca también introdujo en su obra componentes irracionales y sutilmente perturbadores. Tal característica proviene de su contacto estrecho con el psicoanálisis, al cual solía referirse como "la ciencia del siglo."

Durante los años sesenta enseñaba la técnica del automatismo surrealista en Piruetas, su taller de la calle Sánchez de Bustamante y al que yo visitaba asiduamente.

El humor nunca le fue ajeno a Moroca. Particularmente cuando se trataba de motivarme para que pinte y con generosidad compartía conmigo sus hueveras llenas de témperas de lo más variadas, a las que ella denominaba "la caca de colores."

Moroca me introdujo al campo del arte y enseñó no sólo asuntos técnicos respecto al arte de la pintura sino también los fundamentos del diseño y la psicología de la forma.

A través de la práctica del automatismo, Moroca generó en mí un gran interés por el surrealismo, si bien éste no tuvo casi lugar en su obra. Mi primer premio fuera de Argentina, lo recibí en un concurso de pintura en el Uruguay gracias a un dibujo titulado Una visita a la casa de mi tía Moroca (1979). A principios de los años ochenta, Elisa estimuló el que cursase la carrera de Arquitectura. También fue ella quien tomó la iniciativa de exhibir mis óleos en la Casa de la Pintura Argentina en 1984. Ya a mediados de 1985 me presentaba a Mercedes Rodrigo, en cuya galería, RG en el Arte, tendría lugar mi primera exposición individual en mayo de 1986.

Motivos que nada tienen que ver conmigo y a los que de hecho no me referiré entristecieron considerablemente su vida, pero ella sin embargo jamás dejó la pintura de lado. Frente a la injusticia que la rodeaba, organicé, en parte con el propósito de alegrarla, una exposición conjunta de nuestra obra en la Facultad de Estudios de Posgrado de la Universidad de Belgrano en 1988.


No mucho tiempo después, Moroca fallecía (1990). Pero nadie muere si alguien le recuerda. Y este es precisamente el caso. Hoy, pasados ya cuarenta años de haber asistido a su taller y otros veinte de nuestra exposición conjunta, la continúo recordando, tal como era: trabajadora y didáctica en el taller, original y cultivada en su pensar, afectuosa y preparada como poca gente uno encuentra en el mundo de hoy.


Las obras reproducidas son témperas de Elisa Akerman y probablemente fueron realizadas entre 1965 y 1978. Otras de sus pinturas y un artículo acerca suyo en francés podían encontrarse en la Enyclopédie Larousse online (hasta abril de 2013); hoy se encuentran disponibles en La Joie de Vivre.

14.6.08

Karachi: Between Fantasy and Reality


Antoine Wiertz, The Premature Burial | Buried Alive, oil, 1854

Karachi: Between Fantasy and Reality
by Peerzada Salman

KARACHI, June 14: Make no mistake: no matter which stratum of society they come from, Pakistanis despise punctuality. The word punctual is as foreign to them as nali nihari to a Red Indian.

On June 13, art historian Mariano Akerman was the first person to reach the conference hall of the Alliance Francaise Karachi, where he was supposed to deliver a lecture on Belgian art: reality and fantasy. The programme was scheduled to start at 7pm, and half an hour into the scholarly talk, there were only four people, apart from the eminent art historian himself, in the hall. And when he finally rounded off his lecture, the approximately 20 men and women that had luckily assembled there (half of whom were not even Pakistanis) had plenty to catch up on. I’m told we, Pakistanis, love art; it’s just difficult for us to step out of our comfort zones to know about it.

The underlying theme of Mariano Akerman’s discussion was the progression of Belgian art from the 15th century to the first half of the 20th century, with special reference to the World Wars. The intention was to celebrate cultural diversity, and so he did with remarkable facility.

Mr Akerman quite convincingly described how Belgian artists mastered the technique of oil painting, and with the passage of time, as socio-political changes took place, moved (perhaps transcended) from the realism that catered to a certain (autocratic) taste to the symbolism that depicted not only the inner grief of painters but signified the upheavals or ordeals that society was undergoing. In his rather French-laden English, he tried to connect the dots vis-à-vis the class disparities that existed in the 15th and 16th centuries and the advent of the industrial revolution to the horrors of the World Wars.

With the help of images of somewhat iconic paintings, Mr Akerman presented his case, giving examples of masters (and their stupendous works) like Jean Michel Folon to Rogier de le Pasture to Jan van Eyck. It was fascinating to witness the art of painters of colossal stature.

Now a little about Mariano Akerman: born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1963, he is a celebrated educator who specialises in visual communication. A painter himself, and quite good at that, a little over a decade ago he researched one of this scribe’s favourite artists Francis Bacon’s paintings and Louis Khan’s architectural projects.

Recipient of no less than 12 international awards Mariano Akerman’s penchant for art, particularly its history, is infectious. That’s precisely why at the end of the lecture he was immediately approached by the very few attendees of the programme who nagged him with some very elementary questions about Belgian art.

Online Dawn News

12.6.08

Daily Times: Discovering Belgian Art


Pakistan - Friday, June 13, 2008. The Alliance Française de Karachi is holding a conference on "The Discovery of Belgian Art" by Mariano Akerman, Art Historian, on Friday 13 June at 7:00 pm at the AFK.
Art Historian Mariano Akerman reveals the singularity and originality of a select group of Belgian masterpieces. He examines their style and meaning, historical context, aesthetic qualities and raison d’être, appreciating them from unexpected, innovative perspectives. Mariano Akerman was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1963. He was educated at the School of Architecture of Universidad de Belgrano. Abroad, he researched the work of the painter Francis Bacon and that of architect Louis Kahn. A painter himself, Mariano Akerman has exhibited his artwork solo or in group in Argentina, Spain, Japan, Philippines and Sweden. He has been awarded with twenty major international distinctions and prizes. Alliance Française de Karachi, Plot St. 1 Block 8 Kehkashan Clifton, 5873402, 5862864

source

1.5.08

Discovering Belgian Art


A series of art-appreciation lectures by Mariano Akerman
International Year of Cultural Diversity
Pakistan 2008



Abstract. Among the major achievements of the Belgian artists are the development of the oil painting technique, the fostering of new pictorial styles, the depiction of remarkable images, real and invented, and what may be the most incredible questioning of the concept of Reality in the history of Western art. Art historian Mariano Akerman reveals the originality of a select group of Belgian masterpieces, examining their style and meanings, historical context, aesthetic qualities and raison d’être. Akerman discusses a select group of Belgian masterpieces, appreciating them from new and unexpected perspectives.



Mariano Akerman was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1963. He was educated at the School of Architecture of Universidad de Belgrano. Abroad, he has researched the work of the painter Francis Bacon and that of architect Louis Kahn. A painter himself, Mariano Akerman has exhibited his artwork solo or in group in Argentina, Spain, Japan, Philippines and Sweden. He has been awarded with twelve major international distinctions and prizes.


01.05.08 - Alexandre Tchikovani, Directeur, Alliance Française de Karachi. ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE DE KARACHI, May-June 2008, p. 11, illus.
Conférence: La découverte de l’art belge - The Discovery of Belgian Art
Mariano Akerman, historien d’art, expose la singularité et l’originalité d’un groupe sélectionné de chefs d’œuvre. Il examine leur style et signification, leur contexte historique, leur qualités esthétiques et raisons d’être, en les appréciant d’une façon inattendue et innovatrice. Mariano Akerman est né à Buenos Aires, Argentine, en 1963. Il a été élevé à l’École d’Architecture de l’Universidad de Belgrano. Spécialiste en communication visuelle, Monsieur Akerman s’intéresse à l’art moderne et à l’art belge en particulier. Il a donne des conférences sur ce sujet dans des institutions renommées, en incluant le Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes à Buenos Aires el le National Museum of the Filipino People à Manille. Également peintre, Mariano Akerman a exposé ses peintures et collages en Argentine, Espagne, Japon, Philippines et Suède. Il a reçu vingt prix et distinctions internationales.


08.06.08 - Danka Team - DANKA KARACHI
Art Historian Mariano Akerman revealing the Singularity and Originality of Belgian Masterpieces
A conference featuring the Art Historian Mariano Akerman [...] will be held at AFK, on Friday, June 13 at 7:00 pm.


09.06.08 - Umair Shaid - DOODH PATTY, online → link
The Discovery of Belgian Art
Art Historian Mariano Akerman reveals the singularity and originality of a select group of Belgian masterpieces. He examines their style and meaning, historical context, aesthetic qualities and raison d’être, appreciating them from unexpected, innovative perspectives. Mariano Akerman was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1963. He was educated at the School of Architecture of Universidad de Belgrano. Abroad, he researched the work of the painter Francis Bacon and that of architect Louis Kahn. A painter himself, Mariano Akerman has exhibited his artwork solo or in group in Argentina, Spain, Japan, Philippines and Sweden. He has been awarded with twenty major international distinctions and prizes.


13.06.08 - THE DAILY TIMES, Karachi, Vol. V, No. 163, sect. B, p. 2, illus.
Time Out: Today
The Alliance Française de Karachi is holding a conference on ‘The Discovery of Belgian Art’ by Mariano Akerman, Art Historian, on Friday 13 June at 7:00 pm at the AFK. Art Historian Mariano Akerman reveals the singularity and originality of a select group of Belgian masterpieces. He examines their style and meaning, historical context, aesthetic qualities and raison d’être, appreciating them from unexpected, innovative perspectives. Mariano Akerman was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1963. He was educated at the School of Architecture of Universidad de Belgrano. Abroad, he researched the work of the painter Francis Bacon and that of architect Louis Kahn. A painter himself, Mariano Akerman has exhibited his artwork solo or in group in Argentina, Spain, Japan, Philippines and Sweden. He has been awarded with twenty major international distinctions and prizes. Alliance Française de Karachi, Plot St. 1 Block 8 Kehkashan Clifton, 5873402, 5862864


14.06.08 - Salman Peerzada - DAWN NEWS, Karachi, ills.
Karachi: Between Reality and Fantasy
The underlying theme of Mariano Akerman’s discussion was the progression of Belgian art from the 15th century to the first half of the 20th century, with special reference to the World Wars. The intention was to celebrate cultural diversity, and so he did with remarkable facility. Mr Akerman quite convincingly described how Belgian artists mastered the technique of oil painting, and with the passage of time, as socio-political changes took place, moved (perhaps transcended) from the realism that catered to a certain (autocratic) taste to the symbolism that depicted not only the inner grief of painters but signified the upheavals or ordeals that society was undergoing. In his rather French-laden English, he tried to connect the dots vis-à-vis the class disparities that existed in the 15th and 16th centuries and the advent of the industrial revolution to the horrors of the World Wars. With the help of images of [...] iconic paintings, Mr Akerman presented his case, giving examples of masters (and their stupendous works) like Jean Michel Folon to Rogier de le Pasture to Jan van Eyck. It was fascinating to witness the art of painters of colossal stature. Now a little about Mariano Akerman: born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1963, he is a celebrated educator who specialises in visual communication. A painter himself, and quite good at that, a little over a decade ago he researched one of this scribe’s favourite artists Francis Bacon’s paintings and Louis Khan’s architectural projects. Recipient of no less than 12 international awards Mariano Akerman’s penchant for art, particularly its history, is infectious. That’s precisely why at the end of the lecture he was immediately approached by the [...] attendees of the programme who nagged him with some [...] questions about Belgian art.


18.06.08 - Gustibus - DANKA LAHORE
Mariano Akerman: Discovering Belgian Art at Pakistani IFWA Center
At the IFWA Center, Islamabad, Art historian Mariano Akerman discusses a select group of Belgian masterpieces, appreciating them from new and unexpected perspectives.


24.06.08 - Mylene Soriano - COMMUNITY LINK BULLETIN, United Nations, Islamabad, Vol. 12, No. 13, p. 1
June 26
“Discovering Belgian Art” Art Appreciation Lecture from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the IFWA Center, St. 38, F-7/1, in cooperation w/ the Belgian Embassy & the Alliance Française Islamabad. Art historian Mariano Akerman discusses a select group of Belgian masterpieces, appreciating them from new & unexpected perspectives. The lecture requests no previous knowledge on the topic. Free entry.


26.06.08 - DAWN METROPOLITAN, Islamabad, p. 19, illus.
Engagements: Belgian Art
Today. A programme "Discovering Belgian Art will be held at the International Foreign Women's Association (IFWA) Centre F-7/1 at 7 pm. Art historian Mariano Akerman will discuss Belgian masterpieces. Among the major achievements of the Belgian artists are the development of the oil painting technique, the fostering of new pictorial styles, the depiction of remarkable images, real and invented, and what may be the most incredible questioning of the concept of reality in the history of Western art. Mariano [Akerman] has researched the works of painter Francis Bacon and architect Louis Kahn.


Matthieu Declercq - Directeur, Alliance Française d'Islamabad
Art Belge au Pakistan
Une présentation extrêmement complète et captivante. La qualité majeure de la conférence réside dans le souci pédagogique constant de se mettre à la portée du public. De plus, un citoyen argentin qui présente l’art belge au Pakistan sous les auspices de l’Alliance Française : il n’est pas de plus belle représentation de ce qu’est la diversité culturelle promue par nos institutions.


Babur Kamal - IFWA Center, Islamabad
Dear Mariano : Thank you for the superb and very informative presentation. It was a pleasure to attend. Yes, go Belgium!

Jawaid 'Jay' Anwar - MUKALMA MAGAZINE, Islamabad-Rawalpindi
A very good presentation. Presentations like this bring understanding about other cultures.

27.06.08 - Hasnat Malik - THE POST, Islamabad, p. 2, col. 3
Lecture on Belgian Artwork
Islamabad: A lecture was held [last] Thursday titled Discovering the Belgian Art at the International Foreign Women's Association Centre. Art historian Mariano Akerman delivered a comprehensive lecture on the topic, Belgian artwork from 15th to [20]th century. Highlighting the achievements of Belgian artists, Mariano [Akerman] said the development of oil painting technique was their greatest achievement.


27.06.08 - Jonaid Iqbal - BUSINESS RECORDER, Islamabad-Lahore-Karachi, p. 8
Art Historian highlights Cultural Diversity Genesis
Islamabad: Art historian, Mariano Akerman, on Thursday stepped on the dais of the International Foreign [Women's] Association, exactly at 7 p.m. for his lecture on Discovering Belgian Art and also to commemorate the International Year of Cultural Diversity. The lecture hall at that time was half full, and more people drifted in late to show their contempt to punctuality[,] a habit which has somehow become ingrained in many of us. Akerman lecture had an inner meaning. It was that though painters might [have risen] to the hall of fame through individual brilliance[,] their art received influences from a number of masters from different countries, and each artist contributed to freedom of expression. He said, Belgian art had its origin in small things such [as] a prayer book done by the Limbourg brothers, who painted 12 calendar months in a minuscule size book, which is an example of miniature painting, common to the East. He added, the painter who developed oil painting was a Belgian, Jan van Eyck (1390-1441, active in Bruges), [who] was the founder of the new art of the 15th century and heralded the Renaissance in northern Europe. In 90 minutes Akerman took the audience on a journey of five centuries of Belgian art and touched the works of [Jan van Eyck], [Rogier de la Pasture], Gerard David, and ended with modern masters such as Constantin Meunier, impressionist [Armand] de Beul, modernist James [Ensor], Fernarnd Khnopff, René Magritte and [Folon]. He suggested that anyone who looks at a painting should employ his inner eyes. Artists and painters express many ideas but the most persuasive one in art over the centuries, has been the [fate] of the human body, which must get old and eventually face[s] decay and death. In the same way, many artists have also looked at the pollution of the land and conveyed the same idea in the shape of burning chimneys. Akerman said a number of modern painters have caricatured the senseless act of war by depicting two warring camps fighting over possession of useless things [e.g., Ensor’s Two Skeletons fighting over a Smoked Herring]. Art should rise above mimicking details and go on to meditate higher values of mind. Akerman ended his lecture by showing three [art]works he has done lately. One showed Frenchmen, enthused by arts and free expression, the second showed the family of nations contemplating on the heritage of culture, and the third depicting the Belgian perspective in arts. Earlier, the lecture was scheduled at the French Culture Centre but was shifted to this venue after recent disturbances, especially the explosion at Denmark Embassy. However, Director Matthieu Declercq of Alliance Française was present to thank guests as well as [members of] the Belgian Embassy [who supported] the cultural function. [Argentinean] Mariano Akerman was born in Buenos Aires and was educated at the School of Architecture at Belgrano. He has interest in Belgian art and has lectured on this subject at a number of international centres.

30.06.08 - Hasnat Malik, online
A very beautiful and very inspiring conference, enhanced by the lecturer's kindness and sincerity.


02.07.08 - Anwer Abbas - THE POST, Islamabad, sect. B, p. 2
Artist’s endeavours to promote art and culture
An Argentinean artist, Mariano Akerman has been striving to bridge the gap of culture and customs among people. “I think of myself as a bridge between various cultures and traditions,” Akerman said to The Post. Akerman told us he was delighted to be in Pakistan. His major concern is education. He is here to open the window of cultural diversity. “Pakistan is a country rich in culture and traditions,” he observed enthusiastically. Recalling his first impression about Pakistani art, Akerman remembered that “LokVirsa Heritage Museum was my first introduction to Pakistani culture. It was indeed a marvellous experience and impressed me a lot, due to its multi-traditional dimension.” Commenting on the local population, Akerman thinks that “In general, Pakistani people are nice and I feel comfortable here. Not even for a second I had the feeling of being an alien in this country; I come from a multi-cultural one, it’s name is Argentina.” Sharing his experiences about Eid ul fitar in Pakistan, he commented that it was a simple and wonderful event, as lots of people invited him to their homes and offered him sweet dishes. Describing a most attractive thing of Pakistan, Akerman prized its natural beauty, which he says gives him peace of mind. He also likes the variety of the seasons here, “One can enjoy bright sunny light, heavy rain, drizzling, hailstorms, amazingly beautiful autumn and springtime. In this sense, nature has blessed the country.” Referring to the local food, he said he finds it delicious and a bit too spicy. Considering the actual situation in Pakistan, Akerman rejects its portrayal as a problematic country, for “good things and bad things can be seen everywhere in these days.” Mariano Akerman respects every nation and every religion. He values life. Being aware of the differences between the East and the West, he observes that they still need to learn from each other. “The East,” for instance, “may adopt modern technologies from the West and simultaneously spread part of its spiritual wisdom there.” Akerman explained his view about the fundamentals of relationships world wide, noting that they should be developed on the basis of dialogue. He added he liked many of the traditions of Pakistan. He believes a dialogue between tradition and modernisation is both possible and necessary. According to him, Pakistan on one hand is moving towards modernisation while on the other tries to preserve its culture and heritage. As an artist, Akerman abhors the idea of a world without diversity. “Imagine a world which is uniform. Would you like to live in a place where all people look identical, speak the same language, do the same things and think the very same way? Such a world would be a terribly poor world. It would also be terribly boring. I am for cultural diversity. God has created a world based on diversity, not uniformity. You only have to contemplate nature for a while. There is diversity everywhere.”

Artista intenta promover el arte y la cultura
Un artista argentino, Mariano Akerman, intenta trascender las brechas culturales entre la gente. “Me veo como un puente entre culturas y tradiciones,” declaró al diario The Post Islamabad recientemente. Nos dijo que está encantado de conocer Pakistán. Su interés mayor es la educación. Está aquí para abrir la ventana de la diversidad cultural. “Pakistán es un país rico en cultura y tradiciones,” observa Akerman con entusiasmo. Evocando su primera impresión acerca del arte pakistaní, Akerman recuerda que “el Museo Lok Virsa fue mi primer contacto con la cultura pakistaní. Visitarlo fue una experiencia maravillosa y que me impresionó mucho dadas sus lo numerosos matices de sus tradiciones. Refiriéndose a la población local, Akerman nota que “en general, la gente pakistaní es agradable y me siento a gusto aquí. Ni por un momento tuve la sensación de ser un extranjero en este país; yo vengo de uno multicultural, Argentina. Compartiendo sus experiencias durante el Eid ul fitar en Pakistán, comentó que fue un evento sencillo y maravilloso, con no poca gente invitándolo a su casa para ofrecerle platos dulces. Al describir las cosas más atractivas de Pakistán, Akerman recordó su belleza natural, y aclaró que le da tranquilidad de espíritu. Le gusta también el cambio de las estaciones propio de aquí: “Uno puede disfrutar un sol muy luminoso, chaparrones, lloviznas, granizos, primaveras y otoños increíblemente hermosos. En este sentido, la naturaleza ha bendecido a este país.” Cuando se refirió a la comida local comentó que es deliciosa, pero picante. Al considerar la situación actual en Pakistán, Akerman rechaza el que se la describa como problemática, dado que “cosas buenas y cosas malas se pueden ver en todas partes en estos días.” Akerman respeta naciones y religiones, y valora la vida. Consciente de las diferencias entre Oriente y Occidente, observa que ambos todavía necesitan aprender el uno del otro. “El Oriente,” por ejemplo, “podría adoptar las tecnologías modernas de Occidente y simultáneamente difundir ahí parte de su riqueza espiritual.” Akerman explicó su punto de vista sobre las bases de la interacción en el mundo, sosteniendo que ellas deberían desarrollarse a partir del diálogo. Agregó que le gustan muchas de las tradiciones pakistaníes y cree que un dialogo entre tradición y modernización es tanto posible como necesario. Según él, Pakistán por un lado se mueve hacia la modernización, mientras que por el otro intenta preservar su herencia cultural. Como artista, Akerman siente desagrado por la idea de un mundo sin diversidad. “Imagínese un mundo uniforme. ¿Le gustaría vivir en un lugar donde todo el mundo se ve igual, habla una única lengua, hace las mismas cosas y piensa de la misma forma? Ese mundo sería un mundo terriblemente pobre. También sería terriblemente aburrido. Estoy a favor de la diversidad cultural. El mundo que Dios ha creado presenta diversidad, no uniformidad. Uno sólo necesita contemplar la naturaleza por un rato. Hay diversidad por todos lados.” Traducción, paráfrasis y rectificación de Anwer Abbas, “Belgian artist’s endeavours to promote art and culture,” The Post, Islamabad, 02.07.08, B-2


06.07.08 - Anwar Abbas - THE POST, Islamabad, Sunday, Islamabad News, sect. B-2
Argentinean painter who is a dab hand with brush
Islamabad. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentinean Mariano Akerman is a renowned art historian and a painter with a strong grip over his brush. He reflects his feelings and ideas via incredible images, whose shapes and colours surprise and fascinate the public. During an exclusive interview with The Post, Akerman shared some of his thoughts on art. According to Akerman, today an artist cannot be a slave of reality—he should be the emperor. “The artist needs to create a new reality, not to merely imitate the existing one.” Akerman reminds us of the words of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” Akerman declares that “appearance is not essential” and he is certainly not a painter of appearances. Briefing about his introduction to the visual arts, Akerman evoked his early start when making his first doodles and drawings at the age of two. Subsequently, he was very much encouraged by his aunt “Moroca,” also a painter, who revealed him her artistic secrets and gave him lots of confidence. It was Moroca who included Mariano Akerman’s early images in various art exhibits at Casa de la Pintura Argentina, in Buenos Aires. As a painter, Mariano Akerman has exhibited his art work solo or in group in Argentina, Spain, Japan, Philippines and Sweden. He has also been awarded with twelve major international prices. Akerman expresses himself through water-based techniques, such as watercolours and gouache. He also likes to make collages and to draw as well. Sketches are also important to him, as he is also and architect. Considerable symbolism is also present in his work. But this he refuses to reveal, “sometimes,” he solemnly explains, “to talk about art is as necessary as dancing is to architecture.” Mariano Akerman uses brushes in his own way and style, trying to leave aside some traditional approaches in a conscious manner. He tells us he prizes creativity and inventiveness. Yet, the painter also recognises that the past will always be present in his imagery. Indeed, he is an art historian as well.
Concerning Pakistan, Akerman likes the elaborated local truck decoration. He thinks of such trucks as “mighty modern elephants.” LokVirsa was his introduction to the fine arts of Pakistan. “It was great. I’ve learnt a lot there,” he says enthusiastically. He recognizes some Asian influence in his work, indicating that this is mostly a spiritual issue. The Argentinean artist is aware that there are two possible approaches towards the fine arts. One of them is to imitate reality. The other is to try to create something new. As we contemplate the distinctive imagination of Akerman’s work, it becomes clear that for him it is the second approach the one that leads to creativity and inventiveness. Mariano Akerman has a special interest in modern visual arts and in Belgian painting in particular. He has lectured on this topic at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Arts in Buenos Aires and National Museum of the Philippines in Manila. He has also given lectures in Pakistan, where he is developing a special programme, with several art-appreciation lectures entitled “Discovering Belgian Art.” The programme takes place in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore. During such lectures Mariano Akerman reveals the originality of a group of Belgian masterpieces. He examines their style and meanings, historical context, aesthetic qualities and raison d’être, to appreciate them from innovative perspectives.

Artista argentino, crack del pincel
Islamabad. Nacido en Buenos Aires, el argentino Mariano Akerman es un renombrado historiador y pintor, con un fuerte control sobre su pincel. Refleja su sentir y pensar a través de increíbles imágenes, cuyas formas y colores sorprenden y fascinan al público. Durante una entrevista exclusiva con The Post, Akerman compartió algunos de sus pensamientos acerca del arte. Según él, un artista de hoy no puede ser el esclavo de la realidad, sino su emperador. “El artista necesita crear una realidad nueva y no meramente imitar la ya existente.” Akerman nos recuerda las palabras de Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “Es sólo con el corazón que uno ve bien; lo esencial es invisible.” Akerman declara que “la apariencia no es esencial” y él, con toda certeza, no es un pintor de apariencias. Recordando su introducción al campo de las artes visuales, Akerman evoca sus tempranos comienzos, cuando hacia garabatos y dibujos a los dos años de edad. Luego recibe el estímulo de su tía Moroca, pintora que le revela varios secretos artísticos y estimula la confianza en sí mismo. Moroca incluye los trabajos de Mariano Akerman en varias de las exposiciones de la Casa de la Pintura Argentina, en Buenos Aires. Como pintor, Mariano Akerman exhibe su obra individualmente o en grupo en Argentina, España, Japón, Filipinas y Suecia. También recibe doce premios internacionales. Akerman se expresa mediante técnicas que usan el agua como agente (acuarelas y témperas, por ejemplo). Además le gusta hacer collages y dibujar. Los bocetos son importantes para él, dado que también es arquitecto. Considerable simbolismo se insinúa desde su obra. Pero el artista se rehúsa a develarlo: “a veces,” explica, “el hablar acerca del arte es tan necesario como lo es la danza a la arquitectura.” Mariano Akerman usa los pinceles a su manera y concientemente intenta dejar de lado algunos de los procedimientos tradicionales. Nos dice que da valor a la creatividad y la capacidad de inventar. Sin embargo, el pintor reconoce que el pasado está siempre presente en su imaginería. En efecto, él es un historiador del arte.
En lo que concierne a Pakistán, Akerman aprecia las elaboradas decoraciones de los camiones locales, a los que describe como “poderosos elefantes modernos.” El Museo LokVirsa fue su primer encuentro con las bellas artes pakistaníes. “Visitarlo fue genial. Aprendí muchísimo ahí,” dice entusiasmado. Akerman reconoce cierta influencia asiática en su obra e indica que ella es un asunto fundamentalmente espiritual. El artista argentino sabe que existen dos formas de proceder el lo que respecta al hecho plástico. Una de ellas es imitar la realidad. La otra es intentar crear algo nuevo. Al contemplar la imaginación distintiva de la obra de Akerman, queda claro que para él sólo el segundo caso implica creatividad e inventiva. Mariano Akerman se interesa por el arte moderno y por la pintura belga. Sobre este tema ha dado conferencias en el Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes en Buenos Aires y en el National Museum of the Philippines en Manila. También presenta una serie de conferencias en Pakistán, donde desarrolla el programa “Descubriendo el Arte Belga.” Sus conferencias de apreciación del arte tienen lugar en Karachi, Islamabad y Lahore. Durante el transcurso de las mismas, Akerman revela la originalidad de un grupo de obras maestras del arte belga. Examina su estilo y significados, contexto histórico, cualidades estéticas y razón de ser de las mismas, para apreciarlas desde nuevas perspectivas.


Michel Goffin - Ambassadeur de Belgique au Pakistan
J'ai fort apprécié la conférence qui m'a remémoré mes études dans une autre vie. Je pense aussi que cette initiative méritait un solide applaudissement compte tenu des circonstances. Pakistan était en juin dernier sous l'emprise de la terreur. Persévérer et organiser une conférence malgré les aléas du moment c’était faire preuve de courage. Ce que j'ai surtout apprécié lors de la conférence, c'est la simplicité du message face à une certaine complexité du sujet. J’ai apprécié l'effort de vulgarisation. Il n'est en effet pas aisé de transmettre un message esthétique proprement occidental et historique dans un environnement culturel pakistanais également complexe. La conférence sert l'art belge et l'image du pays. Une belle initiative donc que j'ai appuyée et qui m'a agréablement surpris de par sa qualité. (Reçu par mail)


Christian Adam de Villiers, Directeur, Alliance Française de Lahore
Monsieur Mariano Akerman est un historien d'art qui sait partager sa passion. A l'occasion d'une conférence sur l'art belge donnée au National College of Arts de Lahore, il a montré combien il maîtrise parfaitement son sujet, "tressant" habilement les mises en évidence de l'oscillation et de l'imbrication des concepts de mimesis et de fantaisie, selon les perspectives historiques et spatiales qui caractérisent la peinture belge. Monsieur Mariano Akerman est un conférencier très agréable à suivre : il sait comment interférer avec son public et sait distiller à bon escient de succulentes touches d'humour. En deux mots, ... un régal !


Resources
Tchikovani, Alexandre. "Conférence: La découverte de l’art belge - The Discovery of Belgian Art," Alliance Française de Karachi, May-June 2008, p. 11, illus.
"Time Out: Today," The Daily Times, Vol. V, No. 163, Karachi, 13.06.08, sect. B, p. 2, illus.
Peerzada, Salman. "Karachi: Between Reality and Fantasy," Dawn News, Karachi, 14.06.08, ills.
"Engagements: Belgian Art," Dawn Metropolitan, Islamabad, 26.06.08, p. 19, illus.
Malik, Hasnat. "Lecture on Belgian Artwork," The Post, Islamabad, 27.06.08, p. 2, col. 3
Iqbal, Jonaid. "Art Historian highlights Cultural Diversity Genesis," Business Recorder, Islamabad-Lahore-Karachi, 27.06.08, p. 8
Abbas, Anwer. "Artist’s endeavours to promote art and culture," The Post, Islamabad, 02.07.08, sect. B, p. 2
Abbas, Anwar. "Argentinean painter who is a dab hand with brush," The Post, Islamabad, 06.07.08, Islamabad News, sect. B-2.

13.4.08

Memory

I haven't forgotten you.

6.4.08

Enthusiasm

Treu, "Enthusiasm Is Not Enough,” UFO-Hawaii, 2007

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Statesman’s Manual; The Bible the Best Guide to Political Skill and Foresight: A Lay Sermon Addressed to the Higher Classes of Society, 1816, p. 24

17.3.08

La eñe también es gente

por María Elena Walsh
.
La culpa es de los gnomos que nunca quisieron ser ñomos. Culpa tienen la nieve, la niebla, los nietos, los atenienses, el unicornio. Todos evasores de la eñe. ¡Señoras, señores, compañeros, amados niños! ¡No nos dejemos arrebatar la eñe! Ya nos han birlado los signos de apertura de interrogación y admiración. Ya nos redujeron hasta la apócope. Ya nos han traducido el pochoclo. Y como éramos pocos, la abuelita informática ha parido un monstruoso # en lugar de la eñe con su gracioso peluquín, el ~. ¿Quieren decirme qué haremos con nuestros sueños? ¿Entre la fauna en peligro de extinción figuran los ñandúes y los ñacurutuces? ¿En los pagos de Añatuya cómo cantarán Añoranzas? ¿A qué pobre barrigón fajaremos al ñudo? ¿Qué será del Año Nuevo, el tiempo de ñaupa, aquel tapado de armiño y la ñata contra el vidrio? ¿Y cómo graficaremos la más dulce consonante de la lengua guaraní? "La ortografía también es gente", escribió Fernando Pessoa. Y, como la gente, sufre variadas discriminaciones. Hay signos y signos, unos blancos, altos y de ojos azules, como la W o la K. Otros, pobres morochos de Hispanoamérica, como la letrita segunda, la eñe, jamás considerada por los monóculos británicos, que está en peligro de pasar al bando de los desocupados después de rendir tantos servicios y no ser precisamente una letra ñoqui. A barrerla, a borrarla, a sustituirla, dicen los perezosos manipuladores de las maquinitas, sólo porque la ñ da un poco de trabajo. Pereza ideológica, hubiéramos dicho en la década del setenta. Una letra española es un defecto más de los hispanos, esa raza impura formateada y escaneada también por pereza y comodidad. Nada de hondureños, salvadoreños, caribeños, panameños. ¡Impronunciables nativos! Sigamos siendo dueños de algo que nos pertenece, esa letra con caperuza, algo muy pequeño, pero menos ñoño de lo que parece. Algo importante, algo gente, algo alma y lengua, algo no descartable, algo propio y compartido porque así nos canta. No faltará quien ofrezca soluciones absurdas: escribir con nuestro inolvidable César Bruto, compinche del maestro Oski. Ninios, suenios, otonio. Fantasía inexplicable que ya fue y preferimos no reanudar, salvo que la Madre Patria retroceda y vuelva a llamarse Hispania. La supervivencia de esta letra nos atañe, sin distinción de sexos, credos ni programas de software. Luchemos para no añadir más leña a la hoguera dónde se debate nuestro discriminado signo. Letra es sinónimo de carácter. ¡Avisémoslo al mundo entero por Internet! La eñe también es gente.
Efemérides - Ministerio de Educación, República Argentina - Foto: Sara Facio
.
Sepa por qué usted es machista
El poder de la palabra
A media voz
Ensayistas
Asterión XXI
Biblioteca virtual
Imaginaria
Club de libros
Todo Argentina
ñañosa la eÑe - enredo poético porteño un tanto agitado - ñañosa la eÑe

10.2.08

Education: In the Spirit of Linnaeus


The year 2007 marked the tercentenary of the birth of the remarkable botanist and naturalist Carl Linnæus (Carl von Linnée, 1707-1778). In Manila, capital of the Philippines, a series of special events were devoted to his contribution to the field of scientific research. Linnaeus was an enthusiastic man and believed that curiosity was essential for the development of the sciences. He was always interested in finding, studying, cataloguing and classifying all living beings, because he wanted to understand the order and principles that rule the Creation. Linnaeus' approach included the giving of names to the living beings thanks to a binary nomenclature. With his method, he called them systematically. Being Latin the lingua franca among the scientists of the eighteenth century, Linnaeus' idea and his creation of the concept of "species" contributed greatly in making scientific dialogue simple and precise. In this sense, he raised it to a universal level. Exploration, medicine, geology, anthropology ecology and philosophy were among the many fields cultivated by Linnaeus, a man of humble origin who was to become the rector of the University of Uppsala, then capital of the Swedish Kingdom. Linnaeus' deductive approach and his systematic classification of the living beings were important to the sciences in the Age of Reason and remain so nowadays. In his search for unknown species, those that had to be found, observed, examined, described, named and classified, Linnaeus explored most of Scandinavia and quite a number of other European countries. In the Old Continent, Linnaeus was the first to plant a banana tree and have its fruit too. He called it Musa paradisiaca. The eighteenth century was an epoch of Encyclopaedia and Illustration, reflexion, exploration and discovery. Indefatigable traveller and researcher, brilliant lecturer and admirable author, Linnaeus was an archetype of his times. As a rector, he conceived and supported incredible voyages for his students and seventeen of them travelled across the world. Linnaeus' taxonomic system and part of his classifications are relevant even today. Homo sapiens, for example, is the very name that Linnaeus gave to man.
In the forum that took place in Manila during the months of January and February 2007, I called Linnaeus Rara avis—a Latin name that follows his taxonomy and alludes to the especial the unusual. It is also an expression that can be used for an extraordinary human being.
During the Linnaeus-Manila interdisciplinary forum, a series of twelve lectures were given in the frame of an educative program known as “In the Spirit of Linnaeus.” It gathered students of both sciences and arts. It offered a whole set of new ideas concerning both Linnaeus and the reality that surrounds us.
The lectures were received with enthusiasm by more than 2000 students. Over 7000 have visited the posts I prepared on Linnaeus. A remarkable number of students participated in an essay contest inspired by three maxims of Linnaeus. In their essays, the students had to focus on "The importance of Ecology." The best of those essays can be found online today. In May 2007, the winner of the essay competition was visiting Sweden during fifteen days. Five other students received prizes as well. The repercussion of the Tercentenary Lectures on Science and Art was positive in both Sweden and the Philippines. I thank the Ambassador Annika Markovic of Sweden for having invited me to develop the Linnaeus-Manila Program of 2007. Mariano Akerman

In the Spirit of Linnaeus: The Tercentenary Lectures on Science and Art, Manila, January-February 2007

Linné i Taytay. 7 februari var en speciell dag på "High school" i Taytay, Filippinerna. Det var dagen då Carl von Linné kom på besök. Inte i egen hög person men i form av ett mycket inspirerande och lärorikt föredrag om vår världsberömde svenske botaniker. I år är det 300 år sedan han föddes, något som kommer att uppmärksammas både i Sverige och utomlands.
Det var ett erbjudande från Sveriges ambassadör Annika Marcovics som föranledde besöket. Föredragshållaren Mariano Akerman höll, på uppdrag av svenska ambassaden, föreläsningar på skolor och universitet i Manila.* Att även få berätta om Linnés arbete för elever på en skola i slummen, uppskattade både han och eleverna väldigt mycket.
Precis innan han skulle börja sin föreläsning försvann strömmen och varken lampor, mikrofoner eller den specialgjorda datorpresentationen fungerade. Å andra sidan hade ju inte heller Linne tillgång till sådana finesser och föredraget fungerade utmärkt ändå.
Linné katalogiserade och beskrev växter och djur och gav dem latinska namn, ett arbete som än idag ligger till grund för botanikers arbete världen över. Under de sista åren som Linné levde, var han professor i Uppsala. Han valde då ut 17 av sina duktigaste studenter, vilka han skickade ut över hela välden. Deras uppgift var att samla och skicka hem plantor och djur till Linné. Eleverna på Taytay blev glatt överraskade när de fick höra att Linnés studenter även genomförde resor ända bort till Filippinerna. Maria Presson, Star of Hope (Hoppets Stjärna), Scandinavia, 6.3.2007 (retrieved 8.2.2008).


*. Trans. The speaker was Mariano Akerman lecturing on behalf of the Swedish Embassy at schools and universities in Manila.

Ref. The Tercentenary Lectures on Science and Art, Manila and Taytay, Philippines, 2007

Online resources
Linnaeus-Manila Program
In the Spirit of Linnaeus
Brochure
Linneo
What a century!
Rara avis
Kingdom and Ecology
The Same Order
El mismo orden

11.1.08

Art Documents: Francis Bacon, Remarks


Francis Bacon the Painter, Dublin 1909-Madrid 1992.
Art History Documents. Selection, info-research, decodification, transcript and references by Mariano Akerman.[1]

A. Raw Human Emotion (Je m'en fous du passé)

Bacon photographed by John Deakin, 1954 (Vogue, July 1962); Bacon in his South Kensington studio, London, 1966. Ref. videoclip-invitation to Buffalo, New York, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Francis Bacon: Paintings from the 1950s, May-July 2007.

B. Man, A Completely Futile Being

Bacon, photographed by Irving Penn, 1962 (work document; published in Vanity Fair); painter's statement in his South Kensington studio, London, October 1962, as recorded and filmed in London by the BBC Television, May 1966: “As man realizes that he is an accident and his futility… that he is a completely really futile being, that he has to play out the game without reason. I think that even when Velázquez was painting, even when Rembrandt was painting, in a peculiar way they were still, whatever their attitude to life was, they were still slightly conditioned by certain types of religious possibilities, which man now, you could say, has been completely canceled out for him. Now, of course, man can only attempt to make something very, very positive by trying to beguile himself for a time by the way he behaves by prolonging possibly his life by buying a kind of immortality through the doctors. You see, painting has now become, or all art has now become, completely a game by which man distracts himself. What is fascinating actually is that it’s going to become much more difficult for the artist, because he must really deepen the game to be any good at all.”[2]

C. Bacon, interview by Melvyn Bragg, filmed and directed by David Hinton, London: Arena for London Weekend Television, The South Bank Show, 1985.

C.1/6 Sensation without the Boredom of Its Conveyance
Ref. A) Street, London, 1985. Francis Bacon and John Edwards. Introduction. 1925 left home at the age of 16, lived in London for a while then traveled in Europe. 1929 saw a Picasso exhibit in Paris and decided to become a painter. But once back in London was known initially as an interior designer. The 1930 Look in British Decoration: modernist furniture and rugs. Crucifixion 1933, published in Herbert Read's Art Now. International Surrealist Exhibition of 1936: rejected as “not sufficiently surreal.” Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucufixion, 1944 (exh. 1945). Head II, 1949. Self Portrait, 1973, Oedipus and the Sphinx, 1983. A Piece of Waste Land, 1982. Jet of Water, 1979. Triptych 1974-77. B) Tate Gallery, Storeroom. Head IV, 1949. “I had always thought that I w[ould] be able to make the mouth with all the beauty of a Monet landscape, but I've never succeeded in doing so.” Velasquez, Pope Innocent X, 1649. Study after Velasquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X, 1953. Lying Figure with Hypodermic Syringe, 1963. Syringe put as he “wanted something to nail it into the bed” and “could't put a nail in it.” Deforming and reforming reality. “Today man wants the sensation wihout the boredom of its conveyance.” Velasquez, The Toilet of Venus, 1651. “I always try to make concentrations of images.” Study for Portrait of P.L. on a Folding Bed, 1963. Pollock, Yellow Islands, 1952. “I've never really cared for Jackson Pollock and, of course, as he is a great hero in America, I've said the most terrible thing [about what he paints], that [...] it's all lace. And I've never been liked in America since.” Rothko, Black on Maroon, 1958. “I hate that dirty maroon.” Van Gogh, The Night Café, 1888. “It's an extremely beautiful painting.” Admires its “extraordinary intensity.”

C.2/6 Reek of Human Blood, Concentration of Reality, Shorthand of Sensation
Ref. A) Tate Gallery, Storehouse. Study for Portrait of Van Gogh II, 1957. Two Studies of George Dyer with Dog, 1968. Egyptian art as attempt to defeat death. Seated Figure, 1974. The human figure. “Exciting images.” The fates or furies (classical mythology). “The violence of Aeschylus in wonderful translation: ‘the reek of human blood smiles out of me’.” Narrator's voice: “The reek of human blood it’s laughter to my heart.” “Astonishing images.” B) South Kensington studio. Blots as his “abstract pictures.” “I work much better in chaos. Chaos for me breeds images.” Technique. Modus operandi. Via “figurative art” wants to make “not illustration of reality, but to create images which are concentration of reality and a shorthand of sensation.” Idea of attacking the canvas with paint. The unconscious. “I believe in a deeply ordered chaos.” Instinct.

C.3/6 Chance, Vitality and Inspiration
Ref. A) South Kensington studio. Desire of not defining images. Art as putting oneself at risk all the time. Portrait of Isabel Rawsthorn Standing in a Street in Soho, 1967. Works on umprimed or 'wrong' side of the canvas. Jet of Water, 1979. Battle with the canvas. Vitality. Portrait of George Dyer in a Mirror, 1968. Instinct. Triptychs. “I'm always hoping that chance is going to work on my favour.” “I don't really know... I don't try to read my work. I don't really know what it means. I only know what it means to me... formally.” “I don't want to tell a story. I have no story to tell.” “I do like the starkness of the image. I want it to give me a visual shock.” Bacon's visual imagery is “nothing, except from what peole wants to read into it.” Edwards. Visual sources of inspiration and work documents: photographs and clippings showing rapacious birds, Peter Beard, screaming man, positioning in radiography, businessmen with umbrellas, train, elephant phoetus, elephants, running dog, early session of photography, chimpanzee, Hermann Goering, pairs of wrestlers, man bending over, hippopotamuses, sportsmen, Adolf Hitler, tiger, cyclist, Benito Mussolini, cricket player, owl with prey, saint from Romanesque fresco, woman with umbrella, boxer being punched on his face, Bacon photographed by Beard, mouth radiograph, chickens scared by a torpedo photographed by Muybridge, Graeco-roman wrestlers. Photography. “Photographs bring up images.” Wild animals. African buffalo, white rhinoceros, jiraffes. “The movement of wild animals is the action [of their] muscular movement [and] probably has something to do with the structure of many things I would like to do.” To capture an instant or an inalienable fact. “I would like my paintings to have the same immediate effect [... of an image showing] animal after the kill.” Two lions and prey. Rapacious bird photographic sequence by Muybridge. “Muybridge ... took photographs of people who were deformed, with all forms of deformity, which were interesting in themselves.” What appears to be a distorted set of bodies (Bragg's words). Clippings: wrestlers, boxers, soccer players, rugbiers, cricket players. Imges from Positioning in Radiography. “Photographs are ... my models and subject-matter.” Correlation between painted figure and photographic source: After Muybridge, 1965 (detail: Paralytic Child on All Fours). Man with Dog, 1953. Two Figures, 1953. Triptych August 1972 (detail). Study of a Baboon, 1953. Study of Portrait of Henrietta Moraes Laughing, 1969. Triptych, 1971 (detail). Study for Bullfight No.1, 1969. Study of the Human Body, 1982. B) Mario's Restaurant. Chance as more important than intellect: “I make images that intellect will never make.”

C.4/6 Meat, Violence and Voluptuousness
Ref. Mario's Restaurant. Painting 1946 as “great image.” “How marvellous [hanging] carcasses are! How beautiful!” People reported as looking at Bacon's pictures as matter of horror, shock, blood, dread and not something beautiful at all. “What could I make to compete [with] what goes on every single day. If you read the newspapers, if you look at television, if you know what's going on in the world... what could I do to compete with the horror that's going on? [...] I have tried to make images of it, I have tried to recreate and make, not the horror, but [...] images of realism.” Images relating to the real world. “There's nothing apart from the moment. I believe in nothing. Between birth and death... it's always the same thing... the violence of life. We are born and we die. That's it. There's nothing else.” “I just drift. My own life is just a drifting life.” Self Portrait, 1970. “I am profoundly optimistic about nothing. I'm just existing for a moment.” Seated Figure, 1979. Mouth. Ambiguity. Book on diseases of the mouth, with “beautiful” illustrations. Flesh. Study of the Human Cody, 1982-84. Study of the Human Body from a Drawing by Ingres, 1982. Ingres, Odalisque with Slave, 1842. Ingres, The Turkish Bath, 1859-63. “I like men. Men flesh is very interesting, it always attracts me.” Male “voluptuousness” in Michelangelo's drawings. “I am not interested in fantasy. I am interested in reality. [...] Reality is what exists.” “I want to be able to remake in another medium the reality of an image that excites me.”

C.5/6 Anti-Illustrational Portraits
Ref. Colony Room Drinking Club, first floor. Muriel Belcher. John Edwards. The Gargoyle. Portraits. Isabel Rawsthorne. Lucien Freud. Henrietta Moraes. George Dyer. “I paint people I know very well.” Use of photographs as references. “In the portraits I do, I'm always hoping to make an image of their heads [that's] more than a literal portrait. There is no point in painting [portraits] that [don't] look like the person[s they are supposed to represent], but to remake [images of those persons] so that [they turn] back into [their] appearance [while not being] illustration[s] of them is the real problem.” Three Studies for a Portrait of John Edwards, 1984. Origin of tripartite portraits: “I don't quite know from where it really started.” Mentions cinema. Tripartite portrait photograph of Edwards. Grunewald, Isenheim Altarpiece, 1510-15. “I have done a number [of portraits] of myself, [...] not because I like my face (because I hate it), but [...] because there was nobody else to do [then].” Self Portrait, 1973. George Dyer's suicide. “I am not an expressionist painter.” Triptych March-June 1973 as nearest to a story: “that is how he was found.” Triptych 1971 (In Memory of George Dyer). As people die like flies, “life becomes more of a desert [...] around you.” On death: “You are always aware of it. It's just round the corner.” “If you have a very strong feeling for life, [...] it's shadow, death, it's always with you too.”

C.6/6 Playing the Game
Ref. Casino, Soho. “I'm a heavy loser in the end. I must be the perfect compost for casinos, because they must love in casinos some one who is always losing.” “Gambling is not a real risk.” Pictorial accident opens new possibilities. Three Studies for Figures on Beds, 1972. Couplings having sex. “I am not really a conversational artist.” Triptych Studies of the Human Body, 1979. “I suppose most couplings are violent, aren't they fairily? [...] I suppose perhaps when they ejaculate they become more violent.” Triptych August 1972. Single panel with coupling (Tokyo). Crucifixion 1962. Three Studies for a Crucifixion, 1965. “I hope [my paintings] look like a reflection of reality. But you could say that [...] nearly all reality is pain.” Gilded frames and perspex sheets. Triptych March-June 1973. Triptych 1971. Three Portraits, 1973.

D. A Telling Comparison

A detail from the central panel of Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (Bacon, c. 1944. Tate Gallery, London) and its source of inspiration in a medical manual of mouth diseases (Ludwig Grünwald, Atlas-manuel des maladies de la bouche, 1903). Original research 2008 comparison, by Mariano Akerman. All rights reserved.

Notes
1. Mariano Akerman is an architect and art historian, who researches the work of Francis Bacon since 1985.
2. See also David Sylvester, The Brutaliy of Fact: Interviews with Francis Bacon, London: Thames & Hudson, 1987 interview 1, October 1962. Broadcast by Palette, Figures de l'excèss: « Je pense que l’homme réalise qu’il est un accident, qu’il est un être dénué de sens et très futile, qu’il lui faut sans raison jouer le jeu jusqu’au but. Quand Vélasquez ou Rembrandt peignaient, ils étaient encore d’une certaine manière, quelle que fut leur attitude à l’égard de la vie, légèrement conditionnes par certaines types de possibilités religieuses, que l’homme d’aujourd’hui, dirait-on, a vu s’annuler complètement pour lui. Maintenant, bien entendu, l’homme ne peut que s’efforcer de faire quelque chose de très, très positif en essayant de s’abuser pour un temps par la façon dont il se conduit, en prolongeant peut-être sa vie grâce à une sorte d’immortalité qu’il achète aux médecins. Voyez-vous, tout l’art est maintenant devenu tout à fait un jeu avec lequel l’homme se distrait. Et ce qui est fascinant c’est que cela va devenir bien plus difficile pour l’artiste, puis qu’il lui faudra vraiment approfondir le jeu pour aboutir à quoi que ce soit de bon. »

11 January 2008