Arthur Boyd’s wife, Yvonne, commented that Arthur was very fond of Saint Francis. This was undoubtedly true and yet in his perceptive and idiosyncratic way our artist turns the medieval legend on its head. The saint’s values of human brotherhood, non-materialism and engagement with nature are preserved, while the proselytising and, in Boyd’s eyes, control over others is sternly rejected. The medieval Francis felt himself to be divinely inspired while Boyd in the 20th century was alone with his fragile yet dogged sense of his own humanity. Continue reading “ARTHUR BOYD AND SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI”
COLOUR MEANINGS
The following notes on the meanings of various colours have been taken largely from Schuon (1956) and Cirlot (1984) for the major references to symbolism whilst Sloane (1980), Varley (1980) and Gage (1993) were mainly used for the more contingent or subjective meanings. Continue reading “COLOUR MEANINGS”
ACU ART COLLECTION Book Review
First Impressions: Indigenous works from the ACU Art Collection (Australian Catholic University, 2020).
A New Perspective, works from the ACU Art Collection (Australian Catholic University, 2020). Continue reading “ACU ART COLLECTION Book Review”
MARY OF WARMUN
This figure of the pregnant Mary, carved and painted by George Mung Mung (c1920–1991), is a significant work of Christian art and devotion that reflects the merging of Catholic and Aboriginal communities and systems of belief in Australia. Continue reading “MARY OF WARMUN”
THE GIFT OF THE EPHEMERAL
I acknowledge the Traditional Owners who have walked and cared for this land for thousands of years and their descendants who maintain these spiritual connections and traditions … Continue reading “THE GIFT OF THE EPHEMERAL”
CLIFTON PUGH, LANDSCAPE and SUFFERING
CLIFTON PUGH (1924-1990) was an Australian landscape and portrait painter. His engagement with the bush, however, stands in sharp contrast to the familiar landscapes of artists such as Arthur Streeton and Frederick McCubbin. Continue reading “CLIFTON PUGH, LANDSCAPE and SUFFERING”
ST MARY OF THE ANGELS CHAPEL ROSEBANK, FIVE DOCK, NSW
On Monday 11 January 2020, the last of the pieces of furniture were delivered for the refurbishment and reordering of the Rosebank Chapel. These are the primary pieces that will become sacred in the coming years as we, the People of God, do the ritual acts of Continue reading “ST MARY OF THE ANGELS CHAPEL ROSEBANK, FIVE DOCK, NSW”
A GOOD PARISH CHURCH OF 1987
Melbourne architect GREGORY BURGESS (b. 1945) is known internationally for public architecture which both expresses the spiritual and creates a unifying communal experience. His work has included arts and visitor centres, educational and health facilities. Continue reading “A GOOD PARISH CHURCH OF 1987”
ABORIGINAL STATIONS OF THE CROSS
This set of Stations of the Cross was commissioned by the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry of Victoria in 2017 and are arranged along the main wall of their chapel in Thornbury, Melbourne. They were imagined, dreamed and painted by John Dunn, an Olkola/Djabaguy man from Far North Queensland.
A PLATYPUS STOLE AND A PELICAN CHASUBLE
Charles Balnaves is Parish Priest at St Joseph’s parish in Meredith, a town 100km by road west of Melbourne. He had been involved with the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry (ACM) in the archdiocese for ten years. He wrote of the vestments designed by the ACM specifically to be placed into his custody on the occasion of his ordination. Continue reading “A PLATYPUS STOLE AND A PELICAN CHASUBLE”