Good Morning, Good Afternoon and Good Night

Awww, that's adorable!

At the moment I'm trying to do some work and organise this trip I'm taking to Sydney in a few weeks.

 

To Sydney? Any specific reason you're going there?

 

There's quite a few! The main reason is there's a design conference on there for 3 days, so I'll be going to that for 2 days I think. I've also got to catch up with an old flatmate, some football guys I've never met, and maybe some old friends as well.

 

Oh, there's a Salvador Dali exhibition on as well I'd like to see. Do you know his work?

 

Sounds cool! Let me know how it was.

Do I know Dali's work? I love it. Surrealism / absurdism is my favourite art...thing [what's the word?]. I must have got a hundred books on it.

Have you ever seen that film Un chien andalou? And have you heard of Magritte?

 

[what's the word?

genre?

Have you ever seen that film Un chien andalou?

I still have very graphic memories of that film. Our Film & TV teacher showed it to us in high school and I was absolutely shocked. The whole eye thing still sends shivers down my spine. I've never been able to watch it again.

And have you heard of Magritte?

I love Magritte's work! His sense of colour is extroadinary.

 

Genre, yeah. Thanks.

Un chien andalou -- your reaction is exactly what they -- Bunuel and he -- wanted. Just shock you, basically, with illogical surrealistic images. The eye is a cow's eye, by the way.

I've never watched it after the first time too, most of all because I'm more esthetically-oriented. I like colours and shapes, I'm not a big fan of deliberate shock effects and ugliness. But horses for courses.

I love Magritte's work! His sense of colour is extroadinary.

Yeah, he's my favourite. There's one painting that shows a ship in a storm at night, and it's so sinister and beautiful.

I've always thought you would like MC Escher, too.

 

The eye is a cow's eye, by the way.

I tried telling my brain that, but it wouldn't listen! I just put it into Google Images and saw a still shot of the razor blade in the eye and my fists automatically clenched and I had to look away. It's a shame they had to put that at the start because the rest of the film is quite brilliant.

I used to have a huge Escher book but I lost it in a move somewhere. I love his precision and his mathematical influences. I think my favourite work of his is the dewdrop on the leaf though.

 

That's why I love Escher, too. (And he was Dutch). My dentist used to have an Escher painting of staircases in the waiting room, and as a kid I went mad trying to figure it out. Now I have one myself:

[image=http://www.jawaro.de/images/escher04.jpg]

There's a great anecdote of Mick Jagger writing to Escher in the 60s, because he wanted him to design the next Rolling Stones album cover. "Dear Maurits..."

Escher wrote back saying "Don't call me Maurits", and that was the end of that.

 

There was a wonderful Australian abstract painter by the name of Brett Whiteley. I'm not sure if you've heard of him. He's probably best known for this self portrait:

[image=http://www.brettwhiteley.org/agnsw/inthestudio.jpg]

He did a painting of a lyrebird in these brilliant reds and oranges, but I can't find a picture of it!

 

I might have heard that name, but I don't know him.

I like that one, though. I like those slightly "off" colours, if you know what I mean. The wall is dark blue and the statue has the same colour, as has his sleeve -- most artists avoid doing that sort of thing. But it works.

 

Hey Kerryn, look at this, how cool is that:

[image=http://www.searchingforagem.com/Whitely2.JPG]

Whiteley did a drawing of Bob Dylan in the 70s. I like him already.

 

I think he was more famous for his heroin addiction than his work. Someone even tried to refute an art prize here that he won claiming he'd used a "performance enhancing drug!"

He died of an overdose about 10 years ago.

 

That's sad. All those poor artistic buggers that top themselves. It seems that great art has always got to go hand in hand with loneliness.

Are they great artists because they're lonely, or are they lonely because they're great artists?

How's the weather there, by the way? Still warm?

 

Heh. You're a big Bob Dylan fan?

 

How's the weather there, by the way? Still warm?

A balmy 27 C today! A lovely day to be at the beach.

 

I am. But I don't want to appear like some retro Sixties dude: I actually only love Dylan and The Beatles from that era.

And I like Dylan's recent work better; it's very dark yet funny. (But I don't have all his albums by a long shot).

EDIT: 27 C! Here, that would be a Summer peak. Now there are two great reasons to go: you, and the weather.

 

They predicted it would get above 40 around Christmas in Sydney this year!

It usually hits that for a few days here, but I think you'll be hot enough as it is in Brisbane.

 

I'm hot enough everywhere, baby.

 

Ah, it's the old Casper again.

 

LOL. The old Casper?

 

Yeah, the old cocky, but funny, Roman Senator guy... if you know what I mean.

I might go and get some lunch. I'm just getting over a cold and I think the sunshine will do me good.

 

Hehe. I know what you mean.

But I have to leave. Kerryn, I'll see you tonight or tomorrow. And you know the rest by now.

 

I do. Have a wonderful day.

 

You too!