It seems that like everyone has a Baxter/Glover/Curnow story, the same is true for artists and today I heard a few Fomison stories (and Clairmont too). So I was hunting around for the image that many people seem to think of in relation to Fomison and found I have written about it before.
What Shall We Tell Them
“What Shall We Tell Them? continues another Fomison tradition, depicting one main figure surrounded by smaller characters. In this work, the miniature jester at the bottom of the painting may symbolise a father-son relationship, which is also explored in Fomison’s earlier works. The original sketch for What Shall We Tell Them also shows two heads on either side of the jester’s costume – on the left, the smiling face of comedy and on the right, the face of tragedy. Fomison again plays with the concept of dark and light and good and evil by depicting the jester with a slight smile, rather than the wide grin which is more commonly associated with the figure.” (from this article)
I am interested in polarities right now; good/bad, Devil/God, dark/light and inner and outer worlds. It is part of my exploration of the DMZ between fact and fiction. Thinking about it more – that particular space is actually a minefield.
When I think of Fomison’s work I think of faces lifted to the light. I don’t know the name of the image I see in my head specifically but this is similar:
Portrait of Cassius Clay (1972)
From the Auckland Art Gallery on line. “Ambiguous photographs intrigued Tony Fomison, especially the ones he discovered in newspapers and magazines. This ‘portrait’ is based on one such newsphoto. By enlarging a close-up of the boxer he begins to look unconscious or, even, recently deceased.”
‘You cannot separate life from death – that is what’s wrong with a lot of painting…The ecstasy of life comes from the knowledge of death…Death is going to get you. The idea is to love life and not be scared of death.’Tony Fomison
I am also particularly fond of his 1977 Self Portrait (in a window frame)
Outside the window – an actual window frame – puzzled and excluded, the artist peers in at the viewer; it is a poignant image of himself as an outsider, an observer of society. He becomes a furtive voyeur, almost a Peeping Tom. Fomison made many self-portraits and saw them as a means of checking on the integrity of his painting, ‘Your brushes are only as good as your self-portraits. Can you be honest about yourself on canvas?‘.
I think this also relates across to autobiography – can you be honest with yourself on the page? Indeed, what shall we tell them?
Tags: Fomison
July 16, 2008 at 10:38 pm |
Tell them society exists on the abrogation of truth.
July 9, 2009 at 10:11 am |
I was a friend of Tony’s back in the 70’s and have been thinking of those days, it seems surreal to think of what his work is worth these days. He once offered me one of his new paintings as a gift, I told him he should sell it. It was a pretty anguished dark image that I was fascinated by, but couldn’t see on my wall. A couple of years ago I saw one of his sketches for sale at an Auckland gallery. They offered it to me for a ridiculous sum of money, which I could never afford. But it was never about money, it was about a mate.
July 9, 2009 at 10:27 am |
Luigi – thanks for dropping by!
Worth is very interesting around art. Personally I don’t think it should be about the money.
July 9, 2009 at 11:31 am |
And of course it wasn’t about the money for him at all, he was happy to give his work away, but it was also how he made a living. I just found it sad that work that was once offered to me for free was now out of my reach forever, now being so expensive. If I did manage to pick something up, the only investment would be in a tangible memory of a friend, but then of course I can say gidday to him in many a gallery around the country:)