Newgrange

Last week I was up at Brú na Boinne, near Drogheda, visiting Knowth and Newgrange prehistoric passage graves. They are magnificent neolithic sites, older than both the Great Pyramid at Giza and Stonehenge. At the entrance to Newgrange the tour guide pointed this megalith out as probably the most photographed stone in the world. He was probably right. The carving is quite beautiful and mysterious. There is one other tri-spiral carved on a stone at the end of the interior passage (no photos allowed inside).

As with the megalithic kerbstones at Knowth, I was completely fascinated by the Neolithic art from more than 5000 years ago.

There is no final agreement between archaeologists about whether the designs are scientific, religious or linguistic. It's anyone's guess as to what was going through the minds of the prehistoric makers.

Around the passage grave at Newgrange there is also a stone circle. The tour guide didn't say anything about it this time, nor do I fully remember from previous tours of the site, but I think the circle came later, so time-wise is comparable to Stonehenge and Avebury, which I have had the pleasure of visiting many years ago.

Some years ago the tour guide had implied that the placement of the sea-rolled grey stones and the white quartz that form the facade of Newgrange were entirely made up. This time the guide gave a plausible reason for the pattern, which would be quite startling to prehistoric viewers; the archaeologist Professor MJ O'Kelly had done numerous experiments on the patterns formed by fallen rocks before meticulously deciding each stone's placement on the facade.

Since I had been to the nearby site of Knowth earlier in the day and seen the jumble of sea rolled grey stones and white quartz (neither of which are local stone) surrounding the largest monument there, I could imagine O'Kelly's reconstruction rationale. Although the tour guide at Knowth suggested that the stones may be to form a path rather than a facade, I couldn't imagine walking on these lumps!

Knowth

Yesterday was the perfect day to explore Brú na Boinne - the passage grave monuments in the Boyne Valley, Co. Meath. I had last been to Newgrange and Knowth in 1997 and a lot has changed at Knowth especially. Nearly 20 years ago this site was still in a state of discovery -- maybe that is an understatement as I am sure there will always be something new to discover there -- but there were no didactics or guides, one just simply walked among the ruins looking. Though there is something magical about doing just that, the "cleaned-up" site allowed for better understanding of what one was looking at. So the view from the entrance of several tumuli overshadowed by the largest passage grave (bigger than Newgrange) begins the enchantment...

This is one of the smaller passage graves being singled out so that its structure is obvious: the opening to the passage is visible behind the entrance stone and kerbstones (megaliths) can be seen surrounding the mound.

I was most fascinated by the wonderful examples of Neolithic art! The huge kerbstones of the largest mound were all carved.

The drawings are all abstract and it is completely unknown whether they are a form of writing, religious symbolism or scientific/geographic symbolism.

The architecture of these mounds is so advanced: dry stone building which doesn't leak, corbelled roofs over cruciform passages and all covered by several tons of soil and rock which has lasted  for 5000 years... With this in mind, personally I tend to think of the drawings on the most advanced level possible: some kind of symbolism which blends science, geography and religion to have real meaning for the people who created these amazing structures.

The very exciting thing for me was to see the tool marks of design creation and to be able to run my fingers through the grooves of these prehistoric drawings.

Dublin culture!

A few weeks ago I spent the day in Dublin catching up on exhibitions that I wanted to see. At the National Gallery of Ireland, there is a new way of displaying a most beloved and delicate painting of FW Burton's. "Hellelil & Hildebrand, The Meeting on the Turret Stairs" is on view at the ESB Centre for the Study of Irish Art on Monday & Wednesday morning only, through a free, but timed, ticket (available at the information desk). The last time I had planned to see this painting the viewing box was closed, so armed with my timed ticket I was delighted at the almost private view.

At the NGI I also saw the Sean Scully exhibition in honour of his 70th birthday. It was great to see the large canvases, especially the multiple canvas "window" works. A room full of Scully's b&w photographs was a very pleasant surprise, as I also share his obsession with stone walls in Ireland.

It is always nice to pop into the nearby National Museum of Ireland. There was an exhibition on Brian Boru and the battle for Dublin. You learn something new every day! Also in the vicinity is the National Library of Ireland. On the recommendation of a visitor I went to see the very meaty WB Yeats exhibition. This was my first time in the NLI and I was surprised at the size of the exhibition space. Since the collection and displays were manuscript based, the lights were very dim. However, I don't think conservation was really the top priority as a single spotlight focused in the centre of this painting by Edmund Dulac of WB's wife George! I don't think the spotlight was good for the painting but I was also disappointed that it was displayed on the top shelf of a display case so that it was out of my viewing reach.

In the afternoon I went over to the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) specifically to see the Etel Adnan exhibition. I had read about Adnan a few months ago -- she is a 90 year old painter and poet who is only finally getting some recognition lately!

While at IMMA I also took the opportunity to see the Stan Douglas exhibition "Mise en Scene".

Airport Art

On my recent trip to the US and Canada, I welcomed the chance to spend some time with some airport art on arrival and departure!

At Chicago's O'Hare airport I was delighted to use this moving walkway, the installation of changing lights, "Sky's the Limit" by Michael Hayden, making it a great experience. I used this walkway on a previous visit to the US, but couldn't figure out where it had gotten to on my last visit. Turns out I wasn't flying United on my last visit and O'Hare is a big airport - this walkway is for traffic between two sections of United Airways terminal.

I had a few hours between flights so I was in no hurry, and enjoyed going back and forth on the moving walkway.

The first time I encountered this installation, I could hear Brian Eno music and thought it was part of the installation, but this time jazz was playing.

At Toronto's Pearson International Airport this Richard Serra sculpture, "Tilted Spheres", is another pleasant experience.

Again, I had a few hours to spare, waiting for my flight, so I got to engage with the acoustics -- sound is amplified so that people beyond the sculpture can hear what people within the sculpture are saying (or, as when walking under a bridge, barking...)

Iowa City Sculpture

I was in Iowa City the last week of June for my husband's family reunion.  Downtown Iowa is a beautiful city, pedestrian friendly, and has a lot of public sculpture to enjoy. This bronze sculpture by Jane DeDecker suits its environs perfectly -- most often when I passed it there were children playing in its vicinity. 

Another bronze sculpture, Jazz, is by Gary Alsum. I think the vibrancy of jazz is well caught in this work.

There are quite a few abstract sculptures in the pedestrian zone too.

I particularly like this wiry tornado. (Oops forgot to record the accrediting plaques for these works.)

I was too busy looking at the map depicted and reading the pirate-like inscription to realise at first that this was a book.

A few steps had my understanding sorted out. I like the idea that you could be sitting on a bench reading under the silent stare of a giant book.

Outside the pedestrian zone, I came across this series of sculptures inlaid into the footpath. 

It's difficult to tell, but the grey arcs are sentences - letters depressed into the footpath.

 I am not sure if the author is a well-known Iowa poet, but by the language it is not a modern poem.

I like this bronze depiction of sheet music and that the artist is using an aural art form visually.

I was unable to find the credits, so I don't know if the bronze pieces are done by the same artist who did the arc lettering, or indeed if all the pieces are done by separate individuals in collaboration. In any case, they were all delightful to come across!

Most events for the reunion took place at the Grant Wood historic home, owned by my husband's uncle. In 2005 my husband, James Hayes was commissioned to create the bronze sculpture, entitled Ball, for the fountain in the upper garden.

Art Gallery of Ontario

I was in Toronto recently and took the opportunity to visit the Art Gallery of Ontario to see some work that was on my wish list. The exhibition From the Forest to the Sea: Emily Carr in British Columbia was first shown in London last year at the Dulwich Gallery, but as I knew I'd be in Toronto this summer I looked forward to seeing it in the Canadian setting. Carr's paintings were well complemented by artefacts from the First Nations which inspired much of her work and it was a joy to see them together.

I prefer Carr's looser work on paper, but the installation view gives an idea of the scale at which she was working.

I can't remember whether or not this is one of Carr's experimental gasoline paintings, several of which were in the show (paintings on paper where gasoline was used as a medium for the paint!), but it is a good example of her looser painting style.

While at the AGO, I was delighted to also see a special exhibit of a pair of paintings by Tom Thompson. The Jack Pine, according to the gallery didactic, was the painting found on Thompson's easel at the time of his mysterious death in 1917.

The West Wind, another iconic Thompson painting, is also dated 1917.

The Thompson exhibit also included the sketches/small paintings of these works. While I did "exit through the gift shop", I also found my way into a room full of another Canadian painter's work. I have always liked David Milne's dry brush drawing/paintings so it was lovely to see a whole room full of them.

I did not have time to do any further explorations that afternoon at the art gallery, but it was inspirational to see the work of these three great Canadian painters.

Summer sketching

There has recently been a spate of summery weather which has been facilitating lazy days of sketching. I don't always have to go somewhere else. Sitting out the back there was lots of flora to choose from. We have a large pot of azaleas and delicate flowers are appearing on the rosemary plant.

I recently re-located my flat drawing pencil -- like a carpenter's pencil except it has a 4B lead in it. I used it to do a quick sketch of our curry plant.

This sketch of my daughter reading in the front yard makes her look older than she is. I thought she was disturbed by something she read, but when I asked her later why she was frowning, she told me she overheard the neighbourhood children "playing" -- they were collecting bees in bottles to kill them.

I am happier with the pencil drawing of my daughter concentrating on her book in the sunshine.