Summative Entry

Visionary Imagination, as expressed in the work of William Blake, Patrick White and Brett Whiteley has given me a new way of seeing and understanding the world.

The works of William Blake, Patrick White and Brett Whiteley have all contributed to my understanding of the Visionary Imagination unit and has given me a new way of seeing and understanding the world.

 

As we journey through life, it is important to gain knowledge through experience. This year has been one where I believe I have grown the most and have begun to understand the purpose of life. I have been open and honest to all of my family and friends about the hardships I have faced this year that pushed me to go back to church. Blake’s views on religion were at first very confronting for me as I had only just begun rekindling my relationship with God. Once we delve into the Marriage of Heaven and Hell and poems like London, it was clear to me that Blake’s interpretation of religion was not against God Himself, but the idea of organised religion using its power to gain followers and money, alongside the government. Context is very important to remember when analysing these poems, however I felt that they still resonated with how we live today. I connected well with The Nurses Song in The Songs of Innocence and its counterpart The Nurses Song in The Songs of Experience. I felt that life experience, being outside in nature and living life is the way to learn. I enjoy reading, watching documentaries and gaining knowledge through literature, but I feel most excited to learn when I travel and see different cultures. The children wanting to play outside is a clear reflection of me as a child and I believe thats why I was so passionate about writing my essay on those two books of poems.

Brett Whiteley’s Alchemy was also another work which has given me a new way of seeing and understanding the world. The intertextuality and colours used in the artwork were absolute chaos but they all came together to present me with one take home message: There is beauty in the divine. For a very long time I was petrified of what may come after this Earthly life, however Patrick White, Brett Whiteley and William Blake all seem to possess a knowledge about our next chapter that can soothe the soul. I thoroughly enjoyed how Whiteley used the golden colour on the left side of the piece to represent (what I believe to be) the after life. It is as though they are not scared but are excited to see what our next adventure may bring, something I struggled with in my teenage years. I have yet to finish Patrick White’s Riders of the Chariot although already I can see how it can give me a new way of seeing and understanding the world. Just as I mentioned in my blog, my grandmother is a representation of how someones exterior may not match the divinity of their humanity.

Overall I must say that Blake’s works have inspired me the most and this will definitely be a unit I will enjoy and remember forever.

 

http://www.visionarylead.org/visionary-leadership-article.html

Peer Review Four:

Brendon you’re very talented. I love the image you chose to accompany this piece of work. Your ‘attempt’ was in fact a success. I thoroughly enjoyed the imagery you used in the poem, allowing it to come to life. The fact that you included a short summary of Patti Smith and what she said helped shape your response. The only thing that I would add would be a comma in: ‘The fair boy with the blue blue eyes’. I would use the comma between the two blue’s, although that is my opinion! Overall, great blogs! Keep up the fantastic work!

My Blakean Poem… kind of

Peer Review Three:

This was a great blog Suzanne! I remember experiencing this with you and I remember you asking questions at the Art Museum which helped to add to my understanding of the engravings. Michael and Julena already picked up on the incorrect spelling of ‘Whiteley’ so I don’t feel the need to reiterate it but I thoroughly enjoyed your blog. The use of images really puts into perspective how talented these artists are!

https://suzannes2016.wordpress.com/2018/09/17/my-reflection-on-brett-whiteleys-artwork-alchemy-and-william-blakes-engravings/comment-page-1/#comment-147

‘Blake’ performance

The performance which my group and I have created to help us answer our essay question takes us on a journey through William Blake’s life. My group and I decided to start at the schooling life of William Blake, and understand what influenced him to create the pieces we analysed in class such as the Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience and The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Blake was homeschooled which can be reflected in the Nurses Song in both the Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. Blake was also an apprentice engraver which may have influenced him with his artworks that accompanied each poem. A reflection of his life can also be seen in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell where Blake recounts his visions of Ezekiel and Isaiah. Overall throughout the research of this drama performance, our group was able to gain a deeper understanding of how life events and experiences influenced Blake’s work. We were able to see this as we projected the counterpart life event to his work. 

http://www.itu.dk/~metb/Exercise3/memorable3.html

Riders in the Chariot

Describe a totally ordinary person in such a way that you reveal their inner humanity, totally different from what their exterior appearance might suggest.

Sitting down on her chair which she calls ‘the nest’ is my grandmother. The scar on her chin becomes more prominent as she smiles when she asks ‘When are you getting married?’

She doesn’t wear black when she is indoors anymore. Only when she leaves the house. Its been 13 years since my grandfather passed. Her stocky build and harsh exterior is enough to scare any future prospect husband so I am not sure why she’d ask me that question. Her salt and pepper hair is cut as severe as her frown, which comes out when someone goes near her orchids. I explained to her that I was no longer with my partner and instead of asking ‘Why?’ or ‘What happened?’, she held up her hand and paused. She told me to look at her hand and then said something which would stick with me forever:

‘Biancah, look at my fingers. Each one is different from the other. No person is going to be the same as someone else and we never see what is beneath what a person shows. He was quiet. Too quiet. You never knew what he was thinking.’

Although she is one of the most unapproachable looking people I know, my grandmother  has knowledge and wisdom that will surpass any of the people in my family. 

Alchemy

1. Write a brief account of how colour helps to shape the meaning of Whiteley’s Alchemy. 

Brett Whitely’s studio in Surry Hills was definitely an experience. The chaos of his work Alchemy matched the chaos of the journey to reach it. Hidden amidst terrace homes, the building which holds the jewel that is ‘Alchemy’ did not let on what was inside. I had not seen Whiteley’s artworks, nor had I heard of him. I assumed that his work would be somewhat relatable to William Blake’s works, however nothing prepared me for the masterpiece that was Alchemy. 

The 18 plate artwork was originally overwhelming and confusing but after Michael’s thorough explanation of the meaning behind most of the symbols represented throughout the artwork, I began to appreciate the deliberate use of colour and images in Whiteley’s piece. Depending on which way it is viewed- I personally like to view it from right to left- Alchemy tells a story. The colours of blue and green give a sense of birth here on Earth and our beginning innocent stages of life. This then proceeds to a red and black in the middle of the piece to show power and destruction as we become knowledgeable through experience. The left side of the piece is bathed in a goldish yellow which I view as a sense of Heavenly realm or divine state we reach once we pass. Symbolism is used as well as intertextuality so that we may interpret the piece how we please. I believed that the right side of the piece was birth because of how the colours and the use of William Blake’s Auguries of Innocence ‘To see a World in a Grain of Sand /And a Heaven in a Wild Flower /Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand /And Eternity in an hour’ was depicted as Whitely glued a grain of sand and noted it as Blake’s sand. 

https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwja8LCu7Y7eAhWLuI8KHVj5AD0Qjhx6BAgBEAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.artgallery.nsw.gov.au%2Fdownloads%2Ffiles%2FBrett_Whiteley_notes.pdf&psig=AOvVaw3Cj2IVrKMAF2M-4f6PCJgX&ust=1539913069137335

Peer Review Two:

Claudia! Your blog is inspiring. I love how you have included ICT to accompany your response. As I reflect on my own blog, it is pale in comparison to your work. I love the texts in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell that you decided to speak on. I agree that Blake is not so much as challenging the entity of God. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

 

CRITICAL – Say whether Blake’s view of the Divine challenges or expands your own views of Religion. – Blog 3

Divine Challenges

Say whether Blake’s view of the Divine challenges or expands your own views of Religion.

William Blake’s the Marriage of Heaven and Hell was a confronting read for me- a Christian adherent. These lines in Plate 8 were puzzling:

“Prisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of Religion.

The pride of the peacock is the glory of God.

The lust of the goat is the bounty of God.

The wrath of the lion is the wisdom of God.

The nakedness of a woman is the work of God.”

I enjoyed our tutorial discussion about the meaning behind these words, as it became clear that Blake may not have hated the idea of a higher being, it was how Religion was institutionalised in London in 1790. There are many questionable statements in the Bible, however Blake chooses these particular statements to show the irony of passion and desire, and how it is portrayed as negative. The Law, loosely translated to the Ten Commandments, is used to send people to prison. I recently returned from a 5 week holiday in Greece, where I saw poverty in the city of Athens. Families are poor and steal money and other materialistic items from people so that they can afford to live another day. Thou shalt not steal is the commandment, however when your family depends on you to keep them alive and support them, you will do anything for them. That is the logic in Greece and I witnessed it firsthand on the train when a lady’s glasses were broken when a man tried to steal her back. She had 3 fingers and looked vulnerable. It was heartbreaking. Pride, lust, and wrath have negative connotations, however when associated with animals, they are seen as a positive attribute. I enjoy different perspectives of Religion, as it allows me to gain a better world view and understanding of my own beliefs.

Peer Review One:

Julena. Your poem seemed like Shakespeare had guided your hand on the keyboard. Your use of punctuation, something I struggle with myself in poetic writing, seemed to help your story flow. It was like hanging on to every word. Thank you for being so vulnerable in your writing. Did you intend for the poem to be about Thomas Butt’s? Or was it about Blake’s lover? Either way, it was excellent.

https://julenaoliva.wordpress.com/2018/08/24/engl329-the-visionary-imagination-blog-1/comment-page-1/#comment-73

William Blake and Patti Smith- the digital kit

Create a short digital kit that gives further insight into either Patti Smith or The Door’s fruitful relationship with Blake’s ideas and his creativity:

This short digital kit looks into two articles on Patti Smith and her fruitful relationship with Blake’s ideas and creativity.

 

Article One: Patti Smith on 19th Century Poet William Blake and on Creating Political Art “Unapologetically”.

The website Democracy Now enlightens responders on how Blake’s work has influenced her and her songs. Here she states that:

“‘My Blakean Year’ is another song I wrote myself. The reason I’m singing songs I wrote myself, they’re the only ones I can play, because they only have a few chords. But I wrote “My Blakean Year,” again, because I was in a difficult time, and I felt—I hate to say it, but I felt like sorry for myself. And it was like another thing where this—I was sitting—I was just sitting in my room, and then I thought of William Blake. You know, I felt like very unappreciated or something—I don’t know why. But I was thinking of William Blake, who was such a great artist, poet, printer, philosopher, activist, who died in poverty, was ridiculed in his time, who was almost forgotten. But in his lifetime—and also such a true visionary—he never let go of his visionary powers. He did his work, even thought the Industrial Revolution sort of wiped him out in terms of being a printer and a public artist. He got in a lot of trouble because of his political views. He championed women, and he was against children, women and children laboring. They didn’t have labor laws in place at that time. And he did his work, and he did it unapologetically. And he also did it without remorse or feeling sorry for himself, and just accepted, you know, his particular lot and just kept working.”

We see Patti engage with the William Blake and how she used him as a muse to get out of the state of mind she was in as she felt sorry for herself. Blake was unappreciated by many during his time, but here she sheds light on how heavily he has impacted literature and thought today.

 

The second article: Patti Smith on Blake and Bush.

The Rolling Stone, a well known magazine conducted an interview with Patti Smith to gain an understanding of his influence on her work. Here she states again how he was not acknowledged for his new way of thought in:

“No one thanked William Blake in his time. He died penniless and obscure and ridiculed. And his work resounds now, and we all learn from it.”

And

“What I learned from William Blake is, don’t give up. And don’t expect anything. Like when you were asking me, did I deserve a record deal? Don’t expect it. I have a great life. I’ve seen dark times too and have had, in certain times of my life, nothing. No material things, not much prospects — except my own imagination. But if you perceive that you have a gift, you already have life. Everything else is, as they say, gravy.”

It is so inspiring to see people are still impacted by Blake’s influence and writings, and Patti Smith’s interviews give us insight on how relevant he is today- in my opinion, more than ever.