This Exhibit was shown in four venues in the Ottawa Valley in 2008 and was sponsored by Dr. of Chiropractic Kathleen Doran
On the side of Humanity that is
The Back Side, we can state that
BIOLOGICALLY separating us from
most of God's creatures, it gives us
a view of our Environment that may lead
PHILOSOPHICALLY to an upright
(and perhaps uptight) perspective
of morals and religion axial to
the self-centered mode and
ARTISTICALLY, with the exception of
the 3D sculptor, to often being hidden,
or, one might say, Back Handed or
Back Logged into Back Ground,
behind the more popular front, but
MEDICALLY a bit Back Ward in the
pain price paid for being
upright citizens
where only one branch had
the spinal fortitude to take
the forward position of
hand treating and healing
that connective anatomy
between hips and head,
and so, time and space taken
to reflect on, empathize with and
celebrate in black and white and
shades of grey
that less observed portion
of our Human Condition
Monday, 6 June 2011
Monday, 9 May 2011
from the introduction to "Soulbody Phoenix" an exhibit of photos by Bernard McCaffrey-April, 2006
Soulbody- In Celtic Christianity the soul lovingly encloses the material body. An apparent opposition to the Mediterannean Christian-Gnostic-Manichean-Dualist influenced idea of the soul enclosed by the unspiritual flesh. awaiting its chance to escape to the possible joys of the hereafter
Phoenix- Egyptian Mythology- A long lived birdlike creature that, being consumed in fire, arises from the ashes, renewed and purified.
This is Bernard McCaffrey's first major solo exhibit since a house fire vaporized 85% of his 25 years of prints and negative in Dec. 2003. Thanks to the tremendous support and donations of time, money and materials from the Ottawa Valley community, within a year he and his wife were able to move into a newly built, warm dry, solar powered bio-mass heated space. Ten months later, with the interior still only 1/3 finished, he had a darkroom up and running on mostly donated equipment. From galleries and websites, collectors and friends, he has slowly built up his body of previous work and added to it with new visions.
Early on his art training introduced him to the beauty of the human form in its natural state. Later the writings and visual work of Eric Gill, the English-Welsh Catholic artist, gave him a start on a theology of the body and more recently the beautiful insights of Celtic Christianity have deepened his understanding.
To work visually, especially with a camera, on the subject of the unclothed figure in a mechanistic, puritanical, life destroying society (and the huge amounts of pornography such a society must produce) that comprises much of North America is a small revolutionary act. To relate the work to the Christian
message that Creator-God sacrilized the human bodyu by inhabiting it, is to participate in a greater 2000 year old revolution that is still not wholly understood. These studies of the body- in nature, in myth, in mediation, in studio- are the artist-photographer's attempt to further that understanding.
Phoenix- Egyptian Mythology- A long lived birdlike creature that, being consumed in fire, arises from the ashes, renewed and purified.
This is Bernard McCaffrey's first major solo exhibit since a house fire vaporized 85% of his 25 years of prints and negative in Dec. 2003. Thanks to the tremendous support and donations of time, money and materials from the Ottawa Valley community, within a year he and his wife were able to move into a newly built, warm dry, solar powered bio-mass heated space. Ten months later, with the interior still only 1/3 finished, he had a darkroom up and running on mostly donated equipment. From galleries and websites, collectors and friends, he has slowly built up his body of previous work and added to it with new visions.
Early on his art training introduced him to the beauty of the human form in its natural state. Later the writings and visual work of Eric Gill, the English-Welsh Catholic artist, gave him a start on a theology of the body and more recently the beautiful insights of Celtic Christianity have deepened his understanding.
To work visually, especially with a camera, on the subject of the unclothed figure in a mechanistic, puritanical, life destroying society (and the huge amounts of pornography such a society must produce) that comprises much of North America is a small revolutionary act. To relate the work to the Christian
message that Creator-God sacrilized the human bodyu by inhabiting it, is to participate in a greater 2000 year old revolution that is still not wholly understood. These studies of the body- in nature, in myth, in mediation, in studio- are the artist-photographer's attempt to further that understanding.
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Thoughts On Body and Archetype
As many cultures and religions (Egyptian, Celtic, Greco-Roman, Christian, Hindu, etc.) have used the human body- both clothed and unclothed- as symbol, archetype of human values, characteristics, of natural forces and beings, of gods and goddesses, I thought I would put down a few thoughts of others- besides Wittengenstein- on the Body.
Robert Henri- American artist and art educator- "There is nothing in all the world more beautiful or significant of the laws of the universe than the nude human body. In fact, it is not only among the artists, but among all people, that a greater appreciation and respect for the human body should develop."
Wendell Berry- American poet and farmer- "Nothing could be more absurd than to despise the body and yet yearn for its resurrection."
Dave Ellard- scientist-.."It was in this way was made all the iron in our blood, all the phosphorous and calcium that strenghtens our bones, all the sodium and potassium that drives signals along our nerves. Atoms so formed are thrown off into space by aged stars in their death throes. Natural forces recycle them into new stars, into planets, plants and people. We are all made of stardust."
Robert Henri- American artist and art educator- "There is nothing in all the world more beautiful or significant of the laws of the universe than the nude human body. In fact, it is not only among the artists, but among all people, that a greater appreciation and respect for the human body should develop."
Wendell Berry- American poet and farmer- "Nothing could be more absurd than to despise the body and yet yearn for its resurrection."
Dave Ellard- scientist-.."It was in this way was made all the iron in our blood, all the phosphorous and calcium that strenghtens our bones, all the sodium and potassium that drives signals along our nerves. Atoms so formed are thrown off into space by aged stars in their death throes. Natural forces recycle them into new stars, into planets, plants and people. We are all made of stardust."
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Saturday, 16 April 2011
from "Complex,Archetype,Symbol" by J. Jacobi, Jungian scholar
In the form of latent possiblities, as well as biological and historic factors, archetypal contents are a part of the psychic structure of the individual. The archetype corresponding to the individual's outward or inward life is actualized and in taking form appears before the camera of the conscious mind (and) is represented.
Monday, 28 March 2011
Part II of the introduction to Friends, Figures and Infinites- a photographic exhibit shown in New York
City in 1963 and Newport R.I. in 1965
As a Catholic I can appreciate and accept much of the good brought in by the fresh winds of existentialism, but only when it takes its place in a hierarchy of eternal values. Otherwise the joie de vivre of Kerouac's characters in a more or less real world withdraw into the narcotic fantasies of a Burroughs.
To the new film makers, Jack Smith, Bergman, the young Poles, et al, must go most of the recent credit for turning the lens into a poet's eye. To them, also must go credit for first setting up or finding poetic situations and filming them. (The poetic situation occurs when the participants, be they actors, models or plainfolk, are consciously or unconsciously LIVING a beautiful event. This occurs to a lesser degree in "happenings".)
If you want to make beautiful and exciting creations, and you believe your art should be woven closely with your life- and every person is or can be some sort of artist- then you must continusously strive to beautify and vivify your life. My photography becomes then for me an impulse constantly triggering my life toward the beautiful, new, meaningful and fasciinating.
To show this I have divided the exhibit into three uneven parts. The first is "The Outside"- the 'objective' world of sad strangers that I often see about me, particularly in New York City. the second is "The Inside"- my world- God's own countryside, transformed by my friends and my camera into a universe playground where body and soul retreat toward Eden and approach oneness. Many of the photographs in this section are candid, and in many others, the shooting situation became in itself a meaningful and memorable event. The third part is "the Outside from the Inside", where people and things available to the gaze of most eyes become for me- without losing their own existential meaning- symbols of the wonder, majesty and mystery of God and his Creation.
City in 1963 and Newport R.I. in 1965
As a Catholic I can appreciate and accept much of the good brought in by the fresh winds of existentialism, but only when it takes its place in a hierarchy of eternal values. Otherwise the joie de vivre of Kerouac's characters in a more or less real world withdraw into the narcotic fantasies of a Burroughs.
To the new film makers, Jack Smith, Bergman, the young Poles, et al, must go most of the recent credit for turning the lens into a poet's eye. To them, also must go credit for first setting up or finding poetic situations and filming them. (The poetic situation occurs when the participants, be they actors, models or plainfolk, are consciously or unconsciously LIVING a beautiful event. This occurs to a lesser degree in "happenings".)
If you want to make beautiful and exciting creations, and you believe your art should be woven closely with your life- and every person is or can be some sort of artist- then you must continusously strive to beautify and vivify your life. My photography becomes then for me an impulse constantly triggering my life toward the beautiful, new, meaningful and fasciinating.
To show this I have divided the exhibit into three uneven parts. The first is "The Outside"- the 'objective' world of sad strangers that I often see about me, particularly in New York City. the second is "The Inside"- my world- God's own countryside, transformed by my friends and my camera into a universe playground where body and soul retreat toward Eden and approach oneness. Many of the photographs in this section are candid, and in many others, the shooting situation became in itself a meaningful and memorable event. The third part is "the Outside from the Inside", where people and things available to the gaze of most eyes become for me- without losing their own existential meaning- symbols of the wonder, majesty and mystery of God and his Creation.
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Introduction to "Friends, Figures and Infinites"- Part I
An introduction to my first solo photographic exhibit entitled "Friends, Figures and Infinites" held in Novermber of 1963 at Gallery 110 in New York City
My photographs are an extension of myself, a part of my life. This life is based on a universal, eternal philosophy, the symbols of which I often find reflected in the minute by minute existence of myself and those around me.
It has been said that as sculpture was the chief expression of the Greco-Roman civilization and painting of the Renaissance, so photography is the medium of our time. The many faceted philosophy of existentialism dominates, much of it sprung from a disillusion with our age of calculation. Nevertheless, the moods of our time still reflect strongly scientific accuracy, documentation, objectivity. Photography is an ideal medium to record these moods and most of the great work has been and is being done in the field of photojournalism and documention.
Many of the earliest photographs dealt with ideas and ideals, but stated with more Victorian prose than poetry, they speak to us only negatively today. Reacting against the moral dualism of that time, we threw out the baby with the bath and a directionless society today often finds itself equating photos of puppies with mangled bodies, astronauts with murderers, strangers on street corners with glamorous nudes, psychologically peeling paint with scenes of stark tragedy.
(to be continued)
My photographs are an extension of myself, a part of my life. This life is based on a universal, eternal philosophy, the symbols of which I often find reflected in the minute by minute existence of myself and those around me.
It has been said that as sculpture was the chief expression of the Greco-Roman civilization and painting of the Renaissance, so photography is the medium of our time. The many faceted philosophy of existentialism dominates, much of it sprung from a disillusion with our age of calculation. Nevertheless, the moods of our time still reflect strongly scientific accuracy, documentation, objectivity. Photography is an ideal medium to record these moods and most of the great work has been and is being done in the field of photojournalism and documention.
Many of the earliest photographs dealt with ideas and ideals, but stated with more Victorian prose than poetry, they speak to us only negatively today. Reacting against the moral dualism of that time, we threw out the baby with the bath and a directionless society today often finds itself equating photos of puppies with mangled bodies, astronauts with murderers, strangers on street corners with glamorous nudes, psychologically peeling paint with scenes of stark tragedy.
(to be continued)
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