Literature Entry: Week 5
State Imposed Manacles: The NGV Visit
When unexpected business arose in Melbourne on the weekend, I was excitedly compelled to explore the National Gallery of Victoria: home of one of the largest William Blake collections. Naturally, it was high my priorities to find at least a remnant of the collection within the walls of the fine Federation Square building. And yet, the works of Mister Blake, I regret to inform you, are nowhere to be found for the general public. For those wishing to see the collection for themselves, there is some advice:
§ Contact the Gallery over a week prior to your visit.
§ Arrange to see the collection in a large group (Large being defined as more than one undergraduate).
§ Wait until the next Blake exhibition (The last exhibition was in 1999).
§ Complete your post-graduate studies, preferably a Doctorate of Philosophy…this will give you considerable clout over the NGV staff.
As you might gather, the visit was an experience in the acquisition of the above wisdom. As I did none of the above items, my access to the spectacular visionary’s art was denied. The Gift Shop did not even offer a postcard representation/print of the great works. The situation is quite ironic: the artist whi dedicated his life’s work to the removal of repression and “mind forged manacles” is the very artist restricted from public view at the National Gallery of Victoria. Nevertheless, for a few hours of my life, I was within the presence of Blake’s masterpieces…somewhere within the depths of the great Gallery.
The Gallery visit, however, was far from a wasted day. The NGV houses some of Australia’s finest art. In lieu of the genuine article, I sought to find some Blake inspired work. The Joseph Brown Collection, for example, offers some fine mid-Nineteenth Century paintings that were, undoubtedly, inspired by the vision of William Blake. Joining the tail of a tour in the Joseph Brown Collection, a chilling parallel of worlds became apparent. Fredrick McCubbin was commissioned by various members of the aristocracy to paint their portrait. Many of these portraits are on display. During the weekends, McCubin would escape into the outback to paint the Australian landscape. Although many characteristics are similar in the two types of paintings, there is a fundamental contrast in texture between the two. While the portraits appear dark and uninviting, the landscapes are jubilant and accessible. “Lost,” for example, presents a realistic portrayal of the Australian landscape, with the burnt contours of the land and unbridled growth. To the early Colonial artists, this might be seen as imperfection and thus requiring change. To McCubbin, this was nature in all of its beauty. Once again, we are returned to the motif of vision…do we see a tree as an object capable of evoking “tears of joy” or simply “a green thing that stands in the way.”
As I departed the National Gallery of Victoria and sauntered east along Flinders Street, a force within me urged me to look back at the great building. Standing before the Gallery doors, one could not notice. It is only when one is quite a distance from the Gallery that one can really appreciate the logistics within the hectic metropolis of Melbourne. The house that holds some of the world’s finest art is surrounded by dense commercialism, utilitarianism, materialism and capitalism. Only fifty metres beneath the great walls is a dark, dank, complex metro-rail network. The gallery is dwarfed by its sky scraper neighbours.
In some ways, its position appears out of place here. Yet, perhaps it is most fitting where it is: a reminder of the finer things in life. A symbol of the imagination. A house of great vision. Perhaps it was Blake that urged me to see the NGV from that angle? Either way, Blake’s works within those walls shall be the first port of call on all subsequent ventures to the beautiful city.
What are your thoughts?
r e i l l y
Comment on Theresa’s Journal
I did enjoy…it’s great to see you have been inspired by Blake and Herrick! Reading this poem you really seem to have absorbed the essence of both. After reading this poem I had the incredible urge to write some annotations for the impact of belonging. However, this poem would not easily fit into any of the other categories of belonging, which is an excellent quality in any work. Keep up the good work!