Category Archives: Art

Art

Politics in The Arts- Are Canadians Concerned With Art Funding?

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During the Federal elections [circa 2011 Ed], it became clear that the Canadian public interest in an arts and cultural policy had declined since 2008, in fact the majority responded that this policy was unimportant to them in comparison to other policies. This leads me to question the degree of concerns Canadians do have with other policies. Perhaps the overall concerns are too great to allow a focus on more fun or abstract facets of their Canadian lifestyle such as arts and culture, or it may simply be that Canadians overall would rather engage with more mainstream topics.

It is interesting yet disconcerting to see that it is mainly the younger population, ages 18-30, that are the least interested in the arts and culture policy. If the younger generation doesn’t fuel the arts and keep them flourishing who will? In their (or our) defense though, little awareness about the policy and its impact is made known. Personally, I had never heard of an arts and cultural policy before reading the article critiquing the different Government parties’ role in the policy as discussed in The Arts Advocate publication.

The policy involves the government allotted a specific percentage of taxes that go towards varying sectors within the arts, for example advantages for artists or funding for different organizations. Each federal party has their different views on appropriate expenditure in the arts and culture sector, and specifically our Conservatives’ main commitment is to the children’s artistic activity tax credit, support to the Royal Conservatory of Music for a national examination program, and support to the Canadian Periodical Fund (Used to subsidize newspapers not including The Silo. Check the info box found on the bottom of page 2 in most papers to see if you are subsidizing their bottom line- CP).

With the Conservative party now being back in power, it is hard to say if the policy will see any positive growth. Although I understand and admire Harper’s plan to stabilize and improve the markets in the depths of a global recession, I feel it necessary to include arts and culture as a part of this. Canada has such a unique combination of cultures throughout its provinces and these are the people who create and work at the jobs Harper is trying to develop or advance.

So, should not this rich arts and culture naturally be showcased as it is echoed throughout the Canadian business world Harper is focused on? I believe Canadians on the whole would appreciate more recognition for their creative efforts that make our country special. Yes we need economic growth, but there needs to be a balance in the funding between businesses and the arts in order to make for a balanced country and to account for or showcase the people who inhabit it.

It is positive to note that the 2011 Ontario budget indicated spending at Tourism and Culture would grow $76 million.

The estimates confirm that $47 million of this is to continue support of the Community Cultural Fund (used to support local ‘big crowd’ draws such as last year’s Port Dover Marine Festival- http://www.ocaf.on.ca/en/project.aspx?ProjectUID=985 or 2005’s Norfolk County Fall Festival- http://www.ocaf.on.ca/en/project.aspx?ProjectUID=884 -CP), the small-scale (!) capital program administered by the Ontario Trillium Foundation to support diverse cultural organizations. As well, the Ontario Media Development Corporation will be permanently funded, showcasing the province’s commitment to the film sector of the policy and estimates show an increase of $8 million to $25.8 million. Although the Conservative platform for the policy is the most bleak of the Bloc Quebecois, Liberal, and NDP, perhaps a strengthened economy will help to account for areas our country’s arts and culture are struggling in.

In their platform it is stated that our “Government believes that a vibrant cultural, media, and sporting sector is crucial for our well-being and quality of life,” however many artists and cultural advocates still feel that the re-elected Conservatives will fall short in fulfilling the essential aspects of the policy and hearing the voices of those affected.  For the Silo, Jennifer Waslowski.

 

 

Comics

25 Year Old Batman Original Comic Art Brings $448,125 At Auction

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From Heritage Auction House- www.comics.ha.com

Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Batman: The Dark Knight #3 Batman and Robin Iconic Splash Page 10 Original Art (DC, 1986). Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns defined the best of 1980s comics, and has since been universally acknowledged as one of the most important and influential stories ever published. Miller is arguably the greatest superhero writer/artist to work during this period, and Dark Knight is his undisputed masterpiece: the four-issue series rejuvenated Batman as DC’s most popular character and in the process helped revitalize the comics industry.

This splash page is to our minds the single most memorable image from the entire book and the greatest image from the decade ever to come to market — as well as one of the handful of most desirable pieces of original comic art from any era to come to market. A perfect stand-alone image of Batman and Robin (Carrie Kelley, the first female, full-time Robin) soaring high above Gotham City, an icon symbolizing the entire storyline — this one has everything going for it.  As demonstrated by the fact that we’ve only offered two Dark Knight panel pages previously — and the fact that no splash page, much less a such an undeniably classic image, has never been offered at auction — artwork from the famed series is much scarcer than anything else from the period. This gem has been locked away in a single collection since being purchased upon the series’ original publication and is the definition of “fresh to market.” And unlike many pages from the series, where differences between the original art and the published version are evident (as a result of Miller making changes on pasteovers), no changes were made to this artwork for publication, and the original contains no paste-ups or stats — it’s pure art, just the way it appeared in print.

Definitive is the only adequate description of this masterpiece, and as such, it was chosen to represent the entire time period in DC’s recent 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking book, serving as the chapter heading for “The Dark Age: 1984-1998,” and reproduced as a glorious color full-page image, leading off the chapter on page 556.   In 2005, Time magazine ranked The Dark Knight Returns as one of the top ten graphic novels ever created. As Alan Moore wrote about the series: “Beyond the imagery, themes, and essential romance of Dark Knight, Miller has also managed to shape the Batman into a true legend by introducing that element without which all true legends are incomplete and yet which for some reason hardly seems to exist in the world depicted in the average comic book, and that element is time… time has come to the Batman and the capstone that makes legends what they are has finally been fitted. In his engrossing story of a great man’s final and greatest battle, Miller has managed to create something radiant which should hopefully illuminate things for the rest of the comic book field, casting a new light upon the problems which face all of us working within the industry and perhaps even guiding us towards some fresh solutions.”

In short, this is one of the most important pieces of original comic book art Heritage has ever had the pleasure to offer.  This iconic masterpiece from “Hunt the Dark Knight” has an image area of 11.5″ x 17.75″, and aside from some very light paper aging in the image area and some passages of white-out, the art is in Excellent condition.

“I’ve always loved that drawing. Danced around my studio like a fool when I drew it. I hope it finds a good home.” –Frank Miller–

Miller, Frank: Frank Miller (American, b. 1957): is a multi-talented cartoonist, writer, and film director, most celebrated for his work on the Marvel characters Daredevil, Elektra, and Wolverine, as well as on his own characters for the Dark Horse titles Hard Boiled, 300, and Sin City. In the late eighties, Miler became the first and foremost of a new breed of “noir” comic book storytellers, thanks to the tremendous popularity of his work on the industry-changing Batman: The Dark Knight Returns series. He also directed the film version of Will Eisner’s The Spirit, and shared directing duties with Robert Rodriguez on Sin City, and produced the film 300..

Art

Early Canadian Artist Decorated Ceramics From Nuttal Codex

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Example of Eva’s work influenced by Aztec design.

Eva Brook was born in 1867, the year of confederation and, interesting as well, the incorporation of Moosehead Beer. Auspicious beginnings. Her Simcoe family owned The Brook Woollen Mill, and like many privileged children of her time she attended private school. She was fortunate to study art under Frederick Bell Smith, the renowned Canadian-Victorian painter, at Alma College in St. Thomas. Brook would later return to Alma as a teacher, and in fact headed the art department there.

In the 1890’s Eva emigrated to Mexico, where it seems she operated a bookstore, and where she may also have re-connected with her soon-to-be husband A.W. (Will) Donly, who she had known from school. After their marriage in Norfolk, the couple returned to Mexico where Will had taken the post of Canadian Trade Commissioner.

Eva’s skill as an artist continued to develop against the backdrops of her upper-class life in a diplomatic household, as well as the unrest following the 1910 Mexican revolution (though her paintings, as shown, do not reference the violence of that time). She made friends with the archaeologist Zelia Nuttal, who had developed a system for decoding the symbols of pre-Colombian art, and the current exhibition contains ceramics Brook-Donly decorated based on the Nuttal codex, as well pieces from her collection of Aztec pottery and artifacts.

After the Donly’s return to Canada Eva embraced the emerging, modern painting style of Tom Thomson and The Group of Seven, and her work began receiving more attention. In The Review of the Royal Canadian Exhibition, an article which appeared in Canadian Forum, December 1920, she is mentioned alongside Arthur Lismur, Franklin Carmichael and A.Y. Jackson. There are some hilly landscapes in some of her work that appear to directly quote Jackson’s treatment of the same.

It may be hard to fathom now but in 1920 The Group of Seven represented a revolution in Canadian painting, rankling the sensibilities of many  established and more naturalistic artists. That Eva was attracted to their work, and understood it, suggests a progressive spirit–that is if picking up and moving to Mexico in the 1890’s was not enough for you. Any doubt will surely be erased by her decision to study with the American artist and designer Ralph Johonnot. His use of colour was vivid and idiosyncratic and his images, as one writer of the time put it, were like “illustrations for a fairy tale.” Brook Donly’s experiments with this style veritably leap out from among her other paintings as if they were sitting under a black light.

The impact of Mexico continued to feature in her art through the 20’s as well. If she picked up an interest in pattern design from Johonnot, she combined it to great effect with Aztec and Maya motifs to create striking, two-colour images for ceramics.

Eva Brook Donly was an early figure of the Simcoe establishment and one of the first members of the Norfolk Historical Society. For the Silo, Chris Dowber.