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Ways of staying still
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
I'm looking at a postcard of a painting by Anselm Keiffer.
The painting (not the one shown here, though this is by the same artist) is called Liegender Mann mit Zweig - Man Lying Down with Branch. I feel great envy of the man lying down (which is enough to envy anyway) but even more of the fact that he is holding the branch upright above the centre of his body, so it looks like it's growing from him. It's not clear picture. The background is vague, washed out, a blur. But the man and his branch are more distinct. He is long and neat, his legs together, like one of those dead knights made of stone you find in old churches. Potentially, the branch could be growing out of him, keeping him pinned to the ground, but it's not a violent picture. If I were to lie down in the forest, I would like a tree to grow up through me keeping me planted and still. This year's AV festival is titled As Slow As Possible. Trying to think about slowness and its advantages, without having to find bizarre ways to pin myself down. How long would you have to lie down in the forest before the tree grew through you?

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2:01 AM  

2 Comments:
  • At 4:20 AM, Blogger Avril said…

    I struggle with staying still, always have. I recently discovered Anselm Keifer's work - so thought provoking, especially for me, because at the time I was thinking about my mother and clothes she made- the disembodided clothes in museum cases resting on shards of glass..
    This is a good site for picture sif you haven't already seen it http://minimalexposition.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/anselm%20kiefer

     
  • At 6:23 AM, Blogger Jojo said…

    Thanks Avril - good link!

     
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