Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 8 : Pressclippings, 1977-1981

"SUNDAY MAIL" Brishane, Old. ri ~-· Ill 1,\1.1,111\ ,l' ( i,nl'" ~ tl Persian rugs are • a roaring success Lion Rugs from His severe basic s1ruc– Fars, a province in lure, which is ulwnys a S rcc1an~le wi1hin a rcc1an– outhcrn Iran, arc i;lc. ,s made ,·ibrnn t exhibited at the 1hrough 1he .:ombin:11 ion QucenslanJ /\rt uf ,1rong .:ol,,r, and 1hcir pJ 1ntt .. ·rl~ . lu,h .111t.J I cc Galkr~. .,ppli.:11ion. Ihe l,i,ci11.,1 111g « Ille.- Iluugl1 11 i, ind,·b1cJ Ill lltlll 111 ~u ru)!, arc I he \l,1ti" c, n ~m11Jrd. jlrilb,t– prc,pcny of lrnr11.1n ,.:u lp- bll. hi, I cacher II rlli:1111 !or t•arvi1. T:10il\'ola, \\ hu S~ott, and ,·crv llHH.:h M) 10 d1>COl'trcd rhc111 • nd 1hc Arncri.::i'n ,\b lrJ.:t eagerly , car hcd 1hc111 Exprcs,ioni, ts. oul. In the late. t 11 orks in The ollcction \\ :tS lir,t this exhibition, which arc shown in i1 , hornclHml, ,of 1 'J77, I dc1cct the then tr:tl'cllcd \\ idelv in innucncc of the American the .S ,J\., und noi,· is pa inter Robert \tothcr- travclling Au,1r,rlian 1-,II, and r,~rticularly of gnllcric, . the la11cr s "Open" l·or lhc few t.·onnoi,- series. scurs of P.:r<ian carpels In hi.s The Storm, there \\ ill lie an in11 i.tl Nick' Room, 1he drarnn– ,hock of the unc.,pc.:icd. tic .larid's Pnrch. nnd Then they will find a new 01hers, Hodgkin ha, u.cd field for , tudy. the II indow theme rnther Thc,c ea rpe1, du n11t like ' 01hcrwcll has done. conform to known p.,t· as a I ind,1w 1ha1 has no terns, they arc high ly wall, · •" a window that indil'idualistic. They have opens on to it. elf. been woven by the women The various innucnces of nomadic tribes for their can be seen us having men to please them, and freed (r.ithcr 1h:111 con– they arc a irue, unspoiled slrkted) Modgl in Ill folkaaft. create his own moody There is much to enjoy: The warm. glowing eolors (obtnincd from pure vcgcl• able dye,), 1hc soft 1e,– turc.s, the varic11 and uflen great arti, tery of 1he dc,ign,. and the n,10und– ing variety in the in1crprc– tation of the liun image which, of course, is the central theme, The lion rug is intended to lie on top of 01hcr rugs in the centre of the tent. One may be sure that the lion image is meant as a ~unrdinn symbol because there is plenty of evidence that thll lion. king of beasts and symbol of courage and 1>0wer, has been widelv used in the nrts of the ,',ncicnt, as well as the modern world, as 11 guardian figure. In Iran, origin of the Mithras cult, the lion with ·the sun is a \'cry ancient image, And on these rugs we sec him with the sun either ahol'e his loins or side bv side with his head, And often, together with other ancient svmbols ,if Iranian origin, ,uch ns 1hc tree of life. In 1hc,c delightful producis of fol kcraft 11c often detect a whimsical elcmcnl, particular!) the expression of lion. The bookform e,ttalogue (S I0.00) is well worth the expense. * En~li>h P•intcr IJo.,ard llod~kin (b.1932) h•s come to wrder notice ,incc the 1960s. Ray Hui:hcs Ga llcry shows an exhibition of the artist's origin11I prints, comprising serigraphs, ctchrngs and lithographs with more colors added t~ them by hand, IloJgkin obviously loves the medium of the print which suits his layered olor-spncc concept, and even more he likes the print as u founda tion to arrive at :In c.(citing inrngc by working on it ,tftcr– ward, by hand. llodgkin'. \\Ork, arc based on l'i ual expcr• icnccs, which he com– prcssc.~ and heighten . ART REVIEW by Dr. Gertrude Langer c. . r'"\ •