A portrait of JMD by Varley from 1930.*note the rather disturbing lack of eye balls.

research notes:

continued from, "Jock Macdonald: Evolving Form", 2014.

Ian M. Thom, "Early Work: An Artist Emerges"

Before I start reading this I just gotta say: I friggin' hate the term "emerging artist". Maybe it's because I was one for so friggin' long. It's totally standard terminology and all, but it absolutely drives me bonkers. That said, I have no better term in mind to replace it.

pg 15- Macondald says: "Art must include in it's study of nature the whole universe, if it is to envisage some aspect of the universal truth and help humanity to become conscious of the meaning of life."

pg 15- furthermore it is: "...the conscious expression of our time." This is, more or less, what I am trying to do also.

pg 15- Thom says: "The purpose of this essay is to examine the work that allowed Macdonald to come to the postions that he espouses in this important lecture." YES GUY! I love it when a writer gives such a clear thesis statement. It totally makes the former high school English teacher in me swoon. Honestly, I even have to teach kids things like this in third year university classes sometimes. Drives me BONKERS. But if I don't do it, nobody else will.

So far there is a lot of lovely historical analysis and interpretation of Macdonald's work which is nice reading, but not the sort of thing I want to include in my notes. For this project I am more interested in information than insight.

I am, after all, rather insightful myself. :)