Ian Hamilton Finlay - Unoriginal Sins

14 May ARROSOIR. A REGENERATION: THE GARDEN AND GARDEN TEMPLE, LITTLE SPARTA…. 1984.

Posted at 17:36h in Artist's Postcards

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1984 23 x 18cm, 4pp card with 1pp 30 x 21cm insert. The announcement and artist's card for the re-opening of the Little Sparta Temple and Garden after Finlay closed it. The front of the card displays a painting by Gary Hincks of a watering can and a reference to the guillotining of the Robespierrists during the "month of Heat" (Arrosoir being the symbol of that month in the new revolutionary calendar).
The insert is A NOTE ON THE PRESENT SITUATION IN THE LITTLE SPARTAN WAR. An update by Finlay on the ongoing fight with the Strath=clyde region and that they had been granted a new summary warrant against the Garden Temple. Folded else VG+.

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07 May CHARM. 1984.

Posted at 13:29h in Artist's Postcards

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1984 15.2 x 11.8cm , 1pp light blue on white card. The card with a drawing of a floral bundle with ribbons by Laurie Clark above a "definition" work:
CHARM, n. a something pleasing in a person or thing; it came in with the Revolution and went out with the War.
There is also a quote from Michelet's History of the French revolution discussing the major public festivals that were organised during the later years of the uprising. Finlay's definition of Charm is heavily related to the actions of the French revolution - placing it on a footing equal to Virtue. VG+.

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02 May THE GARDEN TEMPLE (APOLLO’S TEMPLE OF REASON) LITTLE SPARTA. 1984.

Posted at 18:03h in Letters + Documents

Little Sparta: s.p. (Finlay), n.p. (1984) 30 x 21cm, 4pp (printed recto only) previously stapled. The handout given to visitors to Little Sparta describing the various rooms in the Garden Temple and the works inside them. Unusual for Finlay this gives insight into his work (all related to the French Revolution). Rust from the former staple else VG+. ...

18 Mar LIBERTY, TERROR & VIRTUE. NEW ARCADIANS’ JOURNAL NO. 15. 1984. ONE OF 100 NUMBERED COPIES.

Posted at 19:12h in Artist's Books

Southampton: Southampton Art Gallery, 1984
21 x 14.8cm, 48pp plus printed wrappers with tipped on reproduced drawing. Offically an exhibition catalogue for a touring show and also a single number of the poetry and literature review New Arcadians - here dedicated to Finlay who wrote the text. The catalogue is illustrated throughout by Andrew Griffiths. The works all relate to the Little Sparta War as well as proposed artworks that are grounded in the Nazi iconography (as Finlay points out elsewhere these works do not support fascism - the symbolism of the Third Reich is powerful and can be detourned for good reasons by artists).
This is really an artist's book by Finlay and we are cataloguing it as such. One of 1000 hand-numbered copies. . VG+.

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06 Mar A NOTE ON THE PRESENT SITUATION IN THE LITTLE SPARTAN WAR. 1984.

Posted at 20:24h in Letters + Documents

Little Sparta: Finlay, 1984
30 x 21cm, 1pp,. Offset lithographic press release and newsletter for supporters. Finlay lets everyone know that a new summary warrant against the Garden Temple has been issued by Strathclyde Region and warns of a second "assault" on the Temple and possible imprisonment of those living there. He also points out that Strathclyde Region hold works "stolen" under the previous warrant that are worth more than twice the disputed amount over the Rates bill and that some of the works taken were returned after US embassy intervention for the items jointly owned by US museums. The circular/press release then ends with a long quotation from Schiller. VG.

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06 Feb HE SPOKE LIKE AN AXE. 1984.

Posted at 16:25h in Artist's Postcards

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, (1984) 6.4 x 20.9cm, 4pp artist's card with a drawing of an axe by Richard Healy with the title text on the "handle". The words "He spoke like an axe" came from his rival Barere and reference the surety that the young revolutionary brought to the debating chamber but also his reputation where he was the "Angel of death" announcing the condemned to the gathered representatives. VG+.

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03 Jan ORIGINAL HEAT SENSITIVE PHOTOCOPY OF WILD HAWTHORN PRESS PRICE LIST. c. 1984

Posted at 19:39h in Letters + Documents

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1984
30 x 21cm, 3pp (recto only), stapled top left. A homemade photocopy price list for Finlay's press released early in 1984. The Press regularly sent out such lists to clients and with orders. VG if one takes account of the rather thrown together method of printing.

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15 Dec LITTLE SPARTA CHRISTMAS CARD. 1983. WITH A HANDWRITTEN GREETING FROM FINLAY.

Posted at 14:02h in Artist's Postcards

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1983
11 x 15cm , 1pp black on cream card. The text tells of a "Football Match" between Little Sparta and Strathclyde Region at the Middle Gate ("Checkpoint Sandy") and listing the respective captains as Sue Finlay and Councillor "own goal" Sanderson. The ball persons: Councillor Allison, Councillor Lawson, J.N. Young, W. Taylor and Referee: "Tim" Mason of the Scottish Arts Council. "The game will be kicked off by Dame Judith Hart."
The design of the card is somewhat basic - and this is noted as because it was "produced in conformity with Little Spartan Wartime Economy Standards".
This card has a handwritten greeting in blue ink by Finlay and dated. VG+.

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21 Sep FIRST BATTLE OF LITTLE SPARTA. 1983.

Posted at 17:56h in Miscellany

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. (1983)
21 x 15cm, 1pp printed red on cream paper. The announcement leaflet for the first of two limited edition medals issued by Finlay as a commemoration of the Little Sparta wars - this medal is the First Battle of Little Sparta with an image of a machine gun where the air holes on the barrel are compared with the holes on an arcadian flute. Central vertical crease else VG. Scarce ephemera from the period when Finlay took on the might of Strathclyde Region over local property taxes and sort of won.

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06 Sep HEROIC ANAGRAMS: SAINT JUST. 1983.

Posted at 14:52h in Artist's Postcards

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1983
22.5 x 9.5cm, 4pp, black on grey thin card with a drawing by Alexander Stoddart of a bust of Saint-Just with the name of the revolutionary altered to read "Satin Juts" - an anagram of the name. VG+.

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31 Jul AGAINST THE HEBERTISTS AND THE DANTONISTS. 1983.

Posted at 22:23h in Artist's Postcards

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1983
17.8 x 132.8cm, 1pp. The card has a descending text based on a form of "all X lie":

all governments lie
all generals lie
all Grecians lie
all gypsies lie
all gymnosphists lie
all grocers lie
all Graces lie

Finlay wants the repeated phrases to hint at the effect of cynicism on order - obviously some of the lines are ridiculous - and that, in some sense, that distrust of oppositional forces (such as the Hebertists who were determined to wipe out Christianity during the French revolution and the Dantonists who were more willing to accept the church as a force in the land - both were executed in turn by Robespierre who himself was not anti-clerical or at least not anti-theist) is ultimately corrupt. VG+.

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30 Jul CHANT FOR A REGIONAL OCCASION. 2000 VOICES. 1983.

Posted at 08:29h in Prints + Posters

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1983
14.2 x 15cm, red on white folding offset lithograph. There are 16 panels ten of each with a three word poem - for example

beast
brute

or

lute
lyre
luger

The trios of words are all alliterative within a panel beginning with the same letter. They all also end with a weapon or a reference to fascism. The "chant" is encouraged to be repeated when one gets to the end.
The "Region" here is Strathclyde Region and this is another of Finlay's acidic attacks on their bureaucracy.VG+ condition.
This is categorised as a print by both Murray and the Wild Hawthorn Press but it really is a folding card but for ease we have left it here in the prints section of this online collection.

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