Ian Hamilton Finlay - Unoriginal Sins

30 Aug CONCILIUM ARTIUM DELENDUM EST. c. 1982.

Posted at 08:43h in Prints + Posters

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. (c. 1982)
30.5 × 43.2m, red on white offset lithograph. This is one of four which carry ant-Arts Council messages in Latin. This poster print has " CONCILIUM ARTIUM DELENDUM EST" which roughly translates into "The Arts Council Must be Utterly Destroyed" although there are some liberties taken in the language by Finlay.
Printed as part of Finlay's campaign against the muribund Scottish Arts Council and Strathclyde Region over a Rates dispute, these lithographs were fly-posted on the Scottish National Gallery, the Scottish Arts Council building and other places in Edinburgh by supporters of Finlay (called the Saint-Just Vigilantes).
Apparently ‘The Arts Council Must be Utterly Destroyed’ is derived from a phrase Cato would add to the end of every speech as a reference to his hatred of Carthage.
This lithograph is folded but all copies are rare as many were used as campaign posters on the buildings as described above. Apparently the typography was by Nicholas Sloan.

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19 Aug REAKTION VI (ASSEMBLAGE MAGAZINE). 1982.

Posted at 14:38h in Page Works & Contributions

Aisbach: Verlaggaleria Leaman, n.d. (1982 or 1983)
Printed plastic and card folder with metal ring binder. Content of individual contributions and multiples by a wide range of artists (many from the fields of conceptual art, visual poetry and some of the Fluxus- affiliated artists). Paik here contributes 4pp offset reproductions of his sketchy drawings 'Moon is reaction to sun'; Knowles a map of 'bean troubles'; Finlay's work is 'Twin-sets', Cobbin has two fold-outs 'Triptych five' and 'Triptych six'; Michael Drucks a lithograph (Xerox) in plastic folder; Ruhm a numbers work: 'Zeitgedicht' from 1981 and Tot: a work on public demonstations complete with German police permission letter for a demonstration. Crozier's contribution is a series of drawings (Xerox). Scarce. VG+.

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24 Jul FROM “35 ONE WORD POEMS: DRIP-DRY”. 1982.

Posted at 22:23h in Artist's Postcards

Carlisle: Carlisle Museum & Art Gallery, 1982
14.7 x 10.5cm, 2pp card. One of five cards released during the exhibition ‘Presences of Nature’ - each with a painting by Ian Gardner. Here the illustration shows trees and a river with rain falling. Finlay's one word poem for this image and the main title of Drip-Dry is May. A very British obssesion with the weather. VG+.

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24 Jul FROM “35 ONE WORD POEMS: MOORLAND”. 1982.

Posted at 22:20h in Artist's Postcards

Carlisle: Carlisle Museum & Art Gallery, 1982
14.7 x 10.5cm, 2pp card. One of five cards released during the exhibition ‘Presences of Nature’ - each with a painting by Ian Gardner. Here the illustration shows mountains and a forest and moors. Finlay's one word poem for this image of moorland is marquetry and the look of the landscape does appear to be made up of veneers. VG+.

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24 Jul FROM “35 ONE WORD POEMS: DEEP-V-HULL-GEESE”. 1982.

Posted at 20:34h in Artist's Postcards

Carlisle: Carlisle Museum & Art Gallery, 1982
14.7 x 10.5cm, 2pp card. One of five cards released during the exhibition ‘Presences of Nature’ - each with a painting by Ian Gardner. Here the illustration shows geese flying over a river estuary. The geese however are notes which part with one half ascending, the other descending. Finlay's one word poem for this image is Deep-V-Hull-Geese which creates a visual correspondence with a ship easily pushing waves aside because of its deep V hull. VG+.

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24 Jun THE MONTHS. RECEIPTS FOR THE WORKING OF SAMPLERS. 1982.

Posted at 11:23h in Prints + Posters

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1982
61.0 x 30.5cm, brown and black on white offset lithograph. A month by month textual proposal for twelve embroidery "samplers" - each here a description of a tank in camouflage (relevant to the date) and a note of its divisional symbol - which is the relevant astrological sign for the date. A reminder of death lurking amongst the beauty of nature (hence a momento mori). VG+.

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25 May FROM “35 ONE WORD POEMS: OSIRIS”. 1982.

Posted at 20:30h in Artist's Postcards

Carlisle: Carlisle Museum & Art Gallery, 1982
14.7 x 10.5cm, 2pp card. One of five cards released during the exhibition ‘Presences of Nature’ - each with a painting by Ian Gardner. Here the illustration shows a ticket in close-up. Finlay's one word poem for this image is "Osiris" with beneath it the word "osiers'. The similarity in the words appeals to the poet and the Egyptian god Osiris was the god of agriculture and by extension fertile growth. Osiers is a type of willow that grows in the wet. VG+.

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25 May FROM “35 ONE WORD POEMS: CURFEW”. 1982.

Posted at 20:24h in Artist's Postcards

Carlisle: Carlisle Museum & Art Gallery, 1982
14.7 x 10.5cm, 2pp card. One of five cards released during the exhibition ‘Presences of Nature’ - each with a painting by Ian Gardner. Here the illustration shows a country landscape at night. Finlay's one word poem for this image is "Curfew" with beneath it the word "curlew'. The similarity in the words appeals to the poet as well as the link between hearing the sound of a curlew (a wading bird) and nightfall about to come down. VG+.

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20 May ANTICIPATIONS. 1982.

Posted at 16:32h in Artist's Books

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, (1982)
11.4 x 10.4cm,12pp and printed wrappers.
Artist's book with two quotations from Cholmeley and Burnet from Greek texts - the first is "a line of green among the trees" from Theocritis which Finlay claims is "Land Art in Theocritis" and the second from Empedokles referencing the idylls of Aphrodite as "A Fete Galante in Empedokles". The cover of the book is a b/w reproduction of an unidentified Watteau painting (who painted The Departure to Cytheria). The book ends with a quotation from Sol Lewitt: "One usually understands the art of the past by applying the conventions of the present - this mis-understanding the art of the past." Finlay had created many "homage" works where he celebrated the essence of many artists - this is the reverse, the modern celebrating the past but by deliberate misunderstanding. VG+>

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03 May KINDOM OF FINE/ARCADIA/STRATHCLYDE REGION. FULL SHEET OF CINDERELLA STAMPS. 1982

Posted at 15:34h in Object + Paper Multiples

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1982
14 x 14.5cm, full sheet with retained margins of three cinderella stamps - the first is KINGDOM OF FIFE - a 1p stamp with an image of four boats on it. The second is ARCADIA which is a 14p "stamp" with a drawing of peas open in a pod and the final stamp is an image of Joseph Stalin with the words STRATHCLYDE REGION above and below and is a 15p stamp. Unused and in near mint condition.

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24 Apr PENNY BROWNS. 1982.

Posted at 11:17h in Prints + Posters

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1982
30.2 x 53cm, brown and black on white offset lithograph. A painting buy Ian Gadner of a line of boats - all "penny browns". Penny Brown stamps were a mid 19th century postal stamp and one presumes there is a visual correspondence between this delightful maritime scene and the idea of individual items moving to a destination. VG.

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23 Apr “NEVER HAS THE NEED FOR CLEAR DEFINITION HAS BEEN MORE FELT THAN TODAY. ” c. 1982.

Posted at 18:17h in Letters + Documents

Little Sparta: Saint-Just Vigilantes (Finlay), n.d. (c. 1982)
30 x 21cm, vintage spirit duplicate of public leaflet written by Finlay quoting Saint Just and arguing the difference between a revolutionary and a reactionary and a further quotation by Denis Roche argues that it is the change in language that takes place during a revolution that is truly revolutionary.
Further short texts by Finlay alter a C.H. Sisson's quote in favour of revolutionary action. The leaflet which was handed out at a public demonstration in support of Finlay is "dedicated to the memory of the poet Robert Kenedy". Poor quality of reproduction as issued but else VG+.
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