Robert Lax - Unoriginal Sins

CERTAIN TREES. 2006

paul robertson — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 18:59:40 +0000

London: V&A Museum, 2006

9. 2 x 9.2cm, 2pp ornate die cut announcement on thick card for an exhibition displaying works from a wide range of concrete and visual poets including David Bellingham, Thomas and Laurie Clark, Simon Cutts, Ian Hamilton Finlay., Robert Lax, Stuart Mills and others, The card is a recreation of the cover of the 1973 book of the same title designed by Simon Cutts - which is inspired by Malevich and has red, blue plus deliberate crease lines and tied cotton. One tiny mark bottom right else VG.

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POIESIS. 1992.

paul robertson — Fri, 23 Oct 1992 20:11:43 +0000

Edinburgh: Fruitmarket Gallery, 1992

21 x 15cm, 8pp (single folded sheet). The programme and small poster for a group exhibition of works by a range of artists including Finlay. While not being specific to concrete and visual poetry the events (which included talks, films and workshops as well as the exhibition) - a large number of those exhibited worked in that field.

Poiesis as we all know is a definition of poetry as "anything supremely harmonious or satisfying" - which to be fair describes much of Finlay's work and motivation and is almost a definition of neo-classicism. Minor wear at folds else VG..

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SEA POEM. 1966.

paul robertson — Wed, 23 Mar 1966 22:34:34 +0000

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POTH (POOR OLD TIRED HORSE) NR 17. ROBERT LAX SPECIAL ISSUE.

paul robertson — Thu, 15 Apr 1965 15:07:34 +0000

Ardgay, Ross-shire; Wild Hawthorne Press, 1965

33 x 12cm, 8pp. The seventeenth number of Finlay’s poetry publication - this number dedicated to a single concrete poem by Robert Lax and with drawings by Emil Antonucci. VG+ condition Scarce.

This was an unusual format number of the poetry journal in part caused by the format of the Lax poem which needed more vertical space than traditional works.

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POTH (POOR OLD TIRED HORSE) NR 10. 1963.

paul robertson — Fri, 15 Nov 1963 11:43:58 +0000

Edinburgh; Wild Hawthorne Press, 1963
26 x 21cm, 4pp. The ninth tenth of Finlay’s poetry publication with contributions by Robert Frame, Finlay himself, Eugene Gomringer, Anselan Hollo, Dom Sylvester Houedard, Robert Lax and Edwin Morgan. This number was printed in part red on white and was designated by Finlay as “the Concrete number” and all the poems included can be regarded as such. There is an abstract illustration by Robert Frame as an insert (printed b/w).
ALSO INSERTED:
FROM BURGOS JAIL.
29.5 x 19.5cm, 1pp. Folded. Promotional leaflet printed green and black on white published by Appeal for Amnesty in Spain: for a poetry book protesting fascist political prisoners under Franco.

This was the first issue to break with the previous size format – thereafter while most numbers were 26 x 21cm, some were smaller or even oblong. New printing techniques were being used also – the earliest numbers of POTH were laid up using pretty much only type – these slightly later numbers were pasted up and some typesetting also used (which allowed more flexibility in design and made reproducing visual and concrete works more easy (and accurate).

*********

One poem by Morgan on the back page was mistakenly corrected by the printer (Gaol was corrected to Goal) so each copy was hand altered to indicate the correct format – it should have been thus:

BRAZILIAN “FOOTBALL”

1958 – Goal! Goal! Goal!

1962 – Goal! Goal! Goal!

1964 – Gaol! Gaol! Gaol!

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