fires of cerebria

Fires and scintilla from the realm of cerebria, 2020. The works are digital photomontages, digital paintings and oil on paper. (Archival prints are available up to A2 size.)

Here is a clavis, or key, to the realm of cerebria. You can also see the folios postcards from cerebria and tales from cerebria, from earlier in 2020.

¹The voids taught us to become salmon, salmon that is cooked. ²We were to become men of salmon. ³The diviners, of course, fully understood this. ⁴They appeared to us, sailors of cerebria, to be already cooked. ⁵We sailors struggled with how to become cooked men of salmon, as we do to this day. ⁶We had to learn to seek the sources of fire in its many guises; to husband this fire, to watch over its transmission, to ensure it provided gentle cooking, and to enable it to be passed to the future generations.

Several of these works use background images by Max Hutzel (1911-1988), who photographed in Italy from the early 1960s until his death. The result of this exhaustive and elegant project (over 72,000 images) was referred to by Hutzel as Foto Arte Minore – a documentation of art historical developments in Italy up to the 18th century.

1. sailor with a salmon

(detail)

2. self-portrait (sailor and salmon)

3. sailor with a salmon no. 2

(detail)

4. hope to regain the ancient authority

(detail)

5. roasting the salmon

6. dour of manner (three voids as salmon)

7. three comets

8. sailor’s vision (creation of cerebria)

9. inscribing the texts

“heat of earth wrote these texts,
gave us words for living -” – inscribing the texts

10. voids with a fire

11. sailors over a volcano

(detail)

12. volcanos of cerebria (four studies)

13. man of salmon

14. sailor with a flux

(detail)

15. transmission

Image Sources:

1. “sailor with a salmon” – digital photomontage.
Salmon: from Anon., “Schelvis”, Lombard album (series title), Low Countries, drawing, 1560 – 1585. Figure: from Anon., “Tattoos on the body of a French sailor and deserter”, drawing, date unknown, text added by the artist. Background: from Max Hutzel, “Campania–Salerno–Padula–Monastery of S. Lorenzo, Image 161”, 1960-1990, credit Getty Open Content Program.

2. “self-portrait (sailor and salmon)” – digital photomontage.
Salmon: from Adriaen Collaert, “Piscivm Vivae Icones”, (print maker Pierre Firens), Paris, 1600 – 1638. Tattooed arms: from Anon., “Arms of criminal whose whole body was more or less tattooed”. Background: from Gezicht op kasteel van Brucoli, “La Bruca”, Louis Ducros, 1778. Bonfire: from Jan Fokke, “Fireworks in Amsterdam at the celebration of the Peace of Ryswick” Northern Netherlands, 1697.

3. “sailor with a salmon no. 2” – digital photomontage.
Salmon: from (print maker) Albert Flamen, “Two Cod on the Beach”, 1664. Figure: from Anon., “Tattoos on the body – A French glazier, thief, deserter from army. The chief figure tattoed on his chest is St. George”, date unknown. [Text added by artist.] Background: from Max Hutzel, “Campania–Salerno–Padula–Monastery of S. Lorenzo, Image 161”, 1960-1990, credit Getty Open Content Program.

4. “hope to regain the ancient authority” – digital photomontage.
Salmon: from Anon., “Schelvis Lombard album (series title)”, Low Countries, 1560 – 1585. Figure: from photo of the artist. [Text added by artist.] Wings: from Nicolò Ricciolini (1687 – 1772), “Studies for Saint Michael Defeating the Rebel Angels”. Background: from Burton Brothers, “[Rotorua New Zealand] White Terrace. Destroyed in Volcanic Eruption, June 1886”, 1186-1887, credit Getty Open Content Program.

5. “roasting the salmon” – digital photomontage.
Salmon: from Robert-Dumesnil, The Illustrated Bartsch, (print maker: Albert Flamen) “Three Fish on the Beach”, etching, 1664. Vessel: from Anon., “Part of a combined salt barrel spice box with lid”, silver, 1622 – 1632. Background: from Max Hutzel, “Lazio–Roma–Rome–Episcopal Complex (S. Giovanni in Laterano, Baptistery, Cathedral, Cloister), Image 224”, 1960-1990, credit Getty Open Content Program.

6. “dour of manner (three voids as salmon)” – digital photomontage.
Graffiti on the right: (“dour of manner / strong of heart / wisdom of the seas impart”) from invocation in two voices. Salmon: from Robert-Dumesnil, The Illustrated Bartsch, (print maker: Albert Flamen) “Three Fish on the Beach”, etching, 1664. Vessel: from Anon., “Part of a combined salt barrel spice box with lid”, silver, 1622 – 1632. Background: from Max Hutzel, “Abruzzo–L’Aquila–Fossa–Monastery of S. Spirito d’Ocre, Image 35”, 1960-1990, credit Getty Open Content Program.

7. “three comets” – digital painting.

8. “sailor’s vision (creation of cerebria)” – digital photomontage.
Sailor: from Henry Hugh Armstead, “Nude studies of two male figures, for the ‘History of the Shirleys’ reliefs, ca. 1858-62”. Added tattoos: from Anon., “Tattoos on the body – A French glazier, thief, deserter from army”. Globe: sphere with fantasised continents, from part of a larger bronze of a bacchant, signature “ADRIANUS FRIES 1626”, 1626 – 1699. Background: from Max Hutzel, “Lazio–Roma–Campagnano di Roma–S. Andrea, Image 9”, 1960-1990, credit Getty Open Content Program.

9. “inscribing the texts” – word piece.

10. “voids with a fire” – digital photomontage.
Voids: from Anon. (print maker Lambertus Hardenberg), “Monk”, etching, 1837 – 1900. Glass vessel: from Anon., “Vessel with 13 Handles”, Eastern Mediterranean, 3rd – 4th century. Iron stand: from Anon., “Standard of a baptism or wash basin of wrought iron”, 1600 – 1625. Background: from Max Hutzel, “Campania–Caserta–Caserta–Palazzo Reale, Image 13″, 1960 – 1990, credit Getty Open Content Program.

11. “sailors over a volcano” – digital photomontage.
Sailors: from images of trapeze artists. Added tattoos: from Anon., “Tattoos on the body – A French glazier, thief, deserter from army”, date unknown. Background: from Anon., (print maker: Daniël Veelwaard), “Figures in the crater of a volcano”, engraving, 1776 – 1851. (Fire added, figures in original removed.)

12. “volcanos of cerebria (four studies)” – oil on paper.
The studies are (clockwise): 1. “volcano, cerebria”; 2. “fumarole, cerebria”; 3. “hinterland”; 4. “theophany”. (Each study 18cm x 13.5cm approx.)

13. “man of salmon” – digital photomontage.
Salmon: from Anonymous, “Schelvis Lombard album (series title)”, Low Countries, 1560 – 1585. Man’s arms and feet: from Anon., “Tattoos on the body of a French sailor and deserter”, date unknown. Background: from “The Pond” (print maker: Claes Jansz. Visscher (II), after Meester van de Kleine Landschappen, after Johannes of Lucas van Doetechum), 1612. (Colours added.)

14. “sailor with a flux” – digital photomontage.
Sailor: from “The anatomy of the external forms of man : intended for the use of artists, painters and sculptors / By J. Fau ; edited with additions by Robert Knox. With an atlas of twenty-eight plates, quarto”, credit Wellcome Collection. Tattoos: (upper chest) from woodcut of Saint George and the Dragon, 16th century; (“FLORA”) from “A tattoo on a piece of human skin showing a nude female called Flora”, credit Wellcome Collection; (blacksmith) from “Human skin, tattooed with figure of blacksmith with inscript.”, credit Science Museum London; (fish and anchor) from “Human skin, with tattoos, probably French, 1850-1920”, credit Science Museum London. Vessel: from “Jug”, Iron Age II, late 8th-7th century B.C. Background: from Max Hutzel, “Basilicata–Matera–Matera–S. Antonio Abate, Image 1”, 1960 – 1990, credit Getty Open Content Program.

15. “transmission” – digital photomontage.
Baby: from “Plaster cast of a human foetus, possibly female, about 5 months old. European, possibly late nineteenth century ”, Science Museum, London. Bowl: from Anon., glass, Roman, 1st century. Moon: from “Full Moon, May 14, 1870”, Lewis M. Rutherfurd, Albumen silver print, credit Getty Open Content Program. Background: from Max Hutzel, “Lazio–Roma–Pratica di Mare–Heroon di Enea, Image 1”, 1960 – 1990, credit Getty Open Content Program.