Jean Burman

artwork & content Copyright Jean Burman 2007

Well it’s that time of year again… already! That time… when all is calm and all is bright… when sleigh bells ring (if you’re listening)… and the snow is a’ glistening…. and it’s a beautiful sight and we’re happy tonight cos we’re walking in a winter wonderland… ahhhhh… *sigh*

….zzzzzzzzzrrrrrrrrruuuuppppppp… Huh?

Yeah… right-o then! Cos nothing… but nothing could be further from the truth in the “blistering” heat of a true blue Aussie Christmas… (whatever a true blue Aussie Christmas is… that is!)

Many have tried over the years to analyse just what constitutes Christmas in the Antipodes but the quintessential Aussie Christmas is still a bit of a mystery (even to we Aussies) steeped as it is in the stereotype of the time honoured tradition of backyard barbies and brawls with the rellies… as the heat-induced stress-stroke of the season sets in! Some people do go a little troppo at this time of the year from the heat… others are pretty much dingo-bango all year round… (but that’s another story for another day)

But whoever we are… it is a perplexing and confusing time of the year for most Aussies… as traditional images of a Northern Hemisphere Christmas are seen emblazened across everything from billboards to greeting cards… and fir trees sprinkled with fake snow line the supermarket aisles and even the streets!

Many have tried in the past to shake these “frozen” images from our social consciousness by replacing Santa’s reindeer with the old “six white boomers routine” (they’re kangaroos in case you were wondering) and replacing the words of favourite christmas carols with improvised aussie lyrics (all of which simply just don’t wash).

And so it would apparently seem… as the big day approaches… here we all are “high and wrung out to dry” in our stubbies singlets and thongs waiting on our surfboards for the next wave!

But perhaps this is far too theatrical a description of Christmas… celebrated here (as it is) in high summer… and the truth probably lies somewhere vaguely… well… somewhere else!

So to put paid to all myths and stereotypes… in reality

92% of Aussies eat Christmas Dinner in the comfort of their air conditioned homes where

70% will enjoy traditionally cooked Christmas Fare including turkey, baked ham and Christmas Pud!

56% of us agree that spending time with family and friends is the very best thing about Christmas.

Less than 10% of Aussies say that giving and receiving of presents is the highlight of the day (kids were obviously not consulted in this survey! -grin-)

75% expect to eat too much (ah but a moment on the lips… then forever on the hips!)

and only 43% are annoyed by the heat (there was however no mention of flies!)

And when asked to sum up their feelings for Christmas in just one word… these words were the most commonly expressed…

HAPPY - EXCITING - SPECIAL - FUN - FAMILY - RELAXING - EXHAUSTING - HECTIC - WONDERFUL - JOYFUL - FANTASTIC - ENJOYABLE…

Clearly… we are a pretty confused bunch! But when it comes down to the wire… I guess you could say that Aussies celebrate Christmas pretty much like everyone else on the planet… it may be hot as hell… but we just get around it by getting on with having a great time!

IT’S BEEN A BUSY 18 DAYS SINCE MY LAST POST

during which time…

1. I helped my brother sell and pack up the family beach house at Bingil Bay which was built by my Dad and two brothers in 1980 on a block of land my parents bought back in 1974 (to ease their pain and provide a focus) two years after the tragic death of my older brother. With Mum and Dad now gone there seemed little point in holding onto it any longer. There was always the ongoing maintenance of a house near the sea… and the need for someone to make the 2 hour journey on a regular basis to keep a check on things. It was time.
So it has been an emotionally charged couple of weeks… packing up the last of our family memories from over that time… all of which are now neatly contained within the four sides of two tightly packed tea chests containing photographs and precious letters of our exchanges over the years. Maybe one day I will find the strength and courage to read them all again!

Many of you will remember how Cyclone Larry passed through the area 18 months ago. Here is our little beach house after the storm!

… and here it is 18 months later (there is no accounting for the rejuvenative powers of the tropics!)

2. I also hosted a Christmas Lunch for 60 for the First Wednesday Lunch Club (held on the second Wednesday of course! -grin-)… for which I also baked, iced and decorated the Christmas Cake. Man… was that a production! And I am definitely not about to give up my day job. Up to my elbows in mixed chopped fruit… I was high as a kite for a week on the “wafting aroma” of over-proof rum and cognac! Here is the finished work!

So… all in all it’s been a hectic lead up to Christmas here… but I have managed to decorate our home with Christmas cheer… despite the fact we don’t have a Christmas tree this year… as someone (who shall remain nameless cos I’m going to kill him -grin-)… in his over-enthusiastic efforts to clear out the garage managed to jettison the neatly-boxed and clearly-marked “Christmas Tree” into the skip bin destined for the landfill! I sent him out to look for it… but so far NO LUCK! I could go out and buy a new one… but where would be the fun in that!? *wink* and (big cheeky grin)

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE - may the joy of the season be overwhelming!

Please take a look at this amazing video clip by Philip Scott Johnson - Women In Art - don’t forget to turn on your sound!

It occurred to me that over the 500 (or so) years that this clip traverses, women have been the subject of “great” art far more frequently than they have been the creator of it! In fact… of the 35 paintings in the above clip only two were actually painted by women…

Self Portrait by Elisabeth Louise Vigee-Le Brun (whom I had never heard of)

and Woman with a Pearl Necklace in a Loge by well known and much loved American artist Mary Cassatt

It’s not that women artists have not been represented throughout the history of art (some have even enjoyed a healthy degree of success and fame)… it’s just that none of them have been remembered as “great”. In her essay “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists” Linda Nochlin examines the question in great depth. I have included the link for those who may be interested in following the paper trail through to discover the many and varied complex reasons put forth by the author… but in short… here is the thrust of the argument.

The feminist assertion would attempt to demonstrate that there have been many worthy (if insufficiently appreciated) women artists throughout history. But still no-one remembers them as “great”. Afterall… there are no women equivalents to Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Titian, Carravaggio, Rembrandt … even as recently as Van Gogh for that matter! Mary Cassatt tried… as did Berthe Moriset… but despite their formidable presence and immense talent (and the legacy of many examples of “great” art) history arguably places both on the periphery of the Impressionist Movement… and in the virtual wilderness of Art History.

Then one might suggest that there is a different kind of “greatness” for women’s art than men’s art… women’s art perhaps possesses a distinctive and recognisable “feminine” style based on their character and the uniqueness of the female perspective.

This reminded me. The other day I was having coffee with a friend. She introduced me to the new owner of the bistro as “an artist who paints beautiful watercolours… but not what you’d expect watercolour to be. Soft yet vibrant… modern… (and then gesturing toward me) what you see here is what you get… Jean paints herself!” I was shocked and more than a little embarrassed at the frankness and clarity of her assessment (LOL)… but appreciated it nonetheless and took it for the huge compliment that it was! She was right of course… (at least the part about me painting “myself!”) This woman is a devoted art aficionado and has worked with artists in the gallery scene… so I had no reason to doubt her when she went on to say that this is so often not the case… and how it has constantly surprised her (when she finally met the artist after first knowing the work) how rarely the artist’s personality (and gender) can be identified by their artwork. It seems that just as many shy female artists paint bold paintings as bold male artists paint shy paintings!

So that blows that out of the water! Artists apparently paint “what’s in them”. They do not paint like women… (or men… be they black white or brindle… not christian nor muslim nor calathumpian indian). Artists paint the unique artistic individual that they are. Sure they will be “influenced” by their time, environment, politics, religion and the subject matter they choose… but their intrinsic “style” will be their own.

Perchance Pablo Picasso was born a girl!

artwork & content Copyright Jean Burman 2007

Nochlin asserts that we are the product of our education - education being everything that happens to us from the moment we enter this world of meaningful symbols signs and signals. She sees it as “a miracle that… given the overwhelming odds against women… that so many have managed to achieve so much sheer excellence, in those bailiwicks of white masculine prerogative like science, politics or the arts”.

My friend John Crowther in his blog article and cartoon “The Distaff Side” of Nov. 28 (scroll down to find it) touches on this point in his comment…

QUOTE Michel Eyquem de Montaigne wrote in 1588 that “women are not entirely wrong when they reject the rules of life proscribed for the world, for these were established by men only, without their consent.” And it was some anonymous wag who much more recently said “women’s work is never done”…. by a man! UNQUOTE

In my view… the reason why there have been “no great women artists in history” is because of subtle social conditioning. It’s the reason why we still cringe (ever so secretly) at the thought of a woman captaining our Boeing 747 800 across the Pacific (gosh I hope she can reach the rudder peddles! *sigh*)

It’s the reason why we still find it remarkable (despite ourselves) when a woman makes it into the high echelons of political power (despite their pivotal role throughout history).

It’s why we still wonder about a “woman” President.

And it may well be why Hilary Clinton now chooses to wear pantsuits over skirts! (There’s your answer Katherine!) (grin)

It’s all part of the game we all play to find our own place… and to accommodate… appease (and maybe someday overcome) the subliminal symbols signs and signals of our social conditioning in the search for the holy grail of equality in “greatness” (laughing uncontrollably now… hell may well freeze over while we wait!)

*wink*