Dennis Mealor Art

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I studied “The Bawdy” as part of my PhD many years ago. The Bawdy goes back a long time through the millennia, to the likes of erotic mosaics in ancient Roman buildings; and beyond. My PhD focus was on Francois Rabelais’ bawdy 16th Century rantings in his classic  “Gargantua and Pantagruel.” See also Mikhail Bakhtin’s critique “Rabelais and His World,” if you wish to research it, and delve deeper. It is a big topic, and to me, an important one. The Bawdy’s echoes permeated the Victorian era, with both working class and upper crust punters taking weekend visits to the seaside piers to enjoy the crude and rude innuendos of blue comedians and naughty postcards.

The Bawdy later reared its head in the groan-worthy British Carry On movies of the 1960s, and the TV shows of Benny Hill. Influenced by English comedy via his Liverpudlian dad, Mike Myers also carried on the tradition in some of his Austin Powers movies, and injected some wholesome British smut into the American psyche. The list goes on. 

 In Rabelais’ time (16th Century), The Bawdy (along with the “Carnivale” – see Bakhtin’s tome, mentioned above) was a safety valve for the sanity of puritanical, Church-controlled societies. 

Here it is again. A footpath in the Gold Coast suburb of Labrador (Queensland, Australia). The Bawdy is alive and well, and etched in concrete. Made my day. You just can’t keep it down.

It’s a fine line between commerciality and being true to oneself. Especially in Art. Paint something different he said. That was the manager of the café where I go on occasions.  I sold one of my “River & Sea” series paintings there recently. I don’t usually do that: paint on a sort of commission basis, even though the request wasn’t very specific. But I won’t say no to some lunch money at the moment (if it sells). Something different? (he said). So I thought I would do another Buddha. I never tire of painting Buddha. But with a difference: I want to combine my River & Sea theme with the Buddha, to create a Nature Buddha. Gaia Buddha perhaps. The two themes calm me.

Obviously, it is not finished. The Buddha started with ears, then lost his ears. I will put them back, soon. I am loving the colours. Has to be about colours for me. A good feeling. A slight sense of euphoria when two colours mix on the canvas and create another colour. Like food of the Gods, for me. That is my drug. More on this in a later post, when I have the finished painting.

Step One

Step Two – ears have gone

The Nature Buddha, so far

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(For non-Australian viewers – Australian Topic: Gay Marriage Equality, Upcoming Plebiscite Postal Vote)

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Acrylics on canvas

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(acrylics on canvas – 90cm x 60cm)

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