Awhile ago now my friend Nick Thorpe bought me a little book of prayers aptly titled 'A Common Prayer: A cartoonist talks to God'. It has been a good companion on what has been at times a painful journey...Michael Leunig struggled with the idea of creating just another humor strip. He recognized the need to offset the anxiety and distress found in the news but was determined to take a decidedly different approach from his cartooning peers.
The result was a cartoon that delivered a spiritual message with its inspirational words and straightforward, poignant drawings. Before long, it developed a huge, faithful following and turned Leunig into an Australian national treasure.
I came across 'Here is the News' this morning and after seeing the Panorama documentary 'Faith, hate and charity', where
Panorama investigates how funds from one of Britain's leading Islamic charities have helped build support for Hamas, which is regarded by Europe and America as a terrorist organisation (though that is only one side of the argument!!), I thought it a rather sobering piece of art...
...it's why I believe art is the most wonderful gift that allows a brush with the divine - that place where we do just a little more than barely lean in - it confronts us with the uncomfortable and we are never the same again.
3 comments:
Wow! a leunig fan in England! Hes a Melbourninan you know... A few years ago, I went to an exhibition of his work in which he did some collaboration with an animator to produce some amazing, spiritualy urban stuff. And the cool thing is, I get to see a fresh Leunig insight in the Melbourne Paper every saturday.
Thanks to Rupert Murdoch, you probably get to see it in the Guardian or something like that.
hello there.
I found your link from Oz and I'm so glad.
Just read your latest postings and was touched by them all. Beautiful, thought provoking, insightful.......
The conversations between God and the youth worker? I can totally relate...it left me respecting the vocation that I find myself in.
I will visit again and again...... and I hope you will check my Canadian point of view.
Enjoy your day.
I have seen some of that urban collaboration and you are right, truly moving - sadly we don't get to see much new work over here...and please don't get me started on Murdoch!
Canada as well now - god, my blog really is international. I have to say Canada is my favourite place in the world - first went there in the fall of 1994 and it felt like i had come home.
Thanks for your kind words - i will drop by on my daily search for nourishment
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