Monday, January 16, 2017

NOMADIC , UPPITY BANK CLERK SIPS WITH PROMINENT ARTIST

( Magnetic Island  researcher  Gary  Davies  recalls drinking sessions with   internationally   regarded  Leonard  French  OBE  , who  died , aged 88 , on   January  10 , at    Heathcote ,Victoria , where  he  lived  and   had  his  studio.  The award  winning artist  was  responsible  for  one of  the world's largest stained  glass  ceilings , below,  in  the  main hall of  the  National  Gallery of  Victoria  ) 
 
In the  late 1960s I was a bank clerk in the service of  the  Commercial Bank of Australia NOT to be confused with the modern Commonwealth Bank. I used to go from branch to branch  filling  any vacancies  from   teller to accountant ... all  at  the  age  of  19.   For a very short time , I was  even made  acting manager when the manager, who had a few problems , disappeared  just before the inspectors   arrived   to   interview  him .

One of my stops was  Heathcote , and at night I would go  to the  pub  for a counter  meal and a few beers. It was a small, friendly and intimate bar filled with a curious mix of   imbibers. One was  Len French , and I was lucky, as occasionally he let a  brash young  bloke who knew nothing about art, wine or stained  glass  chat  with  him . 
 
My memories of him  are still  fresh nearly  50 years on . Tall, upright and distinguished , he wore a  near  full  length suede jacket . I asked him why he wore  such a  long coat and he  explained that  he  worked with stained glass  and it is very  sharp  and could  tear  ordinary  clothes   to   pieces.  
 
He  looked very classy sipping a glass of red  from a half bottle of Lindeman's Cawarra Claret  that  he  kept on the  bar . There  was no sign of  arrogance , although he  was certainly  the  only bloke  in  the  bar  drinking wine . He did not mention  to  me   his  huge 60 metre  long ceiling in the Great Hall  of the National  Gallery of  Victoria , but  his friends made me aware of this .   When I raised  it with  Len , he  told me how excited  he  was   about  the  project .
 
He  also chatted about struggles in his own life  and in  the  art  world .  I  formed the  impression  that he was a  highly skilled  artisan who was about to fly. Even though his feet  were firmly on the ground , he was big enough  to have his head in the clouds, a great combination .
 
 Our conversations were regularly  interrupted by  another  artist  who gave us beautifully inspired  renditions of  Italian operas . I  was really lucky  to have been in Heathcote  at  that  time, an experience which left me with  an ongoing appreciation  for a  glass of  red  and   Puccini .  RIP, Len . 
 
BACKGROUND   INFORMATION
 
FRENCH: Born Brunswick , Melbourne, of Cornish family  origin , left school at  14 , worked on farms  and studied  epics of  Homer in spare time  , apprenticed to signwriter ;  studied  art  at  Melbourne  Technical College   ; first  mural was  for a Brunswick church at the age of  19; worked  passage to London , studied in Ireland , struggled , seven hungry weeks in Amsterdam . Returning to Melbourne , his work displayed in various galleries in the  early 1950s  and in 1955  he painted seven panels ,  The legend of Sinbad the  Sailor , for the Legend  Café . His wide body of work  included  stained  glass and   mosaic windows  for  a  Melbourne  chapel, artwork in  the  Great Hall  at University House   ANU , paintings on the life and death of 16th century British   Jesuit priest   Edmund   Campion who was hanged, disembowelled , beheaded  and quartered . Along the way  he won the   Sulman Prize  and the Blake  Prize for  Religious Art  twice  . Three wives . 
 
DAVIES : Deeply involved  in research into   artists  connected with  The  Bulletin , an  early  Australian  weekly news magazine , now defunct ;  likes a  drop  of red , when it comes to caffeine, not  a latte  drinker  ;  recent  acquisition  a  book   about  wartime  art  .