Reclining on the pathway of dream,
Singing a song without words,
Without music,
I dream of the past,
And all the future holds.
Andre Sollier in the introduction of "Portraits of Silence the Art of Andre Sollier"
Skepsi on Swanston Art Gallery is currently showing an exhibition titled 'In the Spirit of the Wind homage to Andre Sollier Furai' The exhibition includes works by Andre Sollier and his students and is open until March 15th.
Sadly, Andre passed away in 2007 but left behind a legacy which is shown by his students in the love and respect that they all hold for this Zen Master. Andre taught sumi-e painting in Melbourne for over thirty years and estimated that he had taught over five thousand students. Quiet warm and humble, with a wonderful French accent you can't not be drawn into the quiet beauty of Andre's paintings.
This is a trailer from the documentary 'Portraits of Silence The Art of Andre Sollier. It will make you want to see more and you can purchase the DVD here
Wisteria, is one of my favorite little paintings of Andre's. Often combining sumi-e with Haiku poetry, Matsuo Basho was a favorite. The wisteria is so flowing and beautifully illustrates Basho's poem. Andre's home and the Satsuma Dojo are set in beautiful Japanese gardens with the front of the house covered in a 30 year old wisteria that Andre had planted.
More paintings that combine sumi-e and poetry.
Gerard is teaching in China for two months so yesterday I went to Melbourne on the train for the day to pay homage to Andre Sollier for the both of us. Gerard and Andre had maintained a friendship for over 20 years. It was a great honor in my life to have met Andre and been invited into his home. I cant help but admire someone who has dedicated their entire life to one discipline.
It is my greatest wish that one day the National Gallery of Victoria pay homage with a Retrospective Exhibition of this Zen Master,
now with the wandering wind.
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