“In memory of Howard “Jagga Benz” Jhagroo”

Christ in the Age of Cars

“new feelings”

Finished pieces

Statement

When I was very young I came across a book of poetry called the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. when I read it I was fascinated by the imagery in it. I was fascinated by the pictures in their rendering and meaning as they alluded to death and rebirth. The line drawn and symbolic figures gave literal life to the words of the poetry. The illustrations were like prescriptions for living. One such prescribing would be the question of, ‘who makes the life, the potter or the clay’?

The use of merely lines to conjure up dreamlike feelings was haunting at the time and now years later the words alongside the images are even more potent. Like clay as we all are  we strive for altruistic deportment of the selves but in our human fallible qualities fall short in soul searching repentance and escape. The poem does the best task of pointing to the play, the cast, crew and producers, we all given a role to play and to play it out in conclusion or be doomed to repeat the scene again.

Excerpt from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, published by Avenel Books, 1970, illustrations by Edmund J. Sullivan.

May 21, 2021