A sketch of a sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellos. Photo: Courtesy of Andrew Rutter.
Eye - 07 February 2014
From enchantment to digital dicussions
Memorable enchantment
‘Nestled in nature’ (10 January) inspired two Friends to share their own memories of the way in which Josefina de Vasconcellos and her artwork touched them.
For Andrew Rutter, of Winchester Meeting, the photograph that appeared was already familiar: ‘I came across the same group in Cartmel Priory in the Lake District and was so impressed that I drew them from four different positions because the lighting made a good photograph impossible.’
He adds: ‘By sticking to her gift to do figurative sculpture, which was not fashionable in the art world of her time, she produced memorable work.’
Jill Allum, of Beccles Meeting, found out more about the artist after an encounter in 1982: ‘I was privileged to be given a week’s holiday at Glenthorne after my twelve-year-old daughter, Pip, had been in Great Ormond Street Hospital nearly dying of Reyes Syndrome. I found myself at a lecture by Richard Wordsworth, William’s grandson, sitting next to Josefina de Vasconcellos. I had seen one of her sculptures and was enchanted.’
Jill has since seen a number of Josefina’s sculptures and considers a book depicting sculptures and poems by the artist as one of her most treasured volumes.
‘Our nearest sculpture is in Bury St Edmond’s Cathedral in Suffolk. Here Jesus is a toddler reaching up to Mary, desperate to be picked up. There is always something unique in Josefina’s way of looking at life and capturing the moment.
‘Although her mother was a Quaker, she forbade her child’s governess to talk to her about religion. Nevertheless, she [Josefina] married an Anglican lay-preacher and homosexual, artist Delmar Banner, in 1930 and lived very happily in their Cumbrian farmhouse until he died in 1983.
Jill adds: ‘Some of her most amazing works are out of huge blocks of stone. Something seems to be coming out from within. At ninety-one she was working on “Escape to Light” outside in the grounds of Rydal Hall. She said, “Make friends with the stone and it works for you. The stone becomes alive and in the end is this mystery, so much you don’t know” and “I have a clear idea of the shape of the sculpture but am never bound by detail of the finish, so that each day’s work is an adventure.”’
The call of the digital
During a discussion about social media at Meeting, Friends in Bradford were inspired by an ‘appy idea. Chris Butler got in touch to share it: ‘We came up with the idea of a Quaker App. Press on the App and what do you get? Perfect silence!! Just a thought!’
This piqued Eye’s curiosity and some swift searching unearthed a potential gap in the market. After flipping past the ‘Quaker State’ (related to vehicle maintenance), ‘Penn Quakers’ sports news and a Quaker Oats app in Portuguese, Eye landed upon a George Fox-related widget, simply called ‘Quaker App’.
Designed by Chip Thomas and sponsored by Marlborough Meeting, it is available on the Android market. It delivers a George Fox quote to the users’ phone daily.
The description states: ‘This widget is for members of (or those interested in) the Religious Society of Friends… The quotes tend to be Christo-Centric, but even Friends who are not so oriented can be inspired by the spiritual depth and power of words from the founder of Quakerism.’ One reviewer commented: ‘Digesting Fox a sentence at a time has proved much more fruitful for me than taking on longer texts.’
Could this app soon be getting company?
