Hauling Job Sturges House - Research Paper Example

?Hauling Job Sturge’s House The creator of “Hauling Job Sturge’s House” (Grove Art, , David Blackwood, was born in Wesleyville, Newfoundland in 1941 (davidblackwood.com, 2011). The small community on Bonavista Bay received its name from John Wesley, who was a leader of the Methodist movement at the time, which was 1884. This small community grew to nearly 2000 people in 1891, because of the available fisheries there. In the 1930’s the population declined to less than 1000, in keeping with the decline of the fishery and seal hunting. This decline was due in part to the brutal struggle of the people to survive in an unforgiving climate. The province of Newfoundland and Labrador has a volatile climate, with an average of six-months of winter each year. The temperatures for the province range from about -5 to -30 degrees Centigrade for extended periods of time. Frequent precipitation, fog and high winds, create a distinct problem for travelers in any venue (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, 2010). This is the norm for the area, and considering the people at the turn of the century did not have the capacity to understand or protect themselves from such an environment, made life that much more difficult to sustain. The first people to visit Newfoundland were the Vikings, but it wasn’t until 1497 that John Cabot arrived and announced a “new found isle” for the King of England (Elizabethan Era, 2011). The inhabitants of Newfoundland were the Beothuk people, who hunted caribou and fished. These Native people, also called the Inuit people, survived here for thousands of years before the European’s arrival. These intrepid Eroupean settlers came from France, England, Spain, Ireland, Scotland and Portugal to fish the legendary waters of the Grand Banks (Greenpeace, USA, 2005). These hunters and fisherman were not aware of the hardships they were preparing to face in their trek to this new land. The frigid temperatures, brutally bone chilling winds and seemingly endless snow took their toll on these settlers. It was only the strongest, most determined of people who were able to survive this hostile climate. They battled the Atlantic to make a living hunting seals and fishing for cod like the native Inuit people. Through the harshest of conditions, these tough, hardy people survived and have created what we know as the Newfoundland of today. David Blackwood has worked throughout his career to keep the way of life of these hardy people alive in his works. Newfoundlanders fought hard to keep the new British North American colony within the British Empire out of their back yards. The mere idea of confederation was abhorred, but Newfoundland and Canada had to try to negotiate and settle many issues throughout the 19th century. It was only because of the collapse of government in 1934 that Newfoundland allowed Canada into its midst. In 1949, Newfoundlanders became Canadian citizens, a mere 8 years after David Blackwood was born. This undoubtedly had an affect on this young man’s psyche, showing him that there may be weaknesses or there may be strength in the decision that Newfoundland made, but no one knows for certain. Certainly, Blackwood has childhood memories that the social construct of the world has all but washed away. This is where his art is so outstanding. His focus is on the age-old traditions and way of life of the early settlers of Newfoundland, which have been forgotten by many. He has chosen to make it his life’s work to ensure that these memories are regaled, enjoyed, embraced by a new generation and ultimately, never die. Blackwood’s talent for etching is expressed in many different ways, but his primary genre is of Newfoundland’s age old traditions and ways of life. His use of etching and aquatint on wove paper is unique to Blackwood himself. Not so much the materials as the technique that he uses in his artworks. His main inspiration was his early years, growing up in the isolated town of Wesleyville on Bonavista Bay in Newfoundland. He relives the culture and rituals that are at the foundation of Newfoundland’s culture, brought over from Europe. One of the age old rituals was referred to as “mummering”(Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage, 1999), where people would visit each other’s homes disguised under lace curtains. They would also often disguise their voices, so as to entertain their hosts while said hosts attempted to identify who they were. Blackwood continued his inspirations by continually visiting his boyhood home in the summer, although he currently resides in Ontario. He has said “the Newfoundland that we knew is no longer there.” This is in particular relevance to the fishing ports in wesleyville where he spent his summers as a child. He is said to remember Bragg’s Island’s sense of community, the peoples’ self-reliance, confidence and the industry. The town was forced to join the mainland community to allow them better social services. In his works, he draws on his own boyhood memories, letters, photographs and even some personal items. This allows him the opportunity to express this loss, but also to reclaim it through his art. His imagery abounds with the struggles of day to day life in Newfoundland and is a testament to the sea weary fishermen that called the Atlantic Ocean their second home. In “Hauling Job Sturge’s House”, Blackwood identifies the tenacity of the people at the time. It gives the feel that in order for the family standing in the foreground to keep their home, it must be moved. This is likely due to the forced joining of Wesleyville to the mainland community in the 1950’s. It leaves a feeling of longing for a time that has long since passed, but will not be forgotten. Even though they were forced to join the mainland, they can still remain a community in and of themselves. There are many men that are fighting to pull this house along, with the women standing in front with the children and dogs, emulating their hope, adoration and appreciation for what the community is doing for them. They are still standing on their own, despite the changes in the government. They continue to work together towards a common goal, and none of them are willing to give up. It gives a feel that this small community that has been recently integrated, is still on their own. There is no one there to help them, except for each other. They hang on to the feeling of community that they have always had, through the figurative use of the ship’s anchor in the foreground. This symbolism lends itself to the everyday struggle of the fishermen, and their struggle to feed their families and provide fro them through their fishing of cod and hunting of seals. The other symbolisms in this piece are incredible. The confederate flag on top of the house, signifying that they may have been integrated into the mainland community, but they are still their own people. The rock in the foreground, gives the feel of what Newfoundland is often referred to: “the Rock”. This gives stability and certainty in the movement of this house, in addition to the manual labour that is moving it along. The men appear to be thin, strong and determined, given that there are so few moving this huge house, and only a couple of men moving the logs used for rolling the house along. In the sky, there is a lone bird in flight, which leaves the feeling of solidarity and aloneness, in an unforgiving and changing world. The house itself stands tall and proud, like the people who inhabit it. This work also gives the feeling that it is nearing the end of the day, through the use of color and positioning of the sun. It leaves the feeling of a long day done, but with much work left to do. It’s a bright, beautiful sunset overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The men are not done moving this house, but appear exhausted after what was likely an incredibly long day. It seems that they are moving this house to get it further away from the ocean and its turbulence. Although this is a wise idea, along with the integration of Wesleyville to the mainland, it also leaves the question of whether this is being done because there is a child in the family that is in need of better medical services. Perhaps an elderly parent that can no longer make the long trek to the mainland for supplies? This work allows so much for interpretation that one could go on for days on what it makes them see, think and feel. That is the beauty of a fine piece of art. However, this still goes deeper. These labourers are very intelligent in their use of logs to roll the house, with cables anchoring the house to a rock, and through this pulley system moving this house. This is extremely innovative considering the time in which the work is set. It also leaves the feeling that although this small community is struggling to maintain its own identity; they feel as though they are lost. They are moving this house out of necessity and a sense of urgency, but there is a feeling that it is a pointless gesture, and they’re only doing this to make the women happy. The labourers are extremely devoted to their task, but there is such a feeling of hopelessness that is left. It appears that the single person in the foreground is leaving this feeling of hopelessness, through their singularity in such a community struggle and ambition. This piece appears to be somewhat radical, in as much as it is not conforming to the current societal framework. What is meant by that is they are moving the entire house, not just the belongings in it, to maintain their heritage and integrity, even through the integration of this small community to the mainland. This piece feels like a social and political stand out piece, by its necessitating the movement of the entire house. This leaves the feeling that they are doing what they have to in a social respect regarding the integration to the mainland, but are standing their ground politically. They are saying that “you may be able to force us into your community, but we will still maintain our individuality as a community and as a people.” this work, like Blackwood’s other pieces, are all a bright light in a world of darkness. In this current age, it is more appropriate, or so it seems, to give up than to stand up and fight. Based on the knowledge gained of David Blackwood, this piece is particularly fitting of his feelings as a child concerning the integration of Wesleyville into mainland Newfoundland. His memories of what Wesleyville used to be as a child, and what it is today, are very different. It is almost as if the current generation of inhabitants is unaware of the struggles and tribulations of their forefathers. Although this piece is set before our time, these depictions are of struggles that all of us can relate to. The struggles of our ancestors to settle and proffer in an unforgiving, new world and to remember what and where we came from. David Blackwood lends the spirit of an intrepid people into our consciousness that will forever be present. The perseverance, the tenacity and the will in the people of a long gone world, will forever be remembered through the stunning art and depictions of one man, and his refusal to let go of his boyhood memories. Works cited Blackwood, David. (2010). David Blackwood. Painter, Printmaker. Print. Web. 27 March, 2011. Cabot, John. (1450). John Cabot. Elizabethan Era. Print. Web. 27 March, 2011. Greenpeace USA. (2005). History of the Grand Banks Cod Fishery. Print. Web. 27 March, 2011. Grove Art Online. (2011). Oxford Art Online. Print. Web. 27 March, 2011. Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador. Memorial University of Newfoundland, (2000). Print. Web. 27 March, 2011. Newfoundland Labrador Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism, (2010). Geography and Climate. Print. Web. 27 March, 2011. Read More