Australian artist Lin Onus (1948-1996) was the son of a Scottish mother and Aboriginal father. Much of his work focused on the reconciliation of the two cultures he embodied. Clearly he was also a fan of humor. Here, in his painting entitled Michael and I Are Just Slipping Down to the Pub for a Moment, the Dingo, Onus’s symbol, rides the back of the Stingray, the symbol of fellow artist and collaborator Michael Eather.
I simply love this work! It shows that diverse artistic styles, like cultures themselves, can combine to make magic. For the two quintessentially Australian characters are riding one of the most famous waves in history; Hokusai’s 18th century Great Wave Off Kanagawa (above). (Also recently featured on PingMag in an excellent survey of Ukiyo-e art.)
The other reason I love Onus’s painting is because I used the same wave (having never seen his work before – or knowing who Hokusai was) in a collage I made for another Michael who lost his beloved 12 year-old-dog last year. I called it Mike + Milo: Pacific Dog Day (above).
Somehow, it makes me feel strangely connected to Onus and Hokusai – and not to be grandiose – but it feels good to be in their company, continuing the tradition of this truly great wave and its place in the world of art.
(Several copies of the hard to find Urban Dingo, a monograph of Lin’s work, are available here.
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