Onement VI

Barnett Newman

‘There is a tendency to look at large pictures from a distance,’ Barnett Newman’s show notes begin. ‘The large pictures in this exhibition are intended to be seen from a short distance.’ Known for their large, vibrant fields of colour, parted by a single vertical ‘zip’ running down the centre; Newman’s ‘Onement’ series takes its name from archaic English, meaning ‘at one’. Only close range examination will allow viewers to truly appreciate its building, enveloping washes of ultramarine blue, and in turn the hand that produced them - measuring 8.5 by 10 feet, the extravagant size of Newman’s canvases was intended to provoke this curiosity.

Tuesday 18th August

The Moon rises in the constellation of Virgo, bringing earthy forces into the first part of the day. It sits close to Venus, which is visible to the naked eye in the morning sky. In biodynamics, we seek to work with these earthly forces to develop and strengthen the soil. We want our soils to be rich in both fungi and bacteria. Some gardeners choose not to dig, allowing fungal networks to develop with minimal disturbance and helping to build the structure and vitality of the soil. Others dig or cultivate throughout the year, which can encourage greater bacterial activity but may also disturb these fungal networks. In our biodynamic gardens, we need to become attuned to what the soil and plants are asking for, creating space for both bacteria and fungi to play their part in supporting healthy growth.