How can Visionary Imagination – as expressed in the creations of William Blake, Patrick White, Brett Whiteley and others – be a positive influence in the contemporary world?

The modern world could learn from and be greatly enlightened and influenced by simply familiarising itself with the works of William Blake, Brett Whiteley and Patrick White, among others. The whole concept of the visionary imagination cannot be fully explored or appreciated without first experiencing the work of William Blake. Underappreciated during his time - …

Peer Review 3: Greg Coustas

Here's my review of Greg Coustas' blog where he constructs a poem in the style of Emily Dickinson. Visit his post here: https://gregcoustasblog.wordpress.com/2019/09/06/second-blog-in-emilys-footsteps/. Ah Gregory! Once again you've provided one of your unique interpretations of the styles of famous poets and authors, and once again you've delivered! Your acknowledgement of poetry being one of your …

Peer Review 2: Ethan Hua

Here's my review of Ethan Hua's first post regarding the Visionary Imagination. Visit his post here: https://ethansopinion.home.blog/2019/08/19/introduction-to-the-imagination/. This is a really insightful analysis Ethan! I like your theory of the child being a figment of the piper's own imagination - I more so enjoy the theory that the child IS the piper, and that he …

Peer Review 1: Nia Pohahau

This is my peer review of Nia's blog on her visit to the Brett Whiteley gallery. Visit her post here: https://kats.home.blog/2019/09/19/the-chemistry-of-whitley/. I loved your recounting of the trip to Brett Whiteley's studio - just reading it actually took me back there and helped me again visualise Whiteley's works in great detail. I really enjoyed your …

Written in Black and (Patrick) White

Using something of Patrick White’s style of writing describe a totally ordinary person in such a way that you reveal their inner humanity, totally different from what their exterior appearance might suggest. Waiting at the red light, my mundane life slowed to a halt. The buzzing of traffic and rumbling of motors echoed throughout my …

Observing the Ultimate Alchemist

Created Topic: Explore one of Whiteley's artworks and examine its meaning in a contemporary world. Alchemy, by definition, is the ancient mythical process of ordinary compounds such as lead being transformed into gold. As such, in his artwork of the same name, Brett Whiteley demonstrates the transformation of a human being into something much more. …

Divinely Inspired to a Hellish Extent

Say whether Blake’s view of the Divine challenges or expands your own views of Religion. As profound and as cryptic William Blake's perception of the divine can be, it is difficult to say that his works challenge my views upon religion. I will agree, though, that his understanding of Heaven and Hell is one most unique …

Not Your Average Nursery Rhyme

Created topic - Compare the contrasting effect of colour upon the reader in Blake's "Nurse('s) Song"s. William Blake's Nurses Song and Nurse's Song in his poetry collection, Songs of Innocence and Experience are prime examples of his grasp of the complexity and somewhat duality of humanity. Throughout Innocence, Blake explores the perception of life of those who are, …

Studying the literature and culture of the Renaissance has amplified my understanding of what it is to be human.

The development of the humanist movement in Renaissance-era Europe greatly inspired the works of many playwrights, poets and artists of the 16th Century. Subsequently, this has inspired my understanding of what it means to be human, as well as what drives us to be genuine to ourselves and our understanding of the world around us. …

“Welcome to the Hotel Prosperonia…”

Re-imagine a scene from The Tempest in a modern context. (The following scene has been not been written in Shakespearean verse, so to further modernise the setting) Act 1 Scene 2: the Castaway Hotel-Motel "Ah, Ari, my ever-reliant concierge! Have the guests been shown to their rooms?" The owner of the Castaway Hotel-Motel arose from behind his …