Landscapes of the soul Andalucia.

Rob Miller drawings for the work pueblo Andaluz

I started this work after driving past a number of semi deserted villages were dogs scavenged in the rubbish; and buildings once homes slowly died through neglect; It was easy to make comparisons with the clearances of the Highlands in Scotland, Ireland and the North of England; and connect with the images that I had begun on Roeburndale. Here to are many religious shrines and small chapels; which maybe points to the dire need that people who lived here; working off the land; have for a spiritual connection and for a source of more than human sustenance. In fact in many cases the church here it can be argued, within its history, abused this need. My research on this led me to a reading of the Spaniard, the Nobel prize winning poet Juan Ramon Jimenez and his poetry; " the landscapes of the soul." This Spanish poet converted words into music-into something weightless, vaporous, almost resembling light.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Juan_Ram%C3%B3n_Jim%C3%A9nez.jpg

Juan Ramon Jimenez's biography can be read in many articles and translations. His work is described as being strongly visual his early work linked to yellow and green and his later work to white. In his late years the influence was largely spiritual. How does he compare to Hughes and Jaccottet. Hughes poems on Crow were largely invited by and written to accompany the work of the sculpture Leonard Baskin. Well he compares more than favourably both in terms of sound and visualization. Its not really my thought though to go into the complexities of poetry; but to use poetry to enhance my understanding of my subject matter and creative work as an artist with the work of poets.

This pueblo and others that you come across tell the same story as the clearances of the Highlands and the removal of people from the moors of the North of England. Haunting landscapes.