Ballian Man
2020
Graeme Lee Main
After
Wal Footrot by Murray Ball (1976) and
Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci (1490)
Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man, is an ink drawing on paper from 1490, capturing the mathematical perfection of the dimensions of man. In my image, the subject is Wal Footrot and is a tribute to the artist Murray Ball and the enduring effect he has had on many Kiwis. I have always been a huge fan of Ball, I grew up with cartoons of the Dog and Wal on Footrot Flats, we had all the annuals and I would draw his cartoons regularly for my enjoyment. I even wrote to Murray to ask permission to use an image of Pew the magpie as a mascot for my ATC Squadron. Pew is still the figurehead on the 20 (City of Whangarei) Squadron badge to this day.
Both artists were in my opinion geniuses. One was a polymath, inventor and artistic genius, and the other was a brilliant cartoonist who captured the mindset of an entire nation.
Printed in Ink on Ilford Galerie Fine Art Paper and “aged” using tea.
The translation of the text.
Footrot the Farmer, says in his work on the farm, that the measurement of the human body are distributed by nature as follows, that is that 5 fingers make 1 hand and 5 toes are on each foot, one foot fits in a gumboot. If you open your legs so much as to decrease your height a bit and spread and raise your arms till your middle fingers touch the level of the top of your head you must know that the centre of the outspread limbs will be in the belly button and the space between the legs will be an equilateral triangle big enough to house the Dog. The length of a farmers's outspread arms is roughly equal to his height.
From the roots of the hair, which should always be covered by a sturdy hat, to the bottom of the chin, depends greatly on what position he plays on the rugby field. Those in the front row have no separation between shoulder and head, whereas those numbers 9 to 15 have longer appendages and slim long necks. A farmer should not expose the nipples or belly button unless swimming or in the bath, they should be kept under a black woollen vest. The vest should be longer than the distance between shoulder and Y-fronts. The area of bare skin on the legs, between the bottom of the shorts leg and the top of the gumboot, should be at least equidistant on either side of the kneecap, unless the outside temperature drops below -10 degrees centigrade or on a date, then long trousers can be worn. The head is pretty important, it's about the same distance between the roots of your hair to the eyebrows as it is from your chin to your nose, and like your ear, a third of the face. Unless you are a lock, in which case you will probably have cauliflower ears so that will be completely wrong.
2020
Graeme Lee Main
After
Wal Footrot by Murray Ball (1976) and
Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci (1490)
Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man, is an ink drawing on paper from 1490, capturing the mathematical perfection of the dimensions of man. In my image, the subject is Wal Footrot and is a tribute to the artist Murray Ball and the enduring effect he has had on many Kiwis. I have always been a huge fan of Ball, I grew up with cartoons of the Dog and Wal on Footrot Flats, we had all the annuals and I would draw his cartoons regularly for my enjoyment. I even wrote to Murray to ask permission to use an image of Pew the magpie as a mascot for my ATC Squadron. Pew is still the figurehead on the 20 (City of Whangarei) Squadron badge to this day.
Both artists were in my opinion geniuses. One was a polymath, inventor and artistic genius, and the other was a brilliant cartoonist who captured the mindset of an entire nation.
Printed in Ink on Ilford Galerie Fine Art Paper and “aged” using tea.
The translation of the text.
Footrot the Farmer, says in his work on the farm, that the measurement of the human body are distributed by nature as follows, that is that 5 fingers make 1 hand and 5 toes are on each foot, one foot fits in a gumboot. If you open your legs so much as to decrease your height a bit and spread and raise your arms till your middle fingers touch the level of the top of your head you must know that the centre of the outspread limbs will be in the belly button and the space between the legs will be an equilateral triangle big enough to house the Dog. The length of a farmers's outspread arms is roughly equal to his height.
From the roots of the hair, which should always be covered by a sturdy hat, to the bottom of the chin, depends greatly on what position he plays on the rugby field. Those in the front row have no separation between shoulder and head, whereas those numbers 9 to 15 have longer appendages and slim long necks. A farmer should not expose the nipples or belly button unless swimming or in the bath, they should be kept under a black woollen vest. The vest should be longer than the distance between shoulder and Y-fronts. The area of bare skin on the legs, between the bottom of the shorts leg and the top of the gumboot, should be at least equidistant on either side of the kneecap, unless the outside temperature drops below -10 degrees centigrade or on a date, then long trousers can be worn. The head is pretty important, it's about the same distance between the roots of your hair to the eyebrows as it is from your chin to your nose, and like your ear, a third of the face. Unless you are a lock, in which case you will probably have cauliflower ears so that will be completely wrong.
2020
Graeme Lee Main
After
Wal Footrot by Murray Ball (1976) and
Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci (1490)
Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man, is an ink drawing on paper from 1490, capturing the mathematical perfection of the dimensions of man. In my image, the subject is Wal Footrot and is a tribute to the artist Murray Ball and the enduring effect he has had on many Kiwis. I have always been a huge fan of Ball, I grew up with cartoons of the Dog and Wal on Footrot Flats, we had all the annuals and I would draw his cartoons regularly for my enjoyment. I even wrote to Murray to ask permission to use an image of Pew the magpie as a mascot for my ATC Squadron. Pew is still the figurehead on the 20 (City of Whangarei) Squadron badge to this day.
Both artists were in my opinion geniuses. One was a polymath, inventor and artistic genius, and the other was a brilliant cartoonist who captured the mindset of an entire nation.
Printed in Ink on Ilford Galerie Fine Art Paper and “aged” using tea.
The translation of the text.
Footrot the Farmer, says in his work on the farm, that the measurement of the human body are distributed by nature as follows, that is that 5 fingers make 1 hand and 5 toes are on each foot, one foot fits in a gumboot. If you open your legs so much as to decrease your height a bit and spread and raise your arms till your middle fingers touch the level of the top of your head you must know that the centre of the outspread limbs will be in the belly button and the space between the legs will be an equilateral triangle big enough to house the Dog. The length of a farmers's outspread arms is roughly equal to his height.
From the roots of the hair, which should always be covered by a sturdy hat, to the bottom of the chin, depends greatly on what position he plays on the rugby field. Those in the front row have no separation between shoulder and head, whereas those numbers 9 to 15 have longer appendages and slim long necks. A farmer should not expose the nipples or belly button unless swimming or in the bath, they should be kept under a black woollen vest. The vest should be longer than the distance between shoulder and Y-fronts. The area of bare skin on the legs, between the bottom of the shorts leg and the top of the gumboot, should be at least equidistant on either side of the kneecap, unless the outside temperature drops below -10 degrees centigrade or on a date, then long trousers can be worn. The head is pretty important, it's about the same distance between the roots of your hair to the eyebrows as it is from your chin to your nose, and like your ear, a third of the face. Unless you are a lock, in which case you will probably have cauliflower ears so that will be completely wrong.