The following brief explanation was contained in the booklet produced to accompany a Retrospective of Lenkiewicz's work in 1997.
"How nicely does doggish lust beg for a piece of spirit when a piece of flesh is denied it." Nietzche.
In 1975 Lenkiewicz produced a booklet titled: Love and Romance: A Note. This ran parallel with an Exhibition on the theme of Love and Romance. Lenkiewicz held the view that the traditional 'love' experience involved some kind of selective procedure; and that this selectivity was not conscious or deliberate. This worldwide human commonplace has been aggrandised and raised on pedestals of all kinds. Poetry and Literature has exemplified this physiological phenomenon from ancient times. He thought it interesting that other 'transcendent' or 'theological' experiences seemed to be made out of similar ingredients and that unexpected deprivation - grief, jealousy - revealed physiological trauma similar or identical to that experienced by the alcoholic or heroin-addict.
He felt that it might be possible to aesthetically 'measure' the degree of addiction and the degree of withdrawals. He commenced a series of 'Aesthetic Notes' which attempted to record physiological sensation by means of certain colours and certain shapes. These notes are rarely seen but are voluminous. This line of enquiry has involved using himself as a guinea-pig and is an ongoing activity. A number of the paintings in Project 4 were elaborate constructions associating with theological artefacts and often gilded with ornate emblems. A large number of ironic devices were constructed in order to draw attention to the mythic undertones that people (usually young) associate with the poetic notion of 'two' becoming 'one'. Lenkiewicz held the view that these behaviours indicated an obsessive, pathological ruthlessness involving patterns that were not unlike those found in political persuasions and fascism. They characterised human emotional development, or rather the lack of it.
Andre Breton once wrote:
"Before I knew you - look, the words are meaningless. You know very well that, when I saw you for the first time, I recognised you at once. "
Lenkiewicz noted in his research that one of the primary claims made by the 'lover' was that of 'union'. A unique twosome leading to a single unit. This did not seem to be so much a philosophical belief as a physiological need. If one were touched aesthetically at a deep enough level then 'ideology', 'fanaticism', 'love', would emerge. These observations were to lead to a careful investigation of physiological behaviour under crisis. The following projects were an expression of these. Imagery centring around The New Testament characterised sections of this project - Lenkiewicz's notes record:
"We are told of two thieves who hang by the side of a crucified man, (in romantic love, there are two thieves constantly stealing from each other, who finally crucify each other). We are further told of the Deposition, when the dead man is brought down from the cross and mourned. (In romantic love, one partner grieves after the lost affections of the other). We are finally told that the dead man resurrected. (In romantic Love, the 'loser' in the attachment replaces the addiction with a new companion.)"
I can love both fairs and browne,
Her whom abundance melts, and her whom want betraies,
Her who loves lonenesse best, and her who maskes and plaies,
Her whom the country form'd, and whom the town,
Her who believes, and her who tries,
Her who still weepes with spungie eyes,
And her who is dry corke, and never cries;
I can love her, and her, and you and you
(John Donne)
(1) Cup with human still life £55
(2) Three humans in front of ‘The Jewish Bride’ by Rembrandt in the Rijksmuseum. £300
(3) Human that might be in love looking in the mirror at night time: or Tristran and Isolde £85
(4) Human that might be in love looking in the mirror at day time: or Dante and Beatrice £65
(5) Human that might be in love looking in the mirror or Abelard and Heloise £65
(6) Human that might be in love looking in the mirror or Majnan and Laili £85
(7) Lovers £40
(8) Orgasm £47
(9) Woman gently asking for love £45
'There is no solution because there is no problem.’
M DUCHAMP.
(10) And she dreams of far away lovers £100
(11) Woman with dead rose £100
(12) Belle with Mantegna's dead Christ in Bellini's landscape £100
(13) Francesca with Grunwald's Christ in Cranach's Landscape £100
(14) Lelya on the cross with Peselino's saints £100
(15) Orpheus and Eurydice £130
(16) Man looking at woman's dress £45
(17) Man holding woman's dress (studies) £35
(18) Human heart £50
(19) Lovers in Joe's Cafe £55
(20) The touch £55
(21) Towel with human still life £65
(22) The city of love collapses as the lovers separate £75
(23) Man and woman look at each other as lightning strikes the city of love £45
(24) I could have 'had her' if I was older/I could have 'had her' if I was younger £85
(25) Lovers in the stocks £85
(26) Katherine and Heathcliffe/or our love has nothing to do with sex £45
(27) Pugilist in love £110
“I'm afraid I'm an agnostic in art. I just don't believe in it with all the mystical trimmings. As a drug it's probably very useful for a number of people, very sedative, but as a religion it's not even as good as God.”
M. DUCHAMP.
(28) Two lovers holding mirrors £60
(29) Once upon a time £85
(30) Belle with child £55
(31) Two humans or Plato and Dion £60
(32) Pot with human still life £50
(33) Man and woman touching all the ones before and all the ones after £50
(34) The touch (watercolour) £30
(35) Lovers hands (drawing) £20
(36) Ruti and the troubadour £55
(37) Ruti without the troubadour £55
(38) Ruti and empty bed (study) £55
(39) Child and empty bed £50
(40) Which one? £55
(41) Wait and see £140
(42) Two humans or John Donne and Anne More £80
(43) Affection £50
A small selection of paintings on the theme of 'Death and the Maiden’ is exhibited as an indication of another aspect of the relationships theme
(a) Death presenting peace to the maiden £160
(b) Death and the maiden £55
(c) Death and the maiden £28
(d) Death making love to the maiden in the grave £28
(e) Death with lover £28
(f) The decay of love/the putrefaction of Diogenes £250
(g) One of the Three Magi presenting his gift to the Virgin (study) £200
“I just wanted turn identities, that's all. It was a sort of readymadeish action. I first wanted to get a Jewish name, but I didn't find one. Then the idea jumped at me, why not a female name? Marvellous! Much better than to change religion would be to change sex. Rose was the most corny name for a girl at that time in French, and Selavy of course, was 'C'est la vie’. My name is Rose Selavy.”
M. DUCHAMP.