“William Kurelek’s "Glimmering Tapers ’round the Day’s Dead Sanctities" immediately transports me to those moments when I pause enough to observe the night sky above. As a songwriter, I’m less interested in nature itself. I’m more interested in the connection between humanity, society, culture and the impact our nature has on such things. In this painting we see the harsh, yet stunning, Alberta environment impacting both a community and the artist. The sky and its connection to earth and humanity inspires this contemplative and beautiful melancholic art. I could and do stare at this painting until my vision blurs into the painting. It’s stunning.”
About the musical response:
“The painting reminded me immediately of the lyrics & melody to our song ‘Stars.’ I wrote the song after drinking too much wine and staring at the sky above. From birth to death we have scientific, religious, spiritual, artistic, philosophical and even whacky wine soaked observations of the night sky. I am amazed at how artists from Herodotus to Kurelek to Iggy Pop have been influenced by the sky above and I often contemplate how the night sky sees us. Hopefully this is evident in the song.”
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F&M (Rebecca & Ryan Anderson) is a baroque-pop outfit with a penchant for dark lyrics and mesmerizing melodies. Rebecca contributes hauntingly pristine vocals, adventurous keyboard arrangements and emotional snapshots, while Ryan offers a soulful croon, sturdy guitar riffs and wryly astute lyrics. Their last album, At Sunset We Sing, was shortlisted for the Edmonton Music Prize and earned a Best Alternative Album nomination at the Edmonton Music Awards. F&M’s new album Lessons From Losers was released on September 21, 2018.
Image credit:
William Kurelek
Glimmering Tapers 'round The Day's Dead Sanctities, 1970
Mixed media on hardboard
Art Gallery of Alberta Collection, purchased in 1990 with funds from the Art Associates of The Edmonton Art Gallery