Introduction

The continuing art adventures of Doofus and the Duck and their Company of players, as created by my wonderful wife Emma during the time of quarantine: the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing through 2021. This is the fifteenth installment of works, the Company remaining at the height of their creative endeavors.

Without further ado, back to the Doofus and the Duck…

August 2021 (cont.)

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of great illustrators and in commemoration of the 191st anniversary of The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s new Tom Thumb steam locomotive races a horse-drawn car, their tableau of a water colour scene by the 20th Century American artist Tasha Tudor for an edition of English author Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s book “Wind in the Willows,” entitled “Toad sat straight down in the middle of the dusty road. (1966),” featuring the Purple Hippo as Mr Toad, The Little Green Giraffe as Ratty, and the Little Sheep as A Distressed Draft Horse

Sweet!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the 241st anniversary of the birth of French neo-classical master Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, their tableau of a whimsical work by modern Russian artist Vitaly Maslennikov, entitled “Cast Off (2014),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Intrepid Captain, and featuring Shaun the Sheep and the Little Sheep as Gallant Sailors, and the Purple Hippo as The Lookout!

What a complete delight! This is, in many ways, the Company at their finest, even if the work is obscure: line, colour, form all merge into one creating both a marvelous sense of the original, and yet build on it with their special take on tangible humour found in the painting. Superb!

September 2021

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the beginning of the new liturgical year for the Eastern Orthodox Church and in commemoration of the recent birthday anniversary of a Dear Friend of the Company, their tableau of an illustration taken from the “oldest, well-preserved, surviving, illustrated biblical codex,” known as the Vienna Genesis (Vienna cod. theol. gr. 31) and probably originally created in the region of Syria, entitled “Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well (early 6th Century CE),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as the Beautiful Canaanite Maiden Rebecca and featuring Shaun the Sheep as the faithful servant Eliezer of Damascus

A simple yet delightful interpretation of a forgotten classic. Wonderful work from all the principals, with Doofus putting in a particularly outstanding effort as The Water Nymph, and glorious set design and production values. A very suitable tableau for the occasion!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of Merchant Navy Remembrance Day and for the anniversary of birth of one of the Company’s fans, their tableau of a plate made by the 17th Century German artist and engraver Wolfgang Kilian for the Benedictine Abbott Kaspar Plautz’s, of Seitenstetten Abbey, history of exploration called “Nova typis transacta navigatio novi orbis Indiæ occidentalis,” entitled “Easter Sunday Mass on the Back of a Giant Sea Monster (1621),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as the Great, Mighty, and Beneficent Sea Monster, Jasconius; and featuring the Purple Hippo as the Bold Voyager, St Brendan; the Little Sheep as A Barbary Sheep; and the Little Blue Men as Likely Monks

Another epic effort from the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot ties this rather odd, yet surprisingly fetching, work together. Well done!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of solo works, and in honour of the Australian edition of the Festival of Male Parenting Units, their tableau of a late work by 15th Century Florentine master Domenico Ghirlandajo, entitled “An Old Man with his Grandson (c.1490),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Kindly Patrician Bastiano Sconosciuto

A sweet recreation of the original portrait. Once again the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot shines as the protagonist with excellent support by Doofus as the young man. Touching.

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of Early Art and in honour of the Festival of Ancient Greek and Minoan Art, their tableau of the famous mosaic taken from the East Wing of the Place at Knossos by an unknown artist and recreated by the Swiss artist and archaeological draftsman Émile Gilliéron, entitled “Taurokathapsia (Bull-Leaping Fresco) (c.1450 BCE),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot and Shaun the Sheep as Mighty Minoan Taureadors, and introducing Koo the Viet Water-buffalo as A Fierce Ancient Bull

In every way a marvel! Excellent!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of famous movie posters their tableau of a theatrical release poster for Rob Reiner’s and William Goldman’s adaption of Goldman’s 1973 novel of the same name, entitled “The Princess Bride (1987),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Mysterious and Handsome Man in Black, and featuring Shaun the Sheep as The Giant Fezzik, China Baby as Inigo Montoya, and introducing the Little Blue Men as the Inconceivable Lads Going Up the Cliffs of Insanity

And they said it could not be done: They were wrong! Fabulous!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of People of NYC who are commemorating twenty years after the horror of September 11, 2001, their tableau by noted New York native, Greenwich Village resident, and Modern Realist artist Edward Hopper of one of the most iconic images in American art, entitled “Nighthawks (1942),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Avi ‘The Schnoz’ Lippkowitz, and Shaun the Sheep as Jerome ‘Jazzman’ Hargreaves; and featuring the Purple Hippo as the Bus Boy

An outstanding recreation of one of the most recognizable of Hopper’s canvases: the acting is top-class, the set design is stunning, the lighting excellent, and the overall effect completely as one. A stunning achievement!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of famous movie posters and in recognition of the NSW Government’s recent declaration of Picnic Day (as a means of mitigating the COVID lockdown miasma inflicting the state), their interpretation of a theatrical release poster for Peter Weir / Hal and Jim McElroy film, based on the 1967 novel by Australian author Joan Lindsay, entitled “Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as the Inquisitive Ms Miranda, and featuring Shaun the Sheep as Marion, the Purple Hippo as Irma, and the Little Sheep and China Baby as a Cute Schoolgirls

A fascinating tableau in response to a bizarre political incentive and it is quite difficult to workout exactly what the Company is attempting to say. Then, that is well in keeping with the source material which is nothing if not opaque. Well done!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the 1925th anniversary of the assassination of the Roman Emperor Domitian, their tableau of the earlier Naples version of a subject painted by Italian Baroque master Artemisia Gentileschi, entitled “Judith Slaying Holofernes (c.1612-1613),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as the beautiful Israelite heroine Judith, and featuring Shaun the Sheep as the Great Assyrian General, Holofernes

Exquisite! The Company shows, yet again, how accomplished they are when doing tableau of Baroque works, especially those with strong chiaroscuro elements. Well done!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the successful first all-civilian orbital space flight by SpaceX’s Inspiration4 and in memory of an aborted Chilean observation weekend by the Company’s resident astrologer, their tableau of a painting by British-born Mexican artist and feminist Leonora Carrington based on the Lewis Carroll poem of the same name, entitled “How Doth the Little Crocodile (c. 1998),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Little Crocodile Steersman, and featuring the Company Little People as Little Crocodiles

A truly magnificent re-imagination of an outstanding late-Surrealist work. Brilliant in every respect!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of famous illustrations and in honor of both the Autumnal Equinox and the International Day of Peace, their tableau of a single-panel drawing by famed American cartoonist Gary Larson from his “Far Side” series, entitled “God at His Computer (1992),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Mighty and Vengeful Christian God, and featuring the Purple Hippo as The Rube

Not much to add here, except outstanding!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of famous movie posters and in honour of the International Day of Sign Languages, their interpretation of a theatrical release poster for NZ film-making legend Jane Campion’s period drama, starring Holly Hunter, Sam Neill, Harvey Keitel, and Anna Paquin, entitled “The Piano (1993),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as the Verbally-Challenged Scottish Hero, Ada McGrath, and featuring the Silver Beaver as Flora

In this wonderfully evocative tableau it is the set designers who have stepped forward with a marvelous stormy coastal setting so reminiscent of the South Island of New Zealand. The Silver Beaver also seems to be enjoying its time in the sun, unlike the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot who looks decidedly uncomfortable in the role Holly Hunter made her own; perhaps it is standing in the ocean that is the cause of the apparent distress? Regardless, a very fine work!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of solo works and in honour of the UN Declaration of the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, their tableau of the front side of a wooden chest found in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt, within the antechamber of a famous pharonic-era burial chamber, entitled “Detail of a Battle Scene from King Tutankhamun’s Painted Chest (c. 1323BCE),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as “The good god, the Son of Amon, the Valiant one, without his equal, A Possessor of strength who tramples hundreds of thousands, who makes them into a pile of corpses.” (aka Tutankhamun); featuring Boxer the Stuffed Clydesdale and the Black Horse as Mighty Steeds, and everyone else as Pharonic Pincushions

Simultaneously outstanding and inexplicable. Fantastic!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the Christian festival of Michaelmas, their tableau of a painting by French late-19th Century master, Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir, entitled “La danse à Bougival (1883),” featuring the Purple Hippo and the Little Sheep as Lively Café Goers

It is wonderful to see two of the Company’s principals recreating such an iconic, and superb, Impressionist masterpiece. It is a subtle and colourful interpretation of Renoir’s painting that doesn’t fail to dazzle. Outstanding!

October 2021

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of solo works and also as part of their series of iconic movie posters, their interpretation of a French-language theatrical release poster for Steve Klove’s romantic-comedy drama musical, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Jeff Bridges, entitled “The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989),” starring the Purple Hippo as The Vamp Susie Diamond, and featuring the Little Notre Dame Gargoyle as The Dude

The Purple Hippo slinking? Enough said…

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the upcoming relaxation of local COVID restrictions and in memory of the 232nd anniversary of the first Thanksgiving Day holiday, their tableau of a painting by French-English 19th century genre painter Jacques Joseph Tissot, entitled “Holyday (The Picnic) (1876),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as A Woman of Culture and Refinement; and Shaun the Sheep as I Zingari’s Demon Bowler, Bobby Ponsonby

Another delightful ensemble piece of a little known, and typically odd, work by James Tissot. Like the original, the Company’s version is beautiful and over-wrought, with an exquisite palette. Very fine!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the Christian Feast Day of Holy Holy Saint Francis of Assisi, their tableau of panel, perhaps part of a larger work, by Florentine proto-Renaissance master Giotto di Bondone, entitled “St Francis Receiving the Stigmata (1st quarter of 14th Century CE),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Holy St Francis, and featuring the Purple Hippo as St Francis Preaching to the Birds and the Little Green Giraffe as St Bonaventure

A truly lovely version of this Giotto image, with excellent work from Doofus as Jesus as Seraphim, the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as the main St Francis, and a fine effort from the Purple Hippo, even if it fails to completely nail St Francis’s aesthetic. Wonderful!

Doofus and the Duck present, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Fox News Channel, their tableau of a synthetic cubist masterpiece by Spanish artistic genius Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso, entitled “Nous autres musiciens (The Three Commentators) (1921),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Joker, and featuring Shaun the Sheep as The Thinker and the Purple Hippo as The Loudmouth

An interesting attempt at cubism which, while not entirely successful as a piece of “synthetic cubism,” (we don’t want our actors in parts after all!) when paired with its “description” becomes a wonderfully work of post-modern humour, putting the burn on News Corp’s infamous “news” outlet. Excellent!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of early art and in honour of World Mental Health Day, their tableau of a series of images taken from the Grotte de Lascaux in France, done by artists unknown, entitled “Images from The Hall of the Bulls (c.17000 BCE),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as A Very Fiercesome Aurochs and Boxer the Stuffed Clydesdale as A Fine Horse; and featuring the Purple Hippo and the Little Sheep as Two Friendly Megaloceroses; and introducing Trevor the Trilobite as The Progenitor

An outstanding effort from the Company in creating this wonderfully atmospheric vision of paleolithic art. The hand-prints are a particularly fine addition to this work. Fantastic!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the Festival of Doi taikomatsuri (and wishing all the fine folk of Shikoko a good and plentiful harvest!) present their tableau of a woodcut print made by one of the most important of modern Japanese artists and printmakers, Hasui Kawase, entitled “Spring Rain in Uneo Park (c.1930),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot and Shaun the Sheep as Elegant Japanese Ladies Out for a Stroll

Blissfully beautiful and elegant!

Doofus and the Duck present, in commemoration of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and in honour of the return of choral music to the Parish of St Francis Paddington (NSW), their tableau of a stained glass panel installed in the (Anglican) Cathedral Church of St Paul in Dunedin (Aotearoa/New Zealand), created by New Zealandish master glass painter Peter Mackenzie, entitled “St Cecilia (portrayed as Dame Kiri Te Kanawa) (2012),” featuring the Purple Hippo as A Very Musical Putto, and the Little Sheep as a Weka

Another wonderful effort by the Company in depicting an unusual, though locally very important, artwork. The design is spectacular, the acting very fine (even if the Little Sheep is more suited to playing NZ’s most populous mammal than a small flightless bird), and the production fantastic. Well done!