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 of 2019/2020. This is the ninth installment of works, the Company remaining at the height of their creative endeavors.

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

December 2020

Doofus and the Duck present their tableau of famed Russian-French Modernist painter Marc Chagall’s self-portrait with his wife, entitled “The Promenade (1917),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Bella Rosenfeld, Author, Wife, and Mother

Another glorious delight from the Company in this interpretation of one of Chagall’s early, and quintessentially happy, works. They have manged to capture the joy Chagall must have felt–the couple happily floating above their home town of Vitebsk, the vibrancy of the picnic rug, the tree in blossom–without losing any sense of the seriousness of the work. Brilliant!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of solo works, their tableau of German 19th Century realist painter Wilhelm Trübner’s portrait of his dog, entitled “Caesar at the Rubicon (1878),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Caesar, A Great Dane About to Make a Great Mistake

A excellent solo work from the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot who again shows us just how versatile and capable it is as an actor, effortlessly portraying the artist’s dog in this small, though wonderfully titled, work. Well done, that Bandicoot!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the local government’s easing of restrictions on choral singing, their tableau of a work by Early Netherlandish master Hans Memling, made famous for choristers by being the cover of the Oxford University Press book “European Sacred Music,” entitled “Five Angels Playing Musical Instruments, left hand panel from a triptych from the Church of Santa Maria la Real, Najera (c. 1487-90),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as An Angel Play Lute for the Lord, and featuring the Purple Hippo as a Happy Psalterista

Magnificent! Full of life, colour, and joy, the Company has brought Memling’s famous panel to vibrant life. Like the return of singing, a joy!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the Beginning of the Christian Liturgical Season of Advent, their tableau of a painting attributed to the famed Italian Renaissance painter and polymath Leonardo da Vinci, entitled “The Annunciation (c. 1472–1475).”

Another touching, elegant, and delightful Christmas tableau expertly performed by the Company principals. The da Vinci original is a fixed and formal affair which Doofus, the Duck, and the Book bring to vivid and colourful life.

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their occasional series of classic movie posters, and in honour of a man who was happy watching Science Fiction movies regardless of their perceived quality, their tableau of a famous promotion poster for Universal Pictures and director Stephen Spielberg’s SF classic, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Elliot, a kid in a hurry, as featuring the Purple Hippo as E.T., an awesome space alien with a magic finger

A beautiful representation of an iconic 1980s movie poster. Bravo!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the US Electoral College failing to bow to the unending pressure of The Tyrant, their tableau of the great French Neoclassical (not to mention melodramatic) master, Paul Delaroche’s classic portrait of an emperor in despair, entitled “Napoléon abdiquant à Fontainebleau (1845),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Napoléon Bonaparte, ex-, and to-be, Emperor of the French

A wonderful effort from the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot on one of Delaroche’s lesser known, though wonderfully humorous, works. The actor manages to capture Napoleon’s utter dejection combined with seething anger, when he is informed of the mutiny of his generals after the French Senate, at Talleyrand’s urging, passed the “Emperor’s Demise Act.” While the political implications are well in keeping with the Company’s recent agenda, one feels it would be better for a small arts organsation to be a fraction less blatant in their opinion. After all, how knows who may be listening? Or, indeed, like Napoleon, the tyrant were to return? What then?

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of children’s book illustrations, and in honour of the current season of Yuletide, their tableau of an illustration from J.R.R. Tolkien’s work “The Father Christmas Letters (1976),” entitled “A Merry Christmas from Father Christmas (1928),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Poor Dear Old Polar Bear Who Fell Down the Stairs, and introducing Shaun the Sheep as Jolly Old Father Christmas Ho! Ho! Ho!

More excellent work from the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot (who really does get into the spirit of the part) and from Shaun the Sheep who bring to life what is, after all, a rather amateurish, though charming, work from the anything-but-amateurish author of “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit.” A perfect antidote for the rather odd “silly season.”

Doofus and the Duck present, to all their loyal fans (which is basically everyone!), their very best and merry to you and yours this Yuletide season. May you be safe, may your holidays be joyful, and may your year end better than it started! With much love from management, the creatives, and the actors of the Company, who all look forward to amazing you in the new year!

Doofus and the Duck present their tableau of Scottish painter Jack Vettriano’s most famous, and most lucrative, painting, entitled “The Singing Butler (1992),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Eliza Middlemore A Maid Not Enjoying Her Outing Very Much At All, and featuring Shaun the Sheep as The Singing Butler

An excellent interpretation of this now iconic, and rather nostalgic (perhaps even elegiac), yet exceedingly popular work from Vettriano. In this setting, the acting prowess of the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot is well matched by Shaun the Sheep’s very fine portrait of the butler, while the two principles are, as ever, sublime in their efforts. A special mention must also be paid to the technical department who have excelled themselves with the set and costumes. A fine way to finish up the year! Bravo!

January 2021

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of that most notable year 2020, their tableau of the most famous of all Dutch paintings, from the hand of Rembrandt van Rijn, entitled “Schutters van wijk II onder leiding van kapitein Frans Banninck Cocq (‘The Night Watch’) (1642),” starring Doofus as Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, the Duck as Ensign Jan Visscher Cornelissen, the Book as The Company Colours, and the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Stunningly Well-dressed Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch, and featuring Shaun the Sheep as A Jolly Fellow in Red, and the Purple Hippo as The Company Mascot

A stunning achievement from the Company! Huzzah! And fireworks all-round!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of great illustrators, their tableau of Gerda Marie Fredrikke Wegener’s portrait of her husband, entitled “The Aperitif (1928),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as La Petite Femme Fatale, Lili Elbe

A lovely work in which the Company joins the on-going “gender debate” to show there is much we have forgotten, and trailblazers we could do well to remember. An elegant performance from the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot, plus more beautiful work from the Props Department. Well done!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their occasional series of great works of sculpture, their interpretation of US artist Jeff Koons’s iconic installation, entitled “Balloon Dog (Various) (1994-2000),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Little Darling’s Internal Workings, and featuring the Purple Hippo as The Tail Who Wags the Dog, and introducing the Little Blue Men as The Infections!

Speechless. Stunned. Fantastic!

Doofus and the Duck present their all-new tableau of French Rococo master Jean-Honoré Fragonard seminal, and best known, work, entitled “Les Hasards heureux de l’escarpolette (The Swing) (c. 1767),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Henri La Cour-Verité, an Upstanding Young Fellow

A true delight and the perfect exemplar of just how far the Company has come in terms of its artistic endeavours. An absolute pleasure to view and very true to Fragonard’s “frivolous,” though rather amusing, piece. Superb!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the Western Christian tradition of the Feast of Epiphany, their tableau of the famous panel painted by German Northern Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer, produced under commission by Frederick the Wise for the altar of the Schlosskirche in Wittenberg, entitled “Adoration of the Magi (1504),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Wisest of the Wise Men Saint Caspar (who also painted this work), and introducing Shaun the Sheep as the Wise Man Balthazar and China Baby as the Wise Man Melchior, and featuring the Purple Hippo as A Clever Fellow in a Turban and the Little Blue Men as Herod’s Minions Off To Slaughter

Another stunning ensemble piece from the Company that brilliantly reflects the Master’s work (even if the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot is getting a touch out-of-control with its self-aggrandizement). The set is wonderful, the costuming sublime, and the acting excellent. It is also reassuring to see some of the “lesser” members of the Company being given a chance to shine, the Small Green Giraffe as Baby Jesus comes in for particular mention. An outstanding effort from the Company at the top of their game!

Doofus and the Duck present their tableau of the second-most popular painting in all of Mother Russia, created by Russian artists Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky (who did the bears), entitled “Morning in a Pine Forest (1889),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as A Cute Bear, and featuring the Purple Hippo as A Very Cute Bear, and introducing Shaun the Sheep as The Cutest Bear

A nice effort but this effort reminds me more of a collection of demented Gothic warriors who have treed a small sheep and are about to eviscerate it for lunch. It would seem the Company’s talents lie more in the realm of figurative than the pastoral or the purely naturalistic.

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of solo works, their tableau of Russian 19th Century Romantic master Viktor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov’s painting, the story of which provided the inspiration for Igor Stravinsky’s ballet, “The Firebird,” entitled “The Flying Carpet (1880),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Youngest Son of the King Ivan “The Dude” Tsarevich

What a glorious interpretation of this Russian classic, with the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot doing a wonderful, if somewhat precarious, job of “riding” the magic carpet with a phoenix clutched to its chest. And another beautiful job by the props and scenery departments in bring this work to life. Well done!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the on-going electoral turmoil in the USA and as part of their on-going series of book illustrations, their tableau of an engraving by M. de Lipman and taken from the Altemus Edition of Henryk Sienkiewicz’s famous 1895 novel “Quo Vadis,” entitled “Nero and the burning of Rome (1897),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, Emperor of the Great Roman Empire, Pontifex Ma..(ed. etc.), featuring the Purple Hippo as A Praetorian with Its Eye on the Prize, and introducing the Little Blue Men as Very Helpful Vigiles

A beautiful rendition of an otherwise near-forgotten work. Delightful from the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot and phenomenal from the Set Department in recreating the semblance of ancient Rome in flames. Excellent!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of all those who have to return to their toil after the holidays, their tableau of a now-lost work by the French 19th century master of Social Realism, Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet, entitled “The Stone Breakers (1849),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Bastien Rocquefort, A Young Fellow Dedicated to Pragmatic Geology

The bleak prospect of a lifetime of back-breaking work is there for all to see. Marvelous in its simplicity of execution and arid palate. Perfect!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the on-going US Constitutional Crisis and as part of their on-going series of great children’s book illustrators, their tableau of a drawing made by American artist and illustrator Nancy Ekholm Burkert for Roald Dahl’s popular children’s novel, entitled “James and the Giant Peach (1961),” starring A Little Blue Man as James

A cheeky and fun interpretation of the original Puffin book cover by the Company. The creativity in this work is exceptional, and the use of the cranes as seagulls (admittedly not 501 as required) is wonderful, as is the muted palette. Very well done, indeed!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of famous movie posters, and as part of their occasional series of on-location shoots, their interpretation of the famous poster from the James Cameron epic disaster movie, “Titanic (1997),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as the Movie Starlette Kate Winslet, and featuring Shaun the Sheep’s Evil Doppelganger as Leonardo DiCapro

A beautifully imaginative and subversive reinterpretation of the pompous original that highlights the class-based tomfoolery Cameron imbued his award-winning movie. The use of a brilliantly lit lagoon, a tinny rather than a one-third scale ship, and using a sheep-of-colour as the main love interest shows us how this movie could have been a much greater event than it was! Wonderful!