Anthony discussing his final art degree exhibition, 'Man is an Animal' (1967).
Extract from 'Playing the Shape Game' (2003)
'... The exhibition consisted of four large oil paintings and a book. The pictures in the book were of people indulging in typical everyday activities, but the accompanying text for each image described basic animal behaviour. It related to the picture books that I make now, in which the relationship between the words and the pictures is rarely uncomplicated. I like to include differences and gaps between the two components that the reader has to fill in with his or her imagination.
With the ‘Man Is An Animal’ book, I was trying to illustrate the similarities between human and animal behaviour...'
'...For the final show I put the book on a table and surrounded it with the four Baconesque oil paintings. They were large, figurative canvases – untitled, but with vague themes such as aggression and sexuality. The paintings were intended to imply the connection between human and animal behaviour, without spelling the message out as the book did...'
