Le Silence

by Bruce Mutard

What is this thing called art? Does it have value or only a price? Is it interior decoration or the conduit through which the values and meaning of society are communicated? These questions face Choosy McBride, a gallery manager, and her partner Dmitri, a painter, when they visit remote Northern Queensland to find a mysterious, anonymous artist whose work possesses a power neither has seen before. Choosy is intent on representing him in her gallery and Dmitri, who is in the throes of artist's block, is simply looking for a reason to make art at all. Art, philosophy, God, and love are put through the ringer, and Choosy and Dmitri are about to discover that silence speaks loudest.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, 21st Century

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Mu...

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Silence' is a quick, engaging read about a couple who visit a remote coastal town. Choosey, the lady, is a capitalistic art-dealer visiting an aging artist. Her partner, Dmitri, is a jaded, cynical artist himself, who has come to a point where he questions the purpose of creating anything at all. The book is peppered with Mutard's ruminations on the nature of art and its place in the modern world, masquerading as conversations between the few principle characters.

What makes this book better is the premise; the existence of a small, anonymous church that houses unimaginably powerful paintings, created by a mysterious figure that Choosey goes mad trying to find. In the end, she is so blinded by the fame and fortune that works of such caliber surely guarantee that she literally can no longer "see" the art. This is Mutard's real point; that the art world reduces creative works with real impact to the point where they can no longer be truly seen as separate from their hype and price tags. The original art has become invisible, inscrutable. Whether you agree with this or not, it's certainly an engaging story that asks you to think, and the rendering of the character's body language is wonderful.

[Tate Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly I couldn't finish this book. I had no interest in the art philosophising and the the story didn't have enough elements in it to keep me interested. 2 stars for the art which i appreciate the very detailed and defined effort that went into it however even so the art came across as a little lifeless which matched the blandness of the story. I hope this Australian artist can produce something more engaging next time.

[Dash · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really is an insightful and considered fragment regarding artistic practice in Australia today.

[Electra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une lecture intéressante sur l’art.

[Richard Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those ones that I've had sitting on my shelf for a few years, back from the days when I was a bit more active on the local comic book scene. An ebook project for work prompted me to finally take a thorough look at it. Mutard's deceptively simple story of a couple in search of an elusive artist unfolds through conversations and observations on the nature of art and artists. Backed by strikingly etched black and white line-art, it’s also a low-key mystery that doesn't provide any easy answers.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Silence” – Bruce Mutard
Captivating short story, giving us little background and an inconclusive ending, but certainly a satisfying read.
So who was the mystery artist? Was it the teenage girl?
Interesting insight into the angst of artists and how their art is received.
And cool to have a story set in northern Australia. ****

[StrictlySequential · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent use of oppositional philosophies between the couple on the covers. It's a solid buffet of art philosophy seen through thought patterns and such of the artist (the guys) which are in contrast to the business woman. This is all about the "nature" of art.

[Michael Earp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful reflection on art and the creative voice, with a delightfully eerie art gallery.

[Samina Siddique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great premise and delightfully Australian but the storyline and plot just didn't hit the mark.

[Belinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

What is this thing called art? Is it handprints on a cave wall in Chauvet, Picasso's doodles on a napkin, or a graphic novel called The Silence? I don't know, but sometimes it speaks to you, sometimes it doesn't. I didn't get this GN at all so it obviously didn't speak to me.

Sure, it's fine to have a couple of people in a relationship squabbling about art is precious and should be paid for and accumulate in value vs art is ethics and core values vs some old guy arguing that it's simply decoration. Trouble is, what does it mean? Does it have to mean anything? And why, if it is meant to speak to you, was this piece of art so profoundly annoying?

I didn't like Choosy. I didn't like Dimitri. As a couple they sucked because they didn't even like one another and seemed to spend all of their time diametrically opposed to the Big Questions.

And what was the end? I didn't even understand what the last 4 or 5 frames meant. I didn't care that we never got to meet the artist who painted and gave her/his stuff away, I just got fed up with the whole dynamic in the end.

Ah well, maybe I can skip the next Mutard and leave it to someone else to admire.

[Sven McNiven · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished this a while ago and was too busy to write a review. Trying to remember it now, there certainly weren't too many memorable moments. It's a graphic novel and some of the art work is underwhelming. The plot is convoluted and doesn't really make much sense. The main couple are extremely unlikeable, bickering and arguing much of the time. Maybe the title refers to peoples' reaction when they realise they've spent $20 on this.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The amount that is conveyed through the body language of the characters in this is amazing. I have no idea what happens in the end though - I found myself reaching for 'magic realism' to explain what might have happened. Does Choosy's desire to make money from art literally blind her from seeing the art?

[Dave Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mesmerizing story telling undermined by some wanky discourse on the meaning of art. Pitch perfect graphics nonetheless packaged within a dramatic cadence that draws you into time, place and character.

It did leave an impression that is sure to last and I'm out hunting more from Mutard.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the new edition published by Allen and Unwin, so it may be slightly different to the above.

It was okay. Quick and entertaining-ish.

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it; it was a good concept with a well developed plot and a satisfying ending. The artwork was appropriate for the story.

[Phoebe Macdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful without being even remotely overbearing. A song that should sing true to artists of any medium.

[Firefox]

Don't quite easy to find Australian visual novels these days, and this is a great sacastic book about the valuation of art . Nice to see the couple was still good despite their different attitude in art, I was worried cause they sometimes don't see things eye to eye.