In the early 1970s, Arthur Boyd bought and restored a large, two-storey traditional farmhouse called Il Paretaio. Situated on the crest of a hill and surrounded by fields and olive groves, it is five kilometres from the village of Palaia in the province of Pisa, Tuscany. Boyd established this farmhouse as a residency programme, (which was later managed by the Australia Council). The residency program ended in 1990. Anthony Pryor undertook an Australia Council residency at Paretaio in 1984. This work is one in a series made during his time there. This work was entered into the Shire of Eltham Art Award in 1985.Pryor is an artist of national significance. This work is an example of his series of 'boxes' made principally for his own pleasure and often swapped with artists and other friends as soon as they were finished. The 'box' series was part inspired by Japanese techniques of wooden construction. Pryor first visited Japan in 1975 and was immediately drawn to Japanese methods of working with stone and wood. Many of these boxes are based upon the principles of the Japanese Zen Buddhist monk Sengai Gibon (1750-1838). This work relates to Sengai's famous hanging scroll Circle, Triangle and Square in which the circle can be read to stand for the cosmos, the square for the individual, and the triangle for aspiration. A heavy, box-like (cube) structure created from huon pine, with bronze, brass and stone elements. Within the cube is an eastern inspired, rear lattice wall in combination with bronze domestic fittings, and symbols (cube, pyramid and circle). Metal lightning, clouds and wooden rainbow hover over an asymmetrical bronze bed floating within the cube. A chair leans and a tilting ladder reaches towards the sky. Stamped into wood: lower right 'ANTHONY PRYOR PARETAIO'huon pine, pryor, brass, bronze, stone, cube, paretaio, italy, eastern, japan, sengai gibon, symbols, zen buddhism, sculpture, personal

This was the first work de Clario painted during his Australia Council residency in Paretaio, Arthur Boyd's studio in Tuscany. It was painted in an old stable with a vaulted ceiling that reminded de Clario of a cenacolo or supper room. Domenico de Clario has an international reputation, gained particularly through his installation work and collaboration with composers and musicians. De Clario made many irregular shaped, un-stretched paintings during this period. He was involved with Arte Povera, a socialist based art movement where the 'poverty' was reflected in the choice and use of materials. This work was entered into the 1986 Shire of Eltham Art Awards. Painting: oil on canvas mounted on stretched canvas. Semi abstract painting containing out of focus objects within a room.de clario, painting, semi abstract, expressive, painterly, personal, arte povera, paretaio