The Wheel of Life

[Stephen Whiteside]

Now, this is getting a fair bit away from bush poetry, I know, but it's a fascinating slice of Australian history, and aren't most of us bush poets history buffs of a sort? Besides, Web Gilbert was a good mate of C. J. Dennis, and they both benefited greatly from the patronage of Garry and Roberta Roberts at "Sunnyside". (That's where Dennis finished writing "The Sentimental Bloke", by the way.)

I've posted some information on my blog about one of Gilbert's statues, "The Wheel of Life". It's a complicated story, with many more questions than answers.

You can find it here:
http://www.stephenwhiteside.com.au/the-wheel-of-life/

[Neville Briggs]

I'm afraid I have to admit I have no interest in Buddhism. I did find the article on ARVOS interesting, loved the magnificent beard

[Stephen Whiteside]

Fair enough, Neville. The interesting thing to me about this sculpture is that it is the only one by Gilbert I am aware of that is not about the war. I don't think Gilbert wanted to do war sculptures, but the war came along - took away many people dear to him - and was the only subject that paid the bills. He had a family to feed, after all.

This sculpture allowed Gilbert to express himself on a couple of levels, I suspect. He may well have been a Buddhist. I don't know about that, but he must have had a lot of sympathy for the religion. Secondly, by allowing the wheel to fall from the lama's hand, he expresses the lack of control he had over his own life. This sculpture was then rejected by the man who commissioned it, which was quite ironic, and confirmed the very message of the piece.