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John Kinsella 'Lexical Spectrum 1'
2004 THE MEANING of EVERYTHING
1999 SAME OLD SAME OLD
The Lexical Spectrum series is based on colour words, obtained by reading and listing all colour words, as defined by the dictionaries themselves, from the country-specific editions of the Pocket Oxford Dictionaries. The dimensions of the paintings have been determined by the page height of the first dictionary read. Each painting is 183 cm high, divided into 10 rows, 18.3cm high, or page height. Each row is further divided into vertical bars of approximately 1 cm in width. The row width, and therefore the painting width, depends on the number of pages in each dictionary. Each vertical bar represents a page which is sectioned horizontally to correspond proportionally to the number and colour of colour words which occur on the page. Pages with no colour words have been painted the colour of page paper.
Detail: LEXICAL SPECTRUM APOD
Lexical Spectrum COPD
The Canadian Oxford Paperback Dictionary
2002
183 x 129 cm
oil on canvas
Wesfarmers Collection
Lexical Spectrum OADD
The Oxford American Desk Dictionary revised edition
2002
183 x 73 cm
oil on canvas
Private collection Canada
Lexical Spectrum APOD2
The Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary 2nd edition
2002
183 x 86 cm
oil on canvas
Private collection WA
Lexical Spectrum SAPOD
The South African Pocket Oxford Dictionary 2nd edition
2000
183 x 120 cm
oil on canvas
Private collection NSW
Lexical Spectrum APOD
The Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary 4th edition
(1999) 2002
183 x 134 cm
oil on canvas
Wesfarmers Collection
Lexical Spectrum POD
The Pocket Oxford Dictionary 3rd revised 8th edition
(1999) 2002
183 x 112 cm
oil on canvas
City of Swan WA
2004 THE MEANING of EVERYTHING
1999 SAME OLD SAME OLD
LEXICAL SPECTRUM
The Lexical Spectrum series is based on colour words, obtained by reading and listing all colour words, as defined by the dictionaries themselves, from the country-specific editions of the Pocket Oxford Dictionaries. The dimensions of the paintings have been determined by the page height of the first dictionary read. Each painting is 183 cm high, divided into 10 rows, 18.3cm high, or page height. Each row is further divided into vertical bars of approximately 1 cm in width. The row width, and therefore the painting width, depends on the number of pages in each dictionary. Each vertical bar represents a page which is sectioned horizontally to correspond proportionally to the number and colour of colour words which occur on the page. Pages with no colour words have been painted the colour of page paper.
Detail: LEXICAL SPECTRUM APOD
Lexical Spectrum COPD
The Canadian Oxford Paperback Dictionary
2002
183 x 129 cm
oil on canvas
Wesfarmers Collection
Lexical Spectrum OADD
The Oxford American Desk Dictionary revised edition
2002
183 x 73 cm
oil on canvas
Private collection Canada
Lexical Spectrum APOD2
The Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary 2nd edition
2002
183 x 86 cm
oil on canvas
Private collection WA
Lexical Spectrum SAPOD
The South African Pocket Oxford Dictionary 2nd edition
2000
183 x 120 cm
oil on canvas
Private collection NSW
Lexical Spectrum APOD
The Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary 4th edition
(1999) 2002
183 x 134 cm
oil on canvas
Wesfarmers Collection
Lexical Spectrum POD
The Pocket Oxford Dictionary 3rd revised 8th edition
(1999) 2002
183 x 112 cm
oil on canvas
City of Swan WA