Australian Art History Final

What can you say about this artwork

Wentworth Falls, Augustus Earle, 1830 :

• Augustus Earle was an English painter and explorer.

• 2 aboriginal men, 5 white men.

• The aboriginal is in contraposto and the other one is pointing at him, our eyes are drawn to him.

• Augustus Earle was one of the first Europeans to do Australian landscapes.

• Traditionally, an artist in a painting would be shown staring in awe at the massive waterfall. Here, Augustus Earle turns his back to the "sublime" view.

What can you say about this artwork

Shearing the rams, Tom Roberts 1880-1890

• en plein air techniques to make his art more realistic

• one of the main artists in the Heidelberg School

• the central figure known as the "tar boy" was actually 9yo Susan Bourne

• made at least 70 sketches

• hardworking men of the wool industry

• @ Brocklesby Station NSW in 1888, returned twice during shearing season to work on the painting

• the work was exhibited in the artist’s studio in Melbourne.

• Roberts paid Susan Bourne and her sister sixpence apiece to kick up the dust so he could recapture the atmosphere of shearing time.

What can you say about this artwork

The Sock Knitter, Grace Cossington Smith, 1915

• expressionism

• flattening the frame, color blocks

• domestic life and women's role in society: knitting socks for soldiers in WWI

• influence of modernism in Europe

• a response to the industrialization of society = importance of handmade crafts and domestic skills.

What can you say about this artwork

Rythmic composition in Yellow Green Minor, Roy De Maistre, 1919

• 1st fully abstract painting in australia

• if you knew the notes you could play the art

• calm PTSD in WW1 soldiers like “Color Therapy”

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The Sunbather #2, Anne Zahalka, 1989

• Post-Modernism

• Zahalka uses a pale, redhead covered in sunscreen, highlighting that the "tan Aussie" ideal is often physically impossible for many Australians.

• in a studio with a painted backdrop, mocking the idea that the "natural" beach identity is actually a manufactured social construct.

• By changing the skin and hair type, Zahalka points out who was excluded from Dupain's 1930s vision: immigrants, fair-skinned people, and non-European Australians.

• color

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Sunbaker, Max Dupain, 1937

• Culburra Beach, english builder, icon of the "bronzed Aussie" and the healthy body.

• taken in 1937 but only became an "icon" in 1975 when it was used for Dupain’s retrospective poster, reflecting Australia’s growing national self-confidence in the 70s.

• Sunbaker = Australian word; "baking" = harsh relationship with the heat VS passive "bathing" seen in Europe

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Australian Beach Pattern, Charles Meere, 1940

• shows 1940s obsession with racial purity and physical perfection.

• painted by an English immigrant who hated the beach

• mathematically placed to create a perfect tableau rather than a candid moment

• ppl painted from studio models resulting in a fake look with no sand or water touching the skin

• WWII as a propaganda-adjacent image of national strength, health etc

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First Class Marksman, Sidney Nolan, 1946

• Sidney Nolan deserted from the army during WWII

• painted in Victoria

• Ned Kelly was an outlaw who became a symbol of resistance against British colonial authority and police corruption

• most expensive Australian painting ($5.4 million)

What can you say about this artwork

Self Portrait in the Studio, Bret Whitely, 1976

• pushing the boundaries of what is accepted as portraiture

• he’s sitting outside of the picture

• we learn a lot about him through this painting

• n*de model is his wife, Wendy Whitely

What can you say about this artwork

Daniel Boyd, We call them pirates out here, 2007

• The landing of Captain Cook at Botany Bay, 1770 by Fox is an iconic image of the birth of Australia

• in the original : Captain Cook stops them from shooting, he was a humanitarian and he doesnt wanna shoot the aboriginals

• Daniel Boyd is an aboriginal

• The whites are like pirates

• the union jack is for making it explicit; british invasion