In 1897, an accomplished artist, confident of his own abilities, and yet frustrated by the limitations of Australia, Arthur Streeton set sail for England. Streeton knew that to progress in his work he needed to see with his own eyes the famous masterpieces he had heard about and seen in books....
Slide Show
Art Reviews
By Gavin Fry
27 Feb 2019
Visitors to Maitland in the Hunter Valley will see stretched across the prominent façade of the public library huge images taken from Norman Lindsay’s iconic childrens’ book The Magic Pudding. Without text or commentary, the images are a reminder, if one was needed, of the enduring...
By Timothy Abdallah BA
27 Feb 2019
Ray Crooke’s eternal stillness, described by John Henshaw as ‘the perpetual South Seas dream’1 is a unique phenomenon in Australian Modern Art. His career, which spanned more than 65 years began with his exhibition in 1948 at Melbourne’s Kozminsky Gallery. He was still painting a...
By Rodney James BA (Hons.), MA
27 Feb 2019
Some artists rise quickly to make a mark on the art scene; for others it can be a slow burn. Charles Blackman enjoyed a deservedly rapid rise – with adulation for his work increasing over time. This self-taught master of Australian art became recognised for his first solo exhibition, held in...
By Ken Wach
27 Feb 2019
When the Sydney wunderkind Brett Whiteley brought the present painting to Robin Gibson sometime in mid 1983 to be shown in his forthcoming solo exhibition, he stressed that the work be titled Self Portrait at 44.
Upon looking at the painting Gibson was somewhat...
By Catherine Baxendale B Phil Hons
27 Feb 2019
Still-Life 1922-23 dates from a critical phase of Margaret Preston’s early career, when the artist consolidated her reputation as a leading exponent of Australian modernism. Having previously exhibited with the Royal Art Society of New South Wales, Preston switched allegiances in 1923...
By Caroline Jones BA, MA (Art Admin.)
27 Feb 2019
John Peter Russell is also known as the ‘Lost Impressionist’, a name given to the Australian artist who moved to Europe in the early 1880s and enjoyed the height of Impressionism living in the cultural centre of the world. During his lifetime, his French landscapes did not enjoy the same renown...
By Asta Cameron
27 Feb 2019
‘Tom Roberts is the finest artist Australia has ever produced.’ This justifiably bold assertion is how Brian Finemore, then curator of Australian paintings at the National Gallery of Victoria, began a lecture at the University of Melbourne in the mid-1960s.1 Undoubtedly, Roberts was...
By Caroline Jones BA, MA (Art Admin.)
27 Feb 2019
Norman Lindsay turned to the medium of watercolour painting relatively late in his career, having exhausted the possibilities of pen drawing and engraving. Up until this time, he had been primarily concerned with drawing technique however it was Blamire Young (1862-1931) who first taught...
By Caroline Jones BA, MA (Art Admin.)
27 Feb 2019
Shown wearing little more than a headdress and silk slippers, Iris is an embodiment of sensuality and mystique. As with many of Norman Lindsay’s nudes, the sitter’s lack of attire does not imply her vulnerability - rather, Iris appears emboldened by the viewer’s gaze, assuming an air of...
