Brought to Light Australian Art 1850-1965

ANTIPODEAN BOUNTY: A Garden of Summer Delight Henry Short Fruit and flowers Robyn Daw Facing page Henry Short England/Australia 1807-65 Fruit and flowers 1859 Oil on canvas 89x119cm Purchased 1997. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Above Jan van Os 1744-1808 Flowers c.1780s Oil on wood panel rp H he gold rush of the 1850s in Australia focused the attention of Victorian M England on the far reaches of her Empire. The mythologised perception of the Antipodes as a land of milk and honey' almost became a reality when alluvial gold was found, creating wealth and opportunity for those adventurous enough to brave the long journey to the colonies. Some, disappointed with their inability to find the precious metal, joined others with more mercantile aspirations to provide the many services that the colony could now afford. It was a time of economic expansion and conspicuous consumption, with the increased wealth finding an appropriate outlet for display through architecture and art. Images of the far-flung colony proved popular in England, and served not only to document its difference, but also as advertisements for an idyllic country that reinforced the existing myth: a bountiful and generous land, with little evidence of friction or upheaval. 70.5x61cm Gift of Gladys Penfold Hyland in memory of her husband Frank 1964 Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide Henry Short joined the exodus and arrived in Melbourne in 1852 with his wife and family on board the Bangalore. Already an established artist in England, within two years of arriving he had offered paintings for sale at the Melbourne Exhibition. His paintings directly reflected the experiences and observations of colonial life, with titles such as The lucky gold digger and A civilised aboriginal boy exhibiting thefruits o f his native soil. His enthusiasm for the vernacular provided the local population with images of their own lives, and he was equally enthusiastic in exhibiting and selling them.1 Although he attempted a few landscapes, still life was Shorts forte, with some of his more ambitious works combining aspects of the two genres. His brief foray into landscape painting may have been inspired by his son William, who was himself an accomplished landscape artist. But Short's efforts were not greeted favourably, one critic stating quite categorically that'his attempts at landscape are purely detestable'. Short adhered solely to still life after that.2 His paintings have been compared to the elaborate tradition of seventeenth-century Dutch still life; for instance Jan van Os's Flowers c,1780s (Art Gallery of South Australia) is comparable in its choice of subject matter: flowers, fruit and the intimation of a landscape as backdrop. However, Henry Short's ambitious compositions featuring buffets overflowing with a veritable cornucopia of flora were not always matched by his talent. At the time when Short painted Fruit and flowers (Queensland Art Gallery), the natural world was being scrutinised by scientific and artistic investigations and classified accordingly. Charles Darwin's challenging and controversial theories based on his voyage on the Beagle in the Pacific region were published in On the Origin o f Species in England in 1859. Demand for knowledge of Darwin's theory of natural selection was such that the book sold out shortly after publication — an indication of the fascination with the NewWorld. Artists were enjoying the discoveries made by the scientific voyages, either as expedition participants, or by using the resultant documentation in their art. Many examples of still-life painting at the time approximated botanical portraits of the retrieved specimens, creating a painted facsimile that simultaneously displayed the worldly interest of the buyer and the technical and observational prowess of the artist. Short, although maintaining a commitment to displaying the diversity of flora available to the contemporary enthusiast, appeared less interested in rendering them in a taxonomic manner. Whether this was through lack of ability or lack of desire may be debated. Van Os's Flowers, for example, exemplifies the importance placed on clarity of vision in Dutch still life through his more detailed and polished approach. In several paintings, Short combined an obvious narrative component that served to enrich the content beyond a mere 'buffet' piece. It is questionable as to whether he imbued the flowers with symbolic meaning corresponding to the narrative, although there are hints that he was aware of the language of vanitas, at least. Short's allegorical painting Our adopted country. To the memory o f the lamented heroes o f the Victorian exploration 1861 18 BROUGHT TO LIGHT: Australian Art 1850-1965