Brought to Light Australian Art 1850-1965

Left R. Godfrey Rivers The recital or Woman at a piano c.1886-90 Watercolour over pencil on cream wove paper 23x13.9cm Purchased 1983 Queensland Art Gallery Right Shall we join the ladies?, R. Godfrey Rivers's work which appeared in the Queensland Art Society Annual Review Catalogue of 1898 classes, and visitors from England noted that society in Australia was much the same as that of British provincial cities or the suburbs of London. Similarly, evenings in Brisbane's more exclusive suburbs could not have been much different from those enjoyed in a street of'splendid town residences' in Sydney during the 1880s: The best time to see this neighbourhood in all its glory, is on a summers evening, about an hour after sunset, when the drawing-rooms are a blaze of lights. Then the rich tones of the piano are heard, accompanied by the sweet melody of female voices .. ,16 Rivers had rapidly acquired a position of influence in Brisbane and this obviously caused some resentment — in certain quarters he was referred to as 'Mr "Artist" Rivers'17— but there is no doubt that his presence was instrumental in galvanising action within the cultural scene. Although the extent of his role in the establishment of the Queensland National Art Gallery has been disputed, he was definitely highly committed to the project.18At the opening of the Queensland Art Society's 1894 Annual Exhibition, Rivers voiced his criticisms about the imbalance apparent in Brisbane's development into a modern city (the Brisbane Courier paraphrasing his speech): [Rivers] did not think it necessary to dwell upon the refining influence of art so necessary to teach the rising generation that there were nobler ideals in life than mere money-making.19 Concerns regarding the colony's overriding emphasis on 'mere money-making' were shared by others. In a lengthy editorial published on the morning of Rivers's speech, the Brisbane Courier encouraged its readers to attend the Queensland Art Society exhibition, suggesting that: Wealth is throned in the affections and ambitions and strivings of the people ... But meanwhile art is jostled aside and gets scant recognition and less encouragement. The man who paints a really great picture is almost unheard of, while the lucky finders of gold in Western Australia are henceforth spoken of in half-a-dozen colonies as if they were superior persons20 The emphasis of Rivers's speech was clear: 'he desired to dwell upon the importance of an art gallery to the city'.21 Rivers proved himself a man of action as well as words. He successfully lobbied the government for premises for a public gallery and with its support found suitable rooms in the Town Hall (then located in Queen Street), even paying for the necessary refurbishments out of his own pocket22 Despite considerable problems, including the serious economic depression that gripped Australia during the 1890s, and more local concerns such as the substantial costs incurred to the city due to frequent flooding, by 1895 the colony had its own fully fledged National Art Gallery. In 1898, Rivers was officially rewarded for his role in its founding by being named as the Gallery's honorary curator (having acted in the position from 1895). during this era is of course the Heidelberg School. The so-called Australian impressionists developed a distinctive visual vocabulary for the depiction of both rural and urban scenes. Using closely related tones and a loose, square-brushed technique, Heidelberg School artists were influenced by the European pleinairists, particularly Jules Bastien-Lepage, and Britain's Newlyn School. But while Rivers's romantic depiction of the jacaranda's foliage may reference the modern movement (and surely constitutes the work's main attraction), Under the jacaranda can only be described as a highly conventional composition. By the time Rivers painted Under the jacaranda in 1903, Brisbane's cultural scene had matured, thanks in large part to his own efforts. The city now boasted a training ground for young artists at the Brisbane Technical College, of which he was art master, an Art Society, of which he had been, and would soon be again, president, and a National Art Gallery, of which he was honorary curator.23But while Rivers may have had a profound impact on the life of Brisbane's cultural institutions, his own work, including Under the jacaranda, could hardly be described as ground breaking. The Australian art style that is associated with change or a break with tradition Rivers certainly professed sympathy for a uniquely Australian interpretation of Australian subjects, as evident in his article 'Sunlight in pictures': There is no doubt that close and intelligent observation of nature in its varying moods would soon lead us to strike out into new paths and to express ourselves more in harmony with our natural surroundings than can be the case when we are hampered by traditions which have grown up under other skies.24 Ironically, his sentiments, which parallel the rhetoric of Australian Impressionism, do not appear to have informed his own work. Rivers's 'Englishness' was something of a concern to a number of artists LOOKING FOR THE 'BEAU MONDE' IN BRISBANE 91