Under a Modern Sun: Art in Queensland 1930s–1950s

132 Under a Modern Sun: Art in Queensland 1930s–1950s 133 FG Crook-King , An appointment 1933 FG CROOK-KING AND MAX DUPAIN Like many Queensland photographers working in the mid twentieth century, FG (Fred) Crook-King experimented with a range of styles and techniques, influenced not only by earlier pictorialist traditions, typified by softly focused effects, but also modernist photography’s sharp lines and dramatic angles. Born in Sydney and raised in Toowoomba, Crook-King was destined to follow family tradition by becoming a doctor, and moved to Edinburgh to study medicine around 1920. While there, however, he developed an interest in contemporary British art and returned to Toowoomba determined to pursue a career as a photographer. 1 In addition to his work as a freelance press photographer, primarily for the Toowoomba Chronicle , Crook-King maintained his own practice, creating iconic photographs such as An appointment 1933, in which a high vantage point allowed the artist to capture an arresting image of modern life. The photograph reflects Crook-King’s awareness of international trends towards the simplification of form and the use of strong contrast. The style would become widely known in Australia through the work of Sydney photographer Max Dupain. From the mid 1930s, Dupain sought to emphasise the formal qualities of his images, drawing on the work of European and American photographers such as Alfred Stieglitz who were responding to an increasingly industrialised world. In Anzac Square c.1940–45, printed 1992 (p.137), taken in Brisbane during the period Dupain was serving as a camouflage officer with the Royal Australian Air Force, he similarly transformed an everyday scene into a semi-abstract image through an elevated viewpoint, tight cropping and emphasis on light and shade. Notes 1 Sue Smith, Queensland Pictorialist Photography 1920–1950 , Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 1984, p.30.