Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 8 : Pressclippings, 1977-1981

r TREWEEKENDAUSTRAL~~ edited by buzz kennedy , .. CA~f LEEUWIN, We.~temAustralia .. . Tllte starting point of Matthew Fli11ders' circum11avigation of Ausrralia. Aussi~ illliiite"SI .·, - · • • ---·: . l • • - ·-•-· • T AKE one 1pan, h\s paints and paper take two men, their aircraft and the most sophisti– cated camera equipment uvailable and you get two fas– cinating pictorial images of Australia that arc worlds apart. Ludwig Uecker Is a m11gnlflcm1L book contaiRlng sketches and texts by the Oeminn artist and nntural– ist who died on the Burke and Wills · Expedition to the Gulf of Car11en– tarla more than n century ago. A~fil.@lia~·The Guatesl Jsl1111tl ls ...,.,-pqm'illy bcnutlful hnok whlrh covers the roul,t! a~c.empted by Mat– thew Flinders In 1801 when he un– successfully tried to clrcumnavl– gnte the world's bl1111est Island. Robert Raymond nnd Reg Morri– son took seven weeks In 1978 Lo eom11lete their aerial ex1>edltlon. covering the unpredictable, cvcr– chnnglng Australian c:oastllne mu'ch of which remains ns lsolat.ed I nnd uninviting 1111 lt did when F.lln– ders wns turned back by the un– friendly nature of Its treacherous shores. The result ls 350 pages of pano– ramic scenes depicting the diversity and hugeness or this landmass they once cnlled Terra A 11stra/l.~ l11c1111- nlta. :J'he Intrepid team (both men arc seasoned hnnds nt producl111,t works on Austmlla) started from Cap!' Lceuwln in the south-west corm •r nnd travelled In nn nntl-clockwlsc direction around the entire coa.~t- llnc. · "But where Flinders wns on.en forced far out from the c:onst. and In mnny cnses could only 1,tlll'Ss wl111t lny l>eym1d Lhe cliffs or line ol surf, we flew nt low altlLudc alon1,t the shoreline In scnI1huws, " they snld. "Our ovcrwhehnlni: Impression 01 this great lsl1111d-co11tl11rnt is or tlw dlvrrsll.y nncl wild lll'aut,v ul th,· mastlh1t•. It Is oftrn dt•solate. 111111 S0llll'tlmcs hnrsh. llut llll\l(lllflc1•11I, in the way It has rctnhll'd tlw 111111I– tcn•d, IIIIJ>ollut1?d s1•rc11lti• uf t l II' 1111turnl ehvlrmuncnt - 11 prlst.ilw quality which Is lx:r.ornh111 rare t•lst'• where In the world." l,udwlg BeckC'r ls 11110I,hrr 111111.t,·r. Ills I11etlcuhn1s drnwllll(S, IIIOSl,I)' 111 1ll•llmt1• water colors nnd f1 11lsl11·d Ill orw day, hlrntlflcd cnm•t·tl v al- 11Insl nil 1.hr • llvl111i s111•rl"s 111 ·ani - ~- '¼•_,·~ ....-. ,,..( iW,, - .....,,. ,.. WA'rPll'A , Ille ''1/d Mm,.· Ucc/ier 's uuide iu 1860 ... ·afair spc~imcm of cm u/tl /111t still lmrcl!f ahorigiual. · • r LYNDALL CIIIIP lJcr 5. 1808. Whc11 his mother dll'CI Lion Co111111iLLcc lur appol11tmc11t as ! AUSTRALIA: THE GREAUEST ISLAND; Text by Robert Raymc,,/;d, Photogra• phy by Reg MorrilOII/ Ure Smith, $29.95. LUDWIG BECKIER edited by Marjorie Tipping; Melbc ,ume Univer– sity Pr ft 1, $58~, 60 mals 111111 11I11111.s he sai'w during tht• ex1wdltion lu 1860 ar:ICI scientists today can rarely fault lji Is data. It Is the first lime l111•ck1•r's work, contained in a book I of skt •lr.hc .~ donntcd lo th1• Stntu L illlrary of Vic– toria in 1875, hnve hcenI published. And they arc delhj:h!ul. 'l'hrlr spontaneity gives then, an ncsthctl– cally appcalin11 111111 l'I resh. renllstic (JUallty, I Mrs Majorii• 'l'ipph11(1 a recoi:nlsed a11U1oriL,V OIi Lhc Ille fMlfl work or llI·ck1•1· who corrcsI.,und1•d with scholars all over Llw lliinrlcl to ll'arn I1111n• ahout l.l1r art.lst1-. hrrn ndch•d llOlt'S and rx pla11ath IIIS but. has falthfull,1•rr'pro!1I11·1•d I 11s tt-xt, 1'0111· plf'Lt• with ori1-:inal spl'I,ll11gs. His cuntrlbutlon h.o sdcmtlllc k11owlcdge hns bCl'II, 1·1. llJIJIClll'S, :rn Ill.tit• lllJPl'l'l'llllt•cl as hl,rs t.nh •111. as 1111 lll'LlsL. l.,Iulwlg Philipp ll1·ll,'1rkl1 1Jcck1' r \VJJS illll'II l.lw l'hlr•.~t Ill, l lvI• i:l1lldl'f'II Ill. orr..111>111:h-am-Mnl' ii 1111 flt•)ll,1•111- his father remarried 1111cl had three art ist, t•th111111r:1phc-r :mcl 11:11.uralist f, more sons. cwulogy and 1-:c•nlogy) 0I1;,;f,· His rat!ler died in 1820 lenvi11g his latl'CI Burke and Wills exptula v widow. Joharwttc Christianr. :lfJ, to 111• got Liu• Jnh lur a sa1" at raise eight children with till If' J)0llll(IS Ira" means or support. - llut slw li1•r•d t11 Arnl it was 1111 jo_v ride. st,,...,c IOI. 11t:•t:t1•d him lo hi' up at. 5 ,fl to help The family, despite il.s modrst t'X· load I.lit' camels. a ta,;k which took islC'llCl', achieved cnnsldr•rahh• srx hours. Burke br 1·:u111• 11111>alient heights. Ernst, the youngest t'hilcl. al. tlw t.i111t• Inst in 111aki11g scientific wns secretary to Albert, Lill' Pri111·1· 11hs1•n•alln11s ancl would liked Lo Consort and was a clmnhmnL i11lh1 - ha VI' I.hrow11 llt•t:k(•r's hIst.r11111r 11ts cnce on the future or King EIlw:ml i11Lu a l'rt'f'k. VII and Kaiser Willw li11 II. U1•1·kcr did most 111 h is sketches Friedrich ll<!t:anm n dlsti11g11is1•d rhIrl 11g Llw thrrP-1111111th break at army gi,neral and August, :\ noted I.Ill' M1•11in1h•r dPpot aL the Pama- lnndscape painter whn visitl'cl 111arno Crrck rwar Its Jllnc:Llnn wlLh Queen V ictoria at Balmornl 1111d tl1c Darling. gnve painLh1g lessons to tlw roynl By early Fchrnary . Becker was chlldren. m1lfrril11( lrom scurvy a11cl at llulloo 1'hl'rc are blanks in thl' Ith• si.ory tl11:, party, tl1!sprral.1•ly short ol or Decker clue mainly tn th,• ,le- water, was attackl'd by hnstilr na- struction or vltnl rrcords duri111; Llvrs. Worlcl War II. W11do know Ill' was 011 April ~n. tllGI ll,•,·kh-r di,·,1. II,· court painter to l hP Archcluk1• Luci- was laid In n·st 111 tlu• drab co11IILrr- wl1,t Ill ol llt'ssc-Dar111stnrll, from shh• he had lrit•d lo skl'lt:h. IR•IU l.n 1844. I ,al,l'I', a ltoy11l Cn111111ls_sin11 l0 I'll· • llt•l'kCr arrived In La11I11·1·sInI1 q11ln· i11l.n lhr• 1·a11ses ol deaths ol nboanl t he lla11 11ah 011 March 10, !lurk" a11tl WIiis also l ou11cl Lh11L 11151 a11d quickly won Liu• I11:arts " flr llt-1:k,•r dil•d nl dysc11t.cr.v a111I arul ad111lrallon or the l'Sl.11hllsh- Lhe ,·xhausl 1011 I·nns1•quen L to it: ol · 1111•11t, 111nvl11g to Mnll11111n11• 111111 1:I1111·,u• wllh . s11111e prcullar J11l11lr1f( tlw 1,tnlcl rush a yrar lal.,•r. sy11,pl 11I11s. wh lr·h wI·n• princi pally llr• was 52 Wlll'll LIii' l1·111I1L11l,lt111 Ill ,1wl11~ Ill tl11•allt•r·l 11111 ol scurvy." ll'lll'klrlH ill t ill' l'lc•IJI liirt•d him 111 Mt•lh1111r111• I11'11'\'l 'tl lor l,hl' pnpu - lljljlly l.o Lhl' 1':xplnrnl,I1111 l•:xp1 •tl1- lar :11111 lah•1I!.1·rl arl 1st .