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

,lo.. r r l ' ,Jun ' th , 1 I 1 Price boorn for John Glover~-~- - -c--_ -~- Pioneer art g-oeson tour Paintings by the man who was scorned by artists In his own day are being sold for as much as $54,000 W HY did anisl .l,1h11 tihi .:r do it? A giant uf a man. with two club fe.:l. ,walthy and w.:11 known. he left England at 64 10~.:11lc at the end of the earth. in Van Dicmcn·s Land. Now I21J year, af1er his ,kalh hi, work, anJ name Zirc ulmf1,, unknuwn hl the Australian puhlic hut II Glllwr cult ha, hcgun and a puinting or hi, can fr1ch a, 111ud1 as $54,000. For ycur,. nut>i,k Tusmania . li11lc ha, hccn s.-cn of hi, wnrk apart l'r.1111 a few pictun.:., in ga lleries. 8111 1111w he ha, hcen lrnilcJ 11, a pioneer ,,r /\u,1ra lian l.111d,cape puin1ing - and II very curious fellow indecJ. The rest of Australia wi ll he ahk 10 sec Glover al his hest in an cxhibi1io11 nn its way around the rnu111ry. I llew 10 Lau1,ce,1on 10 prcvkw ii and hrow,e round the haunts or lhi., odd nrnn 'who ,cnled near there in IXJI and who was probably the first painter ahlc 1<1 throw away a European lens and sec Auslrnlia as unique. exciting and fresh . Th e exhibition, sponsored hy Clcmingcr Australia, u leading advertising agency. has hccn organized by John McPhec. curator of line art al the Queen Vk1oria Museum and Art Gullery in Launceston. who did several years' de1ec1ivc work on Glover's life. ''I-le was the son or an English farmer. wus slow-speaking und a proper country characlcr. about 18 stone (114kg). with 11 feeling fo r nature," John said. "I-le had a greul empathy with animals and birds - he could go outside and charm birds into his hands," The onctime bumpkin exhibited u1 London's Royal Academy. although never admilled as a member, which soured him . I-le sold 10 society at high price,. lwwcvc r. I-le would plonk a couple of classil' Gree k temples into u sof'l English landscape without turning a hair and lucklcd life-size oils of bulls and other animals. Famous artists like Cuns111hlc and Turner laughed at him . Much or whal he painted in Europe is or no lusting worth, 2 111.. \:ordiug 10 the 1.·Xp\..'l'l!\. It wa, ,111h 111 Aus1r,dia lhut he wa, rch,,rn and , 1ru~·l a habit. IHI~ r1.·~run~1..• lo natun.:. ··Puttc rtla h: .'' th i.: l\\ O·:"l lcin:v h,wH· C:il,1H:r hu ill in \ 'an D11..·1111..· 11 \ i 1111d (:1:– l a,111.111ia ""' lhl·n l':tlkd ). ,1111 ,1.111<1, . T here i, a c,in1c111pnrnr) pllrlruil ,,f Ci lnver which , how, him a, a patriarch al h1, c," d a11111ng gum trees. lie had 1wo daugh1er, . three "''" and many grnnd– d1ildren. I-le painted and gardened while his wifr. the sons. daughter, and rnnvic1s sweated on the fo ·m lo grow whea1. The hush mu. huve sent shock wav~s through Glover. 1-1 · wm1e on lhe hack or a p11in1ing 'J I "" f\ .. , riginul corrohnree lha1 he had , :en more mirth und gaiety there than in any English ballroom. W I-I EN you compare hi, landscapes or pluce, around the film, with the :ietual ,pots 1he symp,11hy and warmth ul'the work i, true. Ilis lwrvcstcr. pitching hay arc _joyous and the selling sun hehind them daa:ling and lum inous - a strong. while su nlight in a new world 1ha1 never ceased 10 cntrallL'1,.'. Al the small. plain brick Nonconformist church ul Eddington. Glover was known lo have gone inlo the pulpit 10 preach helllire. I-le is huried outside. The charming inn wlwrc he drank al neurhy Dcddington is slill licen.1eJ. John Mcl'hec cs1im111cs there urc ahou1 5000 Glover drawings and paintings still in Tasmania. Collectors arc poking into the most remote spols in search of them . Whatever stirred Glov1:r's blood lo bring him to Vun Dicmen's Lund, his genius !lowered in u wuy ii never could lwve done in the old <'otrnlry. Constable und Turner cu11'1laugh u1him now. The exhibition timcrnble is: Oueens– h1nd An Gall~;y, Brishunc, January 13 10 l'cb 14; Art Gallery of NSW. Sydney. March 1-30: Arl Gallery of SA, AJclaidc, April 14-May 14; Wcsl Australian Art Gallery. Perth , June 1-30; Ballarul Art Ga llery, Vic. July 15-Aug 15; National Gallery nf Victoria. Sept 1-30: Tasmanian Museum. Hobart. 0<'1 17-Nov 19. - KEITH FINLAY