Wieneke Archive Book 4c : Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings

paintings a style that untanuli.ii it To enjoy a painting. u in ciriaic not necessary to be able bi let.! clearly terms such as abstract j.. impressionism, cubism. ti and the like any more Orin it necessary to be able to make a tre. analysis of a compesitien to t music In any case many art terms cannot be accurately deleted. they meat: different things to ilitlereni commentators and their iii nil infrequently creates more titan elucidation. Nevertheless. some understanding of the principles underlying an artist iv approach will undoubtedly make the .a viewing the more lolly enjoyable Si' So, with the kind co-operation and ,is assistance of the Trustees .inil James Wieneke. Director id the ).1.0 Queensland Art Gallery. the,. )1.112, art have been designed with the dual aim of illustrating - unlurtimatels not hi any means fully - styles in painting and of calling attention to the fact that Australia. in its short 200 minus years of civilisation. has made an art fostery not to be taken lightly. MI the photographs published on these two pages are of paintings some of which have not hitherto been ny exhibited publicly in Queensland by ,re Australian artists and ;ill are t rum the sal collection of the Queemaand Art 'stilt Gallery. some styles in -R ALIA\ TING aerie Rogers le IS 1,1 A, I a hair HAT THEY MEAN ii,. Kos its ,t nul r.il cis ti light and shade by a spec- ially selected color range to give the natural effect of light and atmosphere. The "open air" paintings, finished on the spot, by the Heidelberg Group illustrate the term. Post -Impressionism: A style of painting seeking not to imitate natural forms but to create form; a reac- tion from Impressionism, fully utilising the canvas within the confines of the frame. Primitivism: Generally, painting in a manner op- posed to accepted tradi- tional or contemporary styles. It often claims a naive charm to offset lack of technical ability. Ap- plied to paintings in an apparently simple style. Surrealism: A movement attempting to fuse reality with dreams, or, in many cases, nightmares, result. ing in grotesque essays seemingly having some affinity with Freudian psychology. Left RUSSELL DRYSDALE, (b. 191 2): Bush Fire. Although he was born in England, Drysdale come to Australia when he was 12 and hos spent much time in the Outback, so it is not surprising that small towns and the wide open spaces hove inspired the background for much of his work. Even the lanky, emaciated figures he draws are suggestive of the starkness of ring -barked trees. In "Bush Fire" as in many of his pieces - he has pointed, not an event, but the result of an event. Some of his work seems to suggest an affinity with surrealism, though he might be described as a guns. semi Abstractionist. Left: OJAWA: Aboriginal bark painting (Gobboboingo Tribe). No glance at Australian pointing can afford to overlook the traditional art of the original Australian. Using natural pigments, and sometimes cer loin sticky plant sops as binders, the aboriginal artist concerned himself with both naturalistic subjects and geomet- rical design. This example, painted on flattened stringy bark, tells a native legend about two sisters and their ad- venture with the rainbow serpent. The artist was an elder of the tribe. Right: EMMANUEL PHILLIPS FOX 11865.1915): On the Beach. Fox was a link between the Heidelberg Group and the Edwardians He cde lighted in color, sunlight and patterns of light and shade, owing much to the French impressionists. Fox was an Impressionist. Left: SAMUEL THOMAS GILL (1818-1880): Landscape with Aborigines. ,, rre.ed in Australia from f. natand in 1939 and rapidly became the mast "Australian" pointer, and profuse recorder of the life of the times. Hither- to, artists in the colony had brought an English atmosphere to a new and different setting. For example, it is not unusual to find English trees dominating an Australian landscape of the early days. If we must hove classification, this example of Gill's work might be described as -Realistic Primitive" though, nevertheless, extremely skilful technically. Left: FREDERICK McCUBBIN, (1855-1917): The Recipe. McCubbin was born in Australia and become o member of a small colony of artists known as the Heidelberg Group, from their establishment at Heidelberg, near Melbourne. In common with his colleagues of the group, McCubbin preferred to paint in the open air, direct from his subjects, and placed great importance on light and tonal values, and he was also an excellent figure painter. One of his dicta was that homely subjects have most appeal - hence this example. "Impressionistic- best describes the style of the Heidelberg Group. The Sunday Mail Color Magazine, June 18, 1972 9