It was near
4 kilometre walk from my hotel on Northbourne Avenue in the city on a bright
summer’s afternoon, across Commonwealth Bridge over Lake Burley Griffin and
along Queen Elizabeth Terrace to the NGA. There was hardly a soul around except
for a lone kayaker, and a couple on bicycles who made me wish I was on two
wheels instead.
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| Lake Burley Griffin with National Library |
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| National Gallery of Australia |
The
coolness of the gallery entrance way was a welcome relief and I was soon
immersed into the world of art. The Sidney Nolan Ned Kelly series took me back
to the time I spent in North East Victoria on Mt Buller, not far from Stringybark
Creek and Mansfield where the Kelly gang legend evolved.
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| Township 1947 - Mansfield |
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| Death of Sergeant Kennedy at Stringybark Creek 1946 |
The NGA holds all but
one of what is considered the greatest series of 20th century Australian
art. Painted in 1946-47, Nolan takes the viewer through the main events of the
story of Ned Kelly and his gang, ending with Kelly’s trial where he was
sentenced to hang.
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| Ned Kelly series by Sidney Nolan |
The
Colonial viewpoints exhibition displayed an array of 19th century
portraiture of colonists and indigenous Australians. A magnificent John Glover
painting depicts the two spheres of early colonial life in Hobart, with Aboriginal
people going about their daily lives on the eastern shore and red-coated
soldiers on the opposite side of the Derwent River: the majestic Mt Wellington
looms in the background.
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| Mt Wellington and Hobart Town from Kangaroo Point 1834 |
Arthur
Streeton was a key figure in the Australian Impressionism movement in the 1880’s,
where artists found joy in a sense of place. Golden Summer, Eaglemont is considered a masterpiece of this style
and was painted during a summer drought depicting the undulating plains in
rural Heidelberg outside of Melbourne.
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| Golden Summer, Eaglemont 1889 |
Viennese-born
Eugene von Guérard arrived in Australia in 1852 and is arguably the most
important colonial landscape artist of the mid-19th century. His North-east
view from the northern top of Mount Kosciusko reveals his
meticulous topographical accuracy and his interest in scientific endeavour.
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| North-east view from the northern top of Mount Kosciusko 1866 |
The Isolation
+ loss gallery shows Russell Drysdale’s The
drover’s wife depicted in the harsh, dry flatness of Australia’s interior
(Western NSW) during the drought of 1944.
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| The drover's wife |
Continuing
to feel inspired I forked out the $20 to see the
Tom Roberts Exhibition, which
is on until 28 March. I listened in on the 2.00pm free daily tour from time to
time, but was quite content to wander of my own accord. Tom Roberts (1856-1931)
is one of Australia’s best-known artists. He produced broad ranging works that
included landscapes, portraits, and industrial and city scapes. Although born in
England, he spent almost half his life in Australia, making a major
contribution to the creative depiction of the land. He was part of the
legendary group of Australian Impressionists that included Frederick McCubbin,
Arthur Streeton and Charles Conder and had a major impact on his contemporaries
and later Australian artists.
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| Aboriginal women (Mariah) painted at Yulgilbar station 1895 |
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| The golden fleece 1894 |
His depictions
of sheep stations are iconic, but his most historically important work is what
is known as the Big Picture. Measuring 5.65 metres across and 3.6 metres tall, The Opening of the First Parliament of the
Commonwealth of Australia by His Royal Highness the Duke of Cornwall and York,
9 May 1901 is painted on three separate pieces of cavasses stitched
together and took two years to complete. Roberts travelled extensively within
Australia and to London to produce individual portrait sketches in order to
provide correct representations, as commissioned to do so. It’s an impressive oil
painting.
My feet
were getting weary by this stage but I wanted to check out the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
art collection. The collection is displayed by geographic region or an aspect
of indigenous art. Being a watercolour fan I admired the work of Albert Namatjira
and those who learnt from him.
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| Typical Albert Namatjira scene of Central Australia |
The
designs, patterns and stories depicted on various mediums were striking in
their detail and colouring, but the painting that most caught my eye was from
Tropical North Queensland titled ‘Monsoon rain on the Lockhart River’ by
Rosella
Namok. Stunning.
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| Monsoon rain on the Lockhart River |
There is
so much to see at the NGA, but there is only so much one can see and take in in
an afternoon. After a quick look at Jackson Pollack’s infamous Blue Poles (purchased
amid much controversy in 1973) I took a stroll through some of the sculpture
garden before retracing my steps back to the city.
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| Blue Pole bought for $1.3 million in 1973 |
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| Henry Moore sculpture with the Carillon in background |
