Photographic Portrait Prize, 2009

As a judge of this Photographic Portrait Prize, 2009, I chose Mark Rogers Lambda print 'Rowan McNamara', 2008. It is set in the abandoned community at Jay's Creek, outside Alice Springs. Rowan McNamara stars in Samson and Delilah at that location.

This photo in my opinion is incredibly moody with its pitch black top 2/3rds. Taken at night, it is front lit onto Rowan's face and clothes (it is a side on view of him in an old fashioned wheel chair) with a touch of light from a house and car headlights - one on either side of him. The very high contrast is eye catching so we are forced to stare at the image of Rowan. It is spell - bounding. There is no frame which suits this photograph.

The two 'worsts':

First, the worst image goes to David Wills' 'Puddled State', 2008. It is really not a portrait; but mearly a mucky puddle with the shadow of a person reflected. It is far too small and the image really looks pretty drab. If it is the Wills I'm thinking of, he has taught photographic subjects at ANU!!??

Secondly, the worst frame goes to Dean Golja's 'Betty Churcher', 2008. A very nice image of Betty, but the frame overpowers it. From a distance it looks like pressed metal into a VERY ornate frame. However it is silver painted wood, but still does not compliment the very good image. It steels the observer's attention from the photo. A simple frame, even if the artist wanted silver to compliment her silver hair, would be just fine.

Primitivist Art

At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century there were a great many changes occurring. Scientific discoveries were enormous and Freud theorised that this flowed onto peoples values and their attitudes in every way, including art. Many artists went the way towards Modernism, but others rejected the modern ideas and instead absorbed ideas from 'primitive' cultures. Their art is called primitivism. 'Primitive' is the word used for people (whom today we call indigenous people) in countries where there was no reliance on modern scientific discoveries such as in Africa or Tahiti. Primitivism art borrows from these people some of their attitudes towards life such as their naiveness, their free sexuality and their nakedness. So the art is often child-like, raw, in touch with nature, untainted with modern ideas and spiritual, although not in the narrow minded Christian way, and often bold in colour. Their artwork often appears that they have had no formal training, which some didn't, and they often also borrowed art styles from indigenous peoples.

While there is indigenous art today which one might be tempted to call primitive, it isn't and it would not be politically correct to call it by that name. There were several web sites of galleries claiming 'primitivism revisited'. One such example was a photograph by Robert Mapplethorp called 'Grace Jones' in 1984. Another was Olegi Osepaishvili's 'Dirty Dancing', 2005, at the Giclee Gallery USA.

At the National Gallery of Australia there is a lithograph by Paul Gauguin The Spirit of the Dead Awakening, made in 1894, one of several similar artworks there.  This is also called Manao Tupapau. The oil painting (1892) of the same name, although sometimes called The Spirit of the Dead Watching, is housed at the Albright-Knox Gallery in New York. At the NGA there is also a woodcut by the same name (1893-4), except the main character (a female) in it is in a foetal position rather than lying straight on her (his?) stomach. Both the lithograph and the woodcut are mirror images of the oil painting. 

This artwork is an example of primitivism art. There is no eye contact of subject with the artist; the subject is naked, something that was not acceptable in society at that time in European culture. The artwork is quite flat and proportions are not accurate. In the background there are three characters all of which are quite naive. (This differs slightly from the oil painting of the same name). One of the figures is quite tribal. Another is side on and static. In the top left corner are the initials 'PGO' - could stand for Paul Gauguin .....something, maybe 'original'. It is in touch with nature and quite raw in appearance. 'The spirit of the dead awakens' is based on the Tahitian belief that the spirit of the dead watches them throughout their lives.

It is interesting to note that Paul Gauguin was originally a stock-broker and after the stock market collapse in 1882, he turned to painting, something he had only done part-time up to this time. He rejected the capitalist society. As time went by he completely rejected the art world too. He was a leader in this primitivist art and spent many years living in Tahiti. 

References:

Honour, Hugh & Fleming, John, A World History of Art 3rd Ed

Primitivism, www.ethnicpaintings.com/popular-painting-styles/primitivism

Notes on Paul Gauguin at the NGA.

Babies

National Portrait Gallery

Aim: to select two portraits that are particularly strong in giving the viewer a sense of the subject's identity

1) Frank John Fenner (b 1914) oil painting by Jude Rae (b 1956) - painted in 2007.

Frank Fenner was a wonderful scientist who was responsible for irradicating Smallpox (irradicated by 1979) and also introducing the Myxomatosis virus to control the rabbit plague (1950s). The image of him depicts as a quiet intelligent man relaxed in his home setting.

2) Charles Perkins (1944-2000) Photograph in 1964 by Robert McFarlane (b 1944)

'Charles Perkins on his way to Sydney University'

Charlie Perking was the first Aboriginal person to graduate from Sydney University - a feat in itself, but then he went on as a prominent anti-discrimination freedom rights for Aborigines. The photo is when he was young on his way to university is not the real image of him that I have in my mind. As Head of the Dept of Aboriginal Affairs, he became very well known. 

So both of these men are very Australian and Australians of which we are proud, but I think neither of the portraits show that they are particularly Australian by the setting in the image (besides the fact that Perkins is an Aboriginal).

National Archives of Australia

AIM: to examine two examples of objects or images that I think represent an important aspect of Australian culture

1) Tram and crowds, probably George Street, circa 1960

This is one of about 100 back-lit black and white photographs that adorn a feature wall at the NAA. It appears that it is either before or after work with the crowds. The tram is destined for Central Railway. Before 1961, trams were probably the most used form of public transport and they were only removed because the roads couldn't cope with the increase in cars. So back then it was very Sydney (still is very Melbourne). The cloths that the men & women wore were of that era too. Men in suits and often in a hat, and the women in a skirt or frock which fell to just below the knee. No one went to town without being dressed in this 'uniform'. One could argue that this scene could well be San Francisco with the tram (that city is usually hilly), but when it is placed in combination with all the other photos on the wall, it is quintessentially Australian. Although it is just a moment in time, there is no posing in the photo, it is just an aspect of daily life in Sydney c1960.

2) Corner of London Circuit and Northbourne Avenue, Canberra 1946 (Photographer: Max Dupain)

These two buildings, the Melbourne and Sydney buildings were built in mainly 1926-27, so in this photo, only 20 years old. The north-west corner of the Sydney bulding was copleted in about 1946. In the early days the Commonwealth bank was in the Sydney corner (left) and Snow's, the first general store in Civic, was in the opposite corner, in the Melbourne building (corner just out of sight on the right). If one sees a photo of these buildings, it reads 'that is Canberra' and along with Old Parliament House, they were the only two buildings that 'identified' Canberra at that time. They are still very much part of our identity, although quite run down now and no longer the 'centre' of Canberra City. 

Macro photos by me

Here are some of my macro photos taken at the coast