John Glover, Russel Drysdale, Lauren Berkowitz & Barbara Reid

Throughout history the unique and changeable Australian landscape has inspired a diverse array of artistic responses. Impressios of its power and beauty, expressions of individuals’ responses, symbolic religious orientation, the range of landscape art works extends onwards. A great example of the vast variations of styles can be seen in the artworks of Glover, Drysdale, Berkowitz and Reid. John Glover Constitution Hill at sunset Van Dieman’s Land, from near Mrs Ranson’s Public House, June 29th 1840.

Oil on canvas, 76. 8 ? 114. 9 cm. H31203. La Trobe Picture Collection. John Glover, artist. Birth: 18 February 1767, Houghton-on-the-Hill, Leicestershire, England Death: 9 December 1849, Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania), Australia. “He accepts the emptiness that dominates the Australian bush, and this was a huge change from Lorrain,” Hansen says. “He was the first great Australian painter of emptiness, a theme that obsesses painters to this day. ” (www. theage. com. au/articles. )

John Glover was an early colonialist painter and was one of the pioneers of an Australian landscape painting. He was an acclaimed landscape painter in England and France, however he was never seen as an artist who ‘pushed the boundaries’. This changed when he moved to Tasmania in 1831, age 64. He saw the Australia landscape with new eyes and was keen to become the next ‘English Claude’. Thus many have dubbed him ‘The father of Australian landscape painting’. The impressionistic painting “Constitutional Hill at sunset” is perhaps one of Glover most renowned.

While he was initially criticised for not paying close enough attention to the ‘local characteristics’, he did find an individuality in his work through the landscape and atmosphere of Tasmania. His depiction of the Tasmanian light is bright and clear and his gum trees are very convincing, with their stalky form and sparse and scraggly foliage. However the strong influence of romantic artists Claude Lorraine and Gaspard Poussin lingers in his work. Hence Glover’s work has a very European flavour. It is also very picturesque and has an air of a peaceful Utopian land. This romantic, pictorial and esthetically pleasing style of painting has striking differences to the artistic techniques used by Russell Drysdale, Lauren Berkowitz and Barbara Reid Napangarti. Russell Drysdale Red landscape (1945) Vaucluse, Sydney, oil on composition board, 51. 9 x 67. 0 cm, inscribed in black paint: Russell Drysdale Mr and Mrs Rupert Murdoch Birth: 1912, Bognor Regis, England Dearth: 1981, Sydney, Australia Russel Drysdale moved from England to Australia when he was only eleven years old. Throughout his lifetime he travelled extensively however his artistic focus remained on outback rural Australia.

Because he spent the majority of his life in Australia his paintings show minimal European influence. This in itself creates a great contrast between Glover and Drysdale. Another significant difference is that Glovers paintings are impressionistic while Drysdale’s artworks are expressionistic. This expressionist style broke away from the tradition Australian landscape art practices present in his era. Unlike Glover, Drysdale preferred to work form from sketches, photographs and his memory when composing.

When Drysdale worked on his paintings he worked hard, however it would quite often be a long and agonising experience. He was the first artist to investigate the desert and rural outback-Australian life for a prolonged period of time. This intensive exploration gave rise to the central themes of many of his artworks. Some of these themes included the issue of alienation of indigenous people, isolation of rural life, multiculturalism and national identity. The ‘Red landscape’ is a perfect example of these themes. It shows the landscape surrounding Mount Olga in the Northern Territory.

The dead twisted tree trunks, and extremely vivid colours express a strong mood of isolation and desertion. Although the artwork is not as realistically precise as Glovers ‘Constitutional Hill at sunset’, it manages to express the true essences of the Australia desert. There is a house and washing blowing in the wind but there is no presence of human being, or anything living for that matter. This gives a bleak, depressing feeling. Lauren Berkowitz Strata, 1999, sand and gravel, 14 x 7m Mc Clelland Gallery, Victoria Photo: John Gollings

Birth: 1965, Melbourne – Lauren Berkowitz is a contemporary installation artist. Installation art can be described as a three-dimensional painting, sculpture, poem, and prose work, which is usually transient and site-specific. This very modern art practise makes Berkowitz’s expression of Australian landscape is completely different to the previous two artists, Glover and Drysdale. Her work is made with an almost obsessive attention to detail after painstaking research and, ultimately, total dedication to the moment of making.

Similarly both Glover and Drysdale were very focused and particular about their artworks. Unlike Glover and Drysdale, Berkowitz does not use paint at all, nor does she depict the landscape realistically. Instead she collects materials and items from the specific environment and creates a symbolic sculpture. Often they evoke complex thoughts, longings, and moods and have multiple meanings. Her works usually revolve around the themes of land degradation, environmental disasters and the human impact on the land.

We can see these themes displayed in the artwork ‘Strata’, which gives a give a compelling moral message of our obligation and responsibility to the earth and its sustainability. One can also draw many parallels between this artwork and Aboriginal artwork. For example like indigenous art Strata is based around symbolism. Also the earthy colours depicted are very similar to that of indigenous desert artworks and, like traditional Australia tribal artists, Berkowitz is not interested in constructing lasting monuments but rather temporary works that can be returned to the landscape.

Although it is not as extreme in Drysdale’s work, one can also draw parallels between his use symbolism and Berkowitz. WOMAN’S HEALING CEREMONY Medium: Acrylic on Belgian linen. Image Size: 120 x 75 cm- illustrated Australian Encyclopedia Aboriginal Artists, page 256, Barbara Reid Napangarti (B. 1962-) Barbara Reid Napangarti Barabara Reid Napangarhi was born in Tjukurla, in Western Australia. She belongs to the Pintupi tribe and is the daughter of the world-renowned artist Nigura Napurrula.

Ried paints important cultural stories of women’s dreaming associated with her region. The paintings explore the unique desert country of her homeland. Although Drysdale focused on a similar landscape they both portrayed the barren area in two very different ways. This is because Reid has a completely different art practice to Drysdale and Glover. However she does share some similarities with Berkowitz. For example they both use symbols, lines and patterns to show the Australian landscape.

The painting titled “Woman’s Healing ceremony” depicts the ceremonial site of the healing ceremony in her homeland Tjukurla. Like all her paintings it carries a deep spiritual meaning. This is what differentiates her work form the three earlier artists. Glover simply gives an impression of the beautiful landscape around him, Drysdale gives a more expressionistic depiction of the Australian landscape and Berkowitz gives a symbolic personal message about the Australian landscape. Reid however includes the landscape into her dreamtime stories through symbolism that is common to her people.