Every photograph accommodates a piece of the photographer’s identity within the picture. Photographers explore the Australian identity throughout their photos by using themselves and their own identity as a basis. Ideas of this are outlined in the work of Max Dupain, Rosemary Laing and Trent Parke. They have represented Australian individuality by using various techniques to create their photographs. The artists above and how their work resembles Australia, will be explored within this essay. Max Dupain was one of Australia’s most appreciated modernist photographer. Considered the pioneer for modernism, he is famous for his black and white photographs. His work has been collected by many Australian and worldwide galleries. Born in Sydney and …show more content…
He is considered one of the most original and challenging photographers, being the first Australian to become a full member of the renowned Magnum Photo Agency. Parke was brought up in Newcastle and started photography at the age of twelve. His work is a mixture of both reality and fiction as he offers a portrayal of family and Australia. One photograph that distinctly communicates the idea of Australian identity is Shark Bay, from the series 'Welcome to Nowhere'. Within this picture, the focus is on the emus that are positioned towards the right of the foreground. The image was taken outside in a town located in Western Australia. The whole subject is in focus; therefore, the image has a large depth of field. By judgement, Parke has used natural lighting from the sun to compliment the surroundings. The emus look as if they would be parading through Shark Bay, creating the image of what Australia culture looks like. The image has been manipulated by using a filter, as the colours seem to appear saturated. “For me it’s all about emotional connection. I love this country, love the people, everything about it … I am not really interested in any other country … I have always been interested in why I am drawn to something and why I eventually push the camera button. Most of it comes from memory, the subconscious and events I experienced growing up. The beach, the outback, the suburbs, I could never leave any of it. So much to do here in Australia, there is just no time for anywhere else anyway.” (Trent Parke, 2014). Parke explores the Australian identity through his emotion and interest in relation to the
Audience The Australian artist to capture the scene of Lone Pine for the Australian people created the painting. The painting depicts the scene so realisitilty the Australian people and families can visualise the brave and courage of the soldiers and the conditions in which there ‘boys’ and loved ones fought in. the painting is intended for the visuallyiscan but can also be useful to those studying and investigating the war.
Rodney loves to take landscape pictures, just loves to get the natural world. Rodney is very good at what he does just by looking at his work you can tell he is very good. Rodney doesn 't use filters and or darkroom deceptions on his photos of the natural world. Rodneyś work inspires me to go out and take
Drysdale’s surrealist work was indicative of the Australian Modernist movement which either worked to portray the ugly nature of the urban landscape or showing the countryside as mythical and land of freedom. Similarly, Jeffrey Smart was also influenced by this movement depicting the apparent ugliness in the urban environment but in a highly detailed way. Both works develop the idea of isolation and alienation is present in society however differ in the way in which it forms. Drysdale had a deep emotional attachment to the land and depicted this through his work in a dark desolate sense conveying the suffering of the country and its inhabitants from fire and flood. It is common for rural areas of Australia to be lowly populated creating a sense immerse isolation for residents due to a lack of human interaction which may effects ones mentality, however Drysdale implies the resolution of humanity in the face of such remoteness, a testimony to strength of the Australian people who choose to survive in such areas.
The Breakaway was painted by Thomas William Roberts, an Australian artist known for his national narratives. This is demonstrated through, The Breakaway, as it tells the story of a drover trying to prevent a mob of sheep from running away from the pack. During the 1890’s there was a drought which is depicted in the painting, with dust being kicked up and dry, arid landscape. In 1891 a shearers strike began leading to the formation of the Australian Labor Party which suggests the lack of assistance that the drover is in need of. Tom Roberts was born on the 8th of March 1856 in Dorchester, England before moving to Australia at the age of 13.
Polizer Prize-winning journalist, Donald M. Murray, in his essay for The Boston Globe, “The Stranger in the Photo Is Me”, argues that innocence changes overtime through photos. He supports this claim by first alluding to an artist’s painting. Then he speaks on himself in third-person, and finally reflect on the loss of innocence. Murray’s purpose is to describe his experiences in order to inform people. He adopts a nostalgic tone for people over the age of sixty.
Alan Magee was a realistic and also modernist painter in the the '90s who lived in Rockland, Maine (Alan Magee pg.1). His inspiration was driven from either trips he and his wife went on, or the political standings of the time. Even in the middle of one series of paintings, he would stop if a new idea enveloped his mind (Alan Magee 1981-1991, pg. 9-12). Alan Magee 's art work was influenced by many things in his life.
Throughout history, photographs have been known to depict and represent culture, character, information, and ideology. Through specific elements of form, and close scrutiny, photographs give a representation of the “bigger picture” by providing content and invaluable information that text, on its own, does not produce. Dr. Carol Payne, a professor of art history at Carleton University, wrote an essay in 2012 for the Oxford University Press. This essay focused on the relationships between photographic images, Canadian culture and identity, and indigenous people. Her thesis was to discuss how an image can present a sense of national identity (Carol Payne 310).
For the duration of his essay “The Stranger in the Photo is Me”, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and professor Donald M. Murray depicts his train of thought while flipping through an old family photo album. While describing his experience, Murray carries the reader through the story of his childhood, describing snapshots of some of his favorite memories growing up. Throughout the piece, he shifts back and forth between a family oriented, humorous tone and a nostalgic, regretful one and by doing so, he parallels the true experience of looking through a family photo album. Murray expresses a more serious tone while reflecting on a certain photograph of him in uniform from the beginning of World War II and goes on to explain how in his opinion,
Australian identity and what constitutes Australian culture are prominent ideas explored by Peter Goldsworthy’s Maestro. Throughout the novel, there is a strong sense of cynicism towards Australian culture as it is painted as ambiguous and indefinite. This is established through the analogy of Paul representing Australian society and his parents representing the British influence on Australian culture. Goldsworthy also explores the European influence on Australia through Kellar’s character. Goldsworthy’s broader message is that Australian identity is in fact quite complex and open to interpretation due how culturally diverse it is.
What does it really mean to be Australian? Is Australia really just: bushland, hot sunny beaches, native animals and having to have a laid back attitude? These are just common stereotypes about the ‘land down under’. With Australia settled by the British colony many of its inhabitants were the leftover convicts from Europe. After world war 2 boat people and asylum seekers arrived in Australia hoping for a new life.
The film Not Quite Hollywood (2008) is a documentary which explores Australia’s genre of film from 1970s and 1980s. The film highlights how Ozploitation discourse has been created to analyse concepts within Australian genre films. However, Ryan (2010) believes that Ozploitation discourse restricts the analysis of Australian genre films as it makes it unclear and difficult for the audience to see how “Australian cinema engages with popular movie genres” (Ryan 2010, p.843). Ryan (2010) states that Ozploitation “devalues local genre cinema” (Ryan 2010, p.844) as it compels Australian film genre to be the realm of “exploitation and trash cinema” (Ryan 2010, p.844).
Children’s literature is an important way to develop reading ability. I’m Australian Too is a realistic fiction, picture book written by the award-winning children’s author Mem Fox. Illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh, this book was first published in 2017 by Scholastic Australia. This book has been chosen for its ability to be used across grades K-3 and for its five main features. These features include the theme of the book, which is the celebrating Australia’s multicultural heritage.
“You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul”- George Bernard Shaw ("George Bernard Shaw Quotes at BrainyQuote.com", 2016). An artist will change the essence of a portrait to suit the works subject by incorporating the elements and principles of art in different ways. Ben Quilty’s, Margaret Olley and John Beard’s, Janet Laurence are both portraits of inspiring woman that have particular elements and principles within them that change the way the subjects are presented. Ben Quilty’s portrait of Margaret Olley (2011, oil on linen, 170x150cm) shows a change in Quilty’s art style, transitioning from masculine artworks to more feminine ones (artgallery.nswgov.au). John Beard’s portrait of Janet Laurence (2007,
Created Through the Eye Why do we all have different interpretations of art? Because we all are different in some way, our identity defines us and how we look at the world while our actions shape us and world around us. The works of Wenda Gu and Gordon Bennett both reflect aspects of their identity, whether that be personal, spiritual, cultural or psychological. Both artist are similar in many ways, notably for their reflection on personal experiences as cultural minorities. Gordon Bennett successfully portrays his personal experiences as well as the cultural influences in his artworks.
By the power of photography, the natural image of a world that we neither know nor can know, nature at last does more than imitate art: she imitates the