Paris-Lesbos
Before exploring the lives of the Australian women artists who spent time in France (mentioned in a previous post), it is interesting to learn something of the world they entered. …
Touched …
When used as a verb ‘touch’ can mean ‘to influence emotionally’, ‘to put your hand on something’, or ‘to damage something’. To ‘touch’ has all these meanings in a museum …
‘degenerates and perverts’
Artist, art commentator, newspaper critic and one time director of the National Gallery of Victoria, J.S. MacDonald had clear opinions on GOOD art. When the Herald and Weekly Times exhibition …
Paul Cezanne & Emile Zola: Friends
Continuing his interest in nineteenth century artists, Barrie Sheppard looks at the friendship between artist Paul Cezanne and writer Emile Zola. Barrie writes: Paul Cezanne was born in Aix en …
The first three …
Ten years ago the National Gallery of Victoria recognised the under-representation of female artists in the collection and began to actively pursue the acquisition of works by both local and …
‘An elegant work for a drawing-room table’
In 1856, Fanny Anne Charsley embarked on the Persia (described as ‘a noble ship fitted with a great deal of comforts and elegance’) and left London to undertake the three …
‘What’s up doc?’
After a long absence, the French phrase ‘poser un lapin’ (literally to ‘put down a rabbit’) but actually a colloquialism meaning ‘to stand someone up’ seemed appropriate to acknowledge the …
Remembering Edwin Adamson
It was while I was watching the Tokyo Olympics that I was reminded how transient achievements are. As I delved into ‘Olympic images’ in the collection of the National Gallery …
Arch(i)etypal
A co-founder of the ‘Bulletin’, a talented and tireless sub-editor, a supporter of Australian writers (championing Henry Lawson, Banjo Patterson and Louis Becke), a self-confessed francophile (changing his birth name …
Cézanne and the Salon
As we look forward to the opening of the Impressionist exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, Barrie Sheppard explores the connection of Paul Cézanne with the art world of …