Australia

Interesting exhibition tracing 200 years of Australian art at the Royal Academy.

I thought there were some lovely works in this exhibition but apart from the Aboriginal art I didn’t think I had much sense of what made Australian art different. It seemed to follow the same structure as European art with a romantic period, an Impressionist period etc and the history seemed to follow a similar pattern to American, early settlers, exploring the country, growth of the cities. It didn’t have much new to say except for ‘look it was all happening over there too’.

However as I said I thought there were some lovely works. I loved the first view of Sydney by Thomas Watling and the wonderful detailed landscapes of John Glover which seemed to show every tree. I also liked Ethel Carrick’s Manly Beach, an Edwardian beach packed with ladies in round hats. Also at the end I loved the sardine tin sculptures by Fiona Hall.

In the Impressionist section I was struck by the stories. Who can forget Flossie the dog that ran away and the “stampede of draught stricken sheep … maddened by the scent of water”! I loved the works from an exhibition where artists were limited to a small panel 9 by 5 in size ie the size of a cigar box lid.

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