After 2003 he moved away from figurative language to work in an abstract idiom (see Number Nine 2008, Tate T15515). The mirror, a recurring symbol within his work, is not a two- dimensional illusion but a literal construct. Picassos sizable oeuvre grew to include over 20,000 paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures,ceramics, theater sets, and costume designs. The Fabulously Eccentric Life of James Gordon Bennett, Jr. Landing of Captain Cook at Botany Bay 1770 by E. Phillips Fox, for example, depicts Captain James Cook ceremoniously coming ashore at Botany Bay to claim the land for Britain. The indefatigable artist has been the subject of exhibitions at the worlds most prestigious institutions, from the Museum of Modern Art and Centre Pompidou to the Stedelijk Museum and Tate Modern. Oil and acrylic on canvas, 182 x 182 cm. possession island Performance with object for the expiation of guilt (Violence and grief remix) 1996, is a remix of an earlier video performance work, Performance with object for the expiation of guilt, 1995. As an Australian of both Aboriginal and Anglo Celtic descent, Bennett felt he had no access to his indigenous heritage. 4 While artists often have limited control over how their work is exhibited after it has been sold, Bennett also refused to exhibit his work in Aboriginal art exhibitions, preferring: to be conceived as a contemporary artist who just happens to be indigenous and whose work encompasses an investigation of aboriginality and the construction of identity within a broad range of complex and interconnected issues. Home Dcor (Algebra) Ocean, 1998 synthesises the work of Piet Mondrian(18721944), Margaret Preston (18751963) and later in the series, JeanMichel Basquiat(19601988) among others. The only clearly defined part of Possession Island is the black skinned male figure in the centre. Gordon Bennett, Possession Island, 1991, oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas, Museum of Sydney, Sydney Living Museums; Daniel Boyd, We Call Them . However, he offers more than one interpretation of the grids use, which is indicated by the sampling of works by Australian artist Margaret Preston . SOLD FEB 10, 2023. The representation of Aborigines has been reduced to caricature. An Anthology of writings on Australian Art in the 1980s & 1990s, IMA Publishing, 2004, p. 273, Gordon Bennett, The manifest toe, Ian McLean & Gordon Bennett, The Art of Gordon Bennett Craftsman House, 1996, p. 58, Kelly Gellatly, Citizen in the making, p.18, Kelly Gellatly, Citizen in the making, p. 17, John Citizen artist profile, Sutton Gallery, Melbourne http://www.suttongallery.com.au/artists/artistprofile.php?id=39 accessed 29/11/07, Conversation Bill Wright talks to Gordon Bennett, in Kelly Gellatly with contributions by Bill Wright, Justin Clemens and Jane Devery, Gordon Bennett (exhib. Sutton Gallery. Aim to use a variety of strategies in your work to engage the viewer in the issues and questions you are interested in exploring in relation to these binary opposites. AUSTRALIAN ART COMES TO TATE MODERN - Qantas News Room Bennett's art engages with historical and contemporary questions of cultural and personal identity, with a specific focus on Australia's colonial past and its postcolonial present. Bennett compels the viewer to engage with and question the values and ideas of the artists he appropriated. European history has stipulated that being Australian has required anyone that does not fit into such a Eurocentric category is different, other and therefore unworthy. People tend to focus on the emotional aspect rather than the conceptual when interpreting my work, and that bothers me. Even when the starting point for a work is an emotive one, I believe I conceptually examine the ideas behind the emotion and extrapolate from there Gordon Bennett1. One hand holds a torch a symbol of Enlightenment values that is also seen in The Statue of Liberty in New York that sheds light on darkness. Bennetts recent abstract paintings reflect links to a range of artists including Australians Robert McPherson, Emily Kam Kngwarray and Ronnie Tjampitjinpa, and International artist Frank Stella. These questions include how traditional characterisations of light and darkness have influenced perceptions and experience of race and culture. While some people may argue this has been a quick road to success, and that my work is authorised by my Aboriginality, I maintain that I dont have to be an Aborigine to do what I do, and that quick success is not an inherent attribute of an Aboriginal heritage, as history has shown, nor is it that unusual for college graduates who have something relevant to say. His use of the perspective diagrams to frame and contain the figure of his mother alludes to the impact the values and systems of European culture have had on the lives of Indigenous people. Kelly Gellatly 1. Discuss with reference to selected artworks by Gordon Bennett. This pastiche of style and image is like a D J (Disc Jockey) sampling and remixing different styles of music to create new expressions. For given the artists own history of engagement, these works are not considered simple abstract paintings, but abstract paintings by Gordon Bennett; coloured or even tainted by, the history, concerns and associations of the artists earlier work. The mirror at the bottom left-hand corner of the painting represents Bennetts own shaving mirror. Van Goghs original bedroom evokes a feeling of peace and harmony. Discuss with reference to a selection of at least three works, clearly identifying stylistic shifts, and evidence of conceptual unity. This painting combines the story of Bennetts mother, and other young Aboriginal women in the care of the government or church, with the Christian story. Bellas Gallery. Many Indigenous Australians saw this appropriation as further evidence of a justification of colonisation and a Eurocentric interpretation of Aboriginal culture. Altarpiece paintings traditionally occupied a central position in a church. Western art has a long tradition of creating an illusion of three- dimensional space on a flat surface. Bennett not only used Basquiat images, but begins to paint in his style. Bennetts art explores and reflects his personal experiences. The Other is clearly marked out as not only different but by necessity inferior. Reflecting the colours of the Aboriginal flag, splashes and drips of red, yellow and black paint across the surface of the painting quote the distinctive style of Jackson Pollock (19121956), which Bennett began to sample in 1990. Discuss different approaches/ideas evident in the way each artist uses dots in their work. Gordon Bennett, Possession Island, 1991, oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas in two parts. ). Pollock was influenced by Navaho sand paintings, which were created on the ground. Do these qualities reflect the reality of what it means to be Australian (ie. Lichtenstein 19231987). Image: Gordon Bennett, Australia 1955-2014, Possession Island, 1991. Jackson Pollock is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Such imagery has often been used by artists to unsettle the viewer and present new perspectives on familiar subjects. Felicity Allen, Gordon Bennett interviewed by Felicity Allen in the. Fri. 10-9, Sat. Possession Island (Appendix 1) 1991 and Notes to Basquiat (Jackson Pollock and his Other) (Appendix 2) 2001 will be discussed in relation to Henri's statement. Gordon Bennett! | English Slang Phrases - Peevish Gordon Bennett 1. It confronts the bigotry and discrimination suffered by Aborigines, using a rich visual language based in both Aboriginal and Western traditions. Bennett used Blue Poles to recall this period of change. Research the significant dates/events referenced in Bennetts artworks, including Myth of the Western Man (White mans burden) 1992 for some ideas. For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, this was a time to mourn the devastating consequences of 200 years of colonisation. The headless figure of the Aboriginal man has an animated, spectre- like presence that haunts the scene. I needed to change direction at least for a while. Gordon Bennett | Australian art, Indigenous art, Australian artists Appropriation was a tool that enabled him to open up and re-define stereotypes and bias. John Citizen is an artist for our times: he reflects back to us citizens the white Australia of the postKeating era. I am purposely not defining him only as Aboriginal because he himself does not want to be defined only as such. In this way, Bennett effectively exposes and questions the constructed and value-laden nature of language and history, and how they shape our understanding of the world. Cooee Art Auctions works with artists bi-annually across two separate departments - Indigenous Fine Art and Modern & Contemporary Fine Art. Buildings and planes collide. Looking at the image from different viewpoints helps us to discover different perspectives. Particularly when academics claim that they are afraid of expressing their 'true' findings for fear of losing their careers. Gordon Bennett - Sutton Gallery Most Australians were shocked and scandalised that public money was spent on something they neither appreciated nor understood. Another reason was to make people aware that I am an artist first and not a professional Aborigine. The grand Romantic landscapes of Western art were intended to inspire the viewer with their dramatic beauty and effects of illusion. She was one of the first Australian artists to recognise the spiritual significance of Aboriginal art and the land. Their confidence was rewarded when Possession Island 1991, a triptych in which each panel measured 162 x 130 cm, sold for $384,000. What is your personal interpretation of the abstract paintings? It speaks of colonial violence and the consequences of being on the 'wrong' side of history, purchased in 2019, this powerful and sobering work is a major acquisition for the QAGOMA Collection. Bennett only used two colours, symbolically, red and black. He is not disturbed by slashes of paint, but painted carefully and outlined by the precise grid behind him. January 26, 1988: Spectator craft surround tall ship The Bounty on Sydney Harbour as it heads towards Farm Cove while a formation of air force jets are in a fly-past overhead, part of the First Fleet re-enactment for Australias Bicentennial, A strategy of intervention and disturbance, Layering and re-defining Creating new language, Re-mixing and exchanging A global perspective, Outsider and Altered body print (Shadow figure howling at the moon), Installation of Triptych: Requiem, Of grandeur, Empire, 1989, in exhibition Gordon Bennett (2007), Visual images, forms and elements as signifiers, Art practice a multidisciplinary approach, Victorian Foundation for Living Australian Artists, International Audience Engagement Network (IAE), Gordon Bennett, The manifest toe in Ian McLean & Gordon Bennett, The Art of Gordon Bennett, Craftsman House, 1996, p. 20, Gordon Bennett, The manifest toe, p. 15, Gordon Bennett, The manifest toe, p. 21, These experiences are clearly reflected in the Home sweet home series 1993-4, Gordon Bennett, The manifest toe, p. 27, Kelly Gellatly, Conversation: Bill Wright talks to Gordon Bennett with contributions by Bill Wright, Justin Clemens and Jane Devery, Gordon Bennett (exh. Ian McLean 2. Who was Paul Keating? He described this knowledge as a psychic rupturing. By overlaying perspective diagrams on images constructed according to the conventions of perspective, such as the landscape in Requiem, Bennett reminds us of the learned and culturally specific systems that influence knowledge and perception. In the context of the other panels, which are all figurative, this black square could be seen as an absence, and possibly a representation of the oppression of indigenous voices by history. It is a monument that also unintentionally signals the subsequent dispossession of Aboriginal people from their homeland. From 2003 Bennett worked on a series of non-representational abstract paintings that mark another significant shift in his practice. But the oppressive and restrictive laws that governed the lives of Aboriginal people in Australia until the late 1960s continued to impose on her life. While his work was increasingly exhibited within a national and international context, the combination of his position (or as Bennett would argue label) as an (urban) Aboriginal artist, and the subject matter of his work, seemed to ensure inclusion within certain curatorial and critical frameworks, and largely determine interpretation and reception. He depicts how pain transcends place and event to encompass a global consciousness. 1. Pioneering Australian Artist Gordon Bennett Dies at 58