School of Culture and Communication - Theses
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ItemPenleigh Boyd 1890-1923( 1986)This thesis traces the life and work of Penleigh Boyd. In so doing it seeks to elucidate the influences which shaped his art and his life. In this process a number of themes emerge: Penleigh Boyd’s relationship to and position in the Boyd family; his own attitude to his art and the world around him; the influence on his art of other Australian artists, and the cultural milieu in which he was brought up. Penleigh Boyd was born in England in 1890 while his parents were staying at the country seat of his mother’s family. The family returned to Australia in 1894 and lived in Sandringham until 1907 when they move to Yarra Glen. Boyd attended the National Gallery School in Melbourne from 1905-1909, and, after two exhibitions in Melbourne, set off for Europe early in 1911. He stayed in Europe, mostly in England, for almost two years before returning to Australia newly married. Back in Australia he painted for two-and-a-half years and built a house at Warrandyte before he enlisted in the A.I.F. He served in France until September 1917 when he was gassed at Ypres. Repatriated to Australia in 1918, he settled in Warrandyte and painted the wattle pictures for which he is most remembered. In 1922 he left for England to organize a loan exhibition of modern art which was shown in the major capitals of Australia in 1923. Not long after the exhibition closed in Melbourne, Boyd was killed in a car accident while travelling to Sydney. Penleigh Boyd repays study for a number of reasons. Firstly, he belongs to one of the best-known of Australia’s many artistic families. His brothers Martin and Merric, his son Robin and his nephew Arthur have all made highly significant contributions to Australian cultural life. Penleigh Boyd is less well-known than most of the members of the Boyd family, partly because of his early death, but also because his art is neither as individual nor as lasting as that of the more famous members of the family. If he is remembered, it is for his paintings of wattle in blossom. These paintings are, it is true, unique in Australian art, but they cannot be compared to the achievements of either of his brothers, or indeed of his son Robin. (From Introduction)