School of Culture and Communication - Theses
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ItemAntipodean gothic( 1984)Introduction: The work of craftsmen who furnished Australian churches has been largely neglected and this has prompted me to seek out and research their art workmanship. It is proposed to discuss some British architects who were working during the Gothic Revival movement in England and who had some influence on the architecture in Australia. These architects forged links with the Pugin circle and craftsmen. Other British architects came to Australia and designed Gothic Revival churches and cathedrals. In order to simplify discussion the local architects have been divided into Roman Catholic and Protestant, even though in few cases was the work of an architect restricted to one particular denomination. English suppliers and craftsmen worked to designs supplied by English architects and their Australian counterparts. At first most of the Australian architects tended to employ many of the same craftsmen as their English colleagues, but it was not long before local craftsmen and suppliers were producing work comparable in quality to that of their overseas competitors. It was gradually realized that local craftsmen, like local materials, had their own particular advantages for Australian churches, and were by no means necessarily inferior to those from overseas sources. As well, architects were better able to control work done under their direct supervision, more quickly and more cheaply. Even working to an architect’s detailed plan, overseas craftsmen did not always meet the high expectations of the Australian architect. When one wanders around a church or cathedral, it is often impossible to find out who was responsible for a pulpit or font, an altar, mural decorations, a lectern or some other item of church furnishing, because so few Victorian craftsmen signed their works. It is almost as difficult to discover the name of the architects as church records are frequently non-existent. In some instances only one surviving example of an artist’s work has been found, as some church officials and clergymen apparently were not interested in the craftsmanship of the Victorian era and were quite happy to see this work removed. But others were just as reluctant to see the old treasures disappear, as evidenced in the comments of a parish priest: ….the murals were painted on canvas….and were taken down, and to my horror burned, despite a plea from someone in the parish….that they be preserved. The brassware is no longer part of the church furnishings and so I presume they along with the very beautiful pipe organ were given away or sold…..The church has been repainted…. but lacks character….unfortunately….those in charge were of a definite practical bent….with little concern for aesthetics. This must be a common complaint these days…. It is , and clearly highlights the constant difficulty in tracing the work of nineteenth century craftsmen, because so much has been thoughtlessly destroyed, given away or sold. Nevertheless, with the assistance gained in conversation with curates and other interested people, as well as from the surviving records, I have been able to piece together information on the craftsmen. The main aim of this thesis has been to build up information on the craftsmen, wherever possible, to locate extant examples of their work, and to discuss other works known to have been made for a particular church, but which has since been dismantled, given away or destroyed. This study is concerned with the work of craftsmen in seven separate categories: the wood carvers; decorators and gilders; stone carvers and masons; tillers; gold and silversmiths; art metal workers; and stained glass artists. The aim is not so much a detailed stylistic analysis of this great body of material, as a survey of the output of the major craftsmen in the colony, and some of their more important works elsewhere. The mass of data has been summarized in the extensive tables at the end of the thesis.