School of Culture and Communication - Theses
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ItemThe etched work of Jessie C.A. Traill, 1881-1967( 1982)Jessie C. A. Traill, 1881-1967, a Melbourne-born artist, was, during her heyday, well respected both in her home state and beyond, as a painter and etcher. Today her name is most readily associated with etchings, and it is generally recognised that her contribution to the etching revival in Australia is a major one and that her work in this medium warrants a thorough study in order that her relative place in this context be fully appreciated. Her prints are, moreover, of a high quality technically speaking, and show significant innovations for Australia in both this respect and in their subject matter. They are, as well, delightful and much sought after items for the collector and connoisseur of prints. This paper is the first written study of Traill's etchings, the present generation print lover having been introduced to her work in a retrospective exhibition at the "Important Women Artists" gallery in Melbourne in 1977, and in subsequent exhibitions of Australian etchings where her works have been included. As such, the study will add to a slowly growing body of information on the major Australian etchers, material which is invaluable for an adequate formulation of the history of printmaking in Australia.
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ItemA critical biography of George Johnston( 1987)A Critical Biography of George Johnston discusses the relation between the life and the work of Australian novelist George Henry Johnston, 1912 - 1970. The early chapters of the thesis are concerned to give an outline of Johnston's family background in the Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick, his schooling, his work as a lithographer and as a reporter, and his first marriage, all of which are compared with Johnston's autobiographical fiction covering the same period in his life. Following this, the narrative traces Johnston's years as a war correspondent overseas, and his development as a writer of documentary books on war subjects. Some space is given to his later reflections on the role of war correspondent. After the war, Johnston married Charmian Clift, with whom he had three children, and with whom his career as a writer of fiction got underway when they began writing novels in collaboration. Clift was to have a profound influence on Johnston's life and writing. In 1951 Johnston and his family went to London, where he was a newspaper executive. The chapters dealing with this period show the increasing strain on Johnston of attempting to write novels while working, and the damage it began to do to his health. In 1954 he gave up journalism, and with his family went to live as a full-time author on the Greek island of Hydra. From about this time Johnston and Clift wrote separately, and Johnston's attempts to become a highly paid international novelist met with only sporadic success. The financial strain, and the temptations of living in a community of foreign artists, affected Johnston's marriage and eventually his health, and in 1959 TB was diagnosed. From this time Johnston became introspective, deeply unhappy, and much more serious about his writing. His writing had so far been of mediocre quality at best, and this thesis gives only descriptive space to it. But from 1959 on his new seriousness began to make itself felt, and his writing grew in stature as it increased in autobiographical focus. The development of this is discussed in detail. With his health bad and his life in disarray, Johnston grew nostalgic about his past in Australia, and out of this came his most acclaimed novel, My Brother Jack, written in 1963. There is a substantial chapter dealing with the complex forces that produced this work. Its success in Australia brought Johnston home in 1964, and when Clift and the children joined him later, there was renewed optimism that they could get their lives back in balance. This was the case for a year or so, but again Johnston's poor health, worsened by smoking, intervened. His last years were spent turning the fictionalized autobiography begun in My Brother Jack into a trilogy. The tortuous nature of this material, and his worsening illness, requiring lung surgery, slowed his progress, but its importance to him, which is discussed at length in the closing chapters, sustained him. He was devastated by Clift's suicide in 1969, and lasted only another year himself, just failing to complete the final volume of his trilogy.
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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)
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ItemL. Bernard Hall and the National Gallery of Victoria: conflict and change( 1984)In all, Lindsay Bernard Hall acted as Director of the National Gallery of Victoria and its associated Schools of Art for a period of 42 years. During this period, the Gallery underwent a dramatic change from an unstructured colonial Gallery dependant upon limited Government funding to on able to purchase works on a competitive world market as a result of the Felton Bequest. Because of his position as Director, it could be argued that Hall was instrumental in many of the changes that occurred. However, despite the amount of study undertaken on Australian art and artists of the period, Hall and his work has been virtually ignored. There is no biography of the artist and the limited detail that survives depends upon subjective articles reflecting the contradictory attitudes towards Hall that occurred over time. This thesis is concerned with Hall, his work and his influences.