We take you on a journey of discovery beneath the paint surface of The Blue Alice 1956-57, uncover previously hidden details, and look at the technique and materials used by Charles Blackman. The Blue Alice is currently on display in the ‘Fairy Tales’ exhibition at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) until 28 April 2024.…
Continue reading » “Beneath Charles Blackman’s Alice in Wonderland”
In Sir Arthur Streeton’s The bathers 1891 the artist has painted a group of four boys swimming in a creek, however under infra-red light we see there were originally more figures. Streeton (8 April 1867-1943) significantly contributed to the way Australia imagines itself, the romance and beauty of his landscapes reflects the vision for Australian…
Continue reading » “Arthur Streeton: Romanticism & swimming in bush creeks”
The oil paintings of Isaac Walter Jenner (1836-1902) are executed in a fine and detailed manner which invite close and careful viewing. Like many artists, Jenner used sketching or ‘underdrawing’ to develop subjects beneath oil paint layers. Here, we highlight the artist’s style and detail some of the discoveries found when we look at Jenner’s…
Continue reading » “Laying down the lines: Isaac Walter Jenner’s underdrawing”
Receiving and unpacking acquisitions can be an exciting but also a nervous moment for a gallery conservator. This is the first opportunity to catch a glimpse of the artwork you have heard so much about from your colleagues, but you are also well aware of the risks involved with transporting artworks, and this is the…
Australian artist Isaac Walter Jenner (1836–1902) painted Cape Chudleigh, Coast of Labrador in 1893 and reworked it in 1895 (illustrated). The grand history painting depicts the search led by British naval officer, hydrographer, and explorer Sir Edward Belcher (1799–1877) to rescue the ill-fated 1845 British expedition by Sir John Franklin (1786–1847) which set out to…
Continue reading » “Isaac Walter Jenner’s grand history mystery”
We delve into a major reframing project for prominent Queensland ornithological artist and taxidermist Anthony Alder’s (1838-1915) painting Red-tailed Black Cockatoos c.1895 currently on display in the Queensland Art Gallery’s Australian Art collection. Anthony Alder (Standing 3rd from the right) DELVE DEEPER: Go behind-the-scenes as we conserve ‘Red-tailed Black Cockatoos’ The oil on canvas Red-tailed…
Continue reading » “Go behind-the-scenes as we reframe ‘Red-tailed Black Cockatoos’”
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art stands and recognise the creative contribution First Australians make to the art and culture of this country.