AUSTRALIAN LANDSCAPE

Australian Landscape Painting

[Name of the Institute]

Australian Landscape Paintings

Introduction

The term landscape has two main referents. The first is a territory that the eye can comprehend in a single view, such as those celebrated in the Victoria District. The second is a work of art that, which usually, depicts a real-world landscape, such as the paintings of John Constable, or, with the coming of photography, the landscapes of Ansel Adams. At times, landscapes have been imaginary, or even fantastic; and they regularly blend an ideal with the real. Landscape is portrayed in literature, word pictures inviting response.

Landscape art was much esteemed in the eighteenth century. Thomas Gainsborough, Richard Wilson, and Joseph Wright of Derby are Australian representatives. In the nineteenth century, interest remained strong, for example, in John Ruskin's Modern Painters (1843), praising especially the work of Joseph Mallord William Turner. Turner and Constable flourished at the turn of the centuries. The Romantic Movement underlay much of this continuing interest.

Certain landscapes have an archetypal appeal, especially semi wooded savannah-type landscapes, where there is a blending of prospect, open vistas, and refuge, places of retreat and safety, a contrast of the horizontal and the vertical, with interest in both foreground and background. Some claim that these are innate preferences, going back to the environments in which primitive humans evolved. Statistical studies of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century landscape paintings find these features with high frequency.

This paper is aimed at outlining the Australian art culture from 1970s to today with the contribution of renowned artists. It has made an endeavour to disclose the traditions of art and art style that have been followed by classic and contemporary artists of Australia. An effort is made to analyse the notion proposed by Richard White (1981) and to provide the observation in support of artistic work that has been done by contemporary artists of Australia.

Australian Art Culture from 70s to 90s

Post WWII has set the basis of art culture in Australia that was mainly driven by the elements of daily life and it had been named as contemporary art in Australia. In Australia, culture of art and painting has been considered as national heritage that will allow them to travel across the time of their present, past and future. The highlighted era of Australian art history had been reflecting the issues of national identity where people were stuck in discussing images and symbols that could represent the experience of Australians. Classical artists of Australia were mainly focused on issues and symbols that are not even taken as a serious consideration by young generation (Robinson, 1992, p. n.d.).

Australian art has been composed of post colonial and aboriginal art works and expertise. Australia is the country that has been known for producing distinctive artists in both indigenous traditions and Western traditions. Australian artists have always treated their land as significant and sacred to their lives (Andrews, 2000, p. 1). Australian art suffered in till the mid 80s in attempts to collect raw and professional talents from the country and bring them ...