The coming of the light refers ironically to a term used by Torres Strait Islanders to describe the arrival of the missionaries who brought Christianity to the Islands in 1871. She was one of the first Australian artists to recognise the spiritual significance of Aboriginal art and the land. Gordon Bennett arrived on Christmas Island in 1979 to take a post as leader of the Union of Christmas Island Workers. Bennett achieved critical success early in his career. The graphic detail in these images, including mutilated, tortured bodies, continue to confront viewers today with the realities of human behaviour and suffering in war. Find examples of the work of these artists. L120238 Gordon Bennett. Bennetts distinctive visual language repositions the subject of the work, claiming the Aboriginal perspective as central to the historical moment of the original painting. Gordon Bennett, The manifest toe, pp. Bennett simultaneously obscures and draws attention to the Aboriginal man standing next to Cook, overlaying an abstract geometric shape which recalls constructivist art and the Aboriginal flag. Throughout his career Bennett has used many different strategies to engage the viewer in his work. However, for Bennett, dot painting also became a powerful expression of the connections between nature and culture, which are integral to representation in Aboriginal art. . It recalls the way stereotypes, labels, identities and systems of thought are fixed. The installation is filled with images of his family and Constructivist-style drawings made by the artist. Among these was the harrowing struggle for identity that ensued from the repression and denial of his Aboriginal heritage. The facial features reflected in the mirror are blurred and distorted by roughly painted words typical racist remarks about Aboriginal people. That was to be the extent of my formal education on Aborigines and Aboriginal culture until Art College. Bennetts referencing, appropriation and recontextualisation of familiar images and art styles challenges conventional ways of viewing and thinking and opens up new possibilities for understanding the subjects he explored. Bennett also includes copies and samples of his own work, such as Possession Island and Big Romantic painting (The Apotheosis of Captain Cook) 1993, with other found images. They communicated important Christian stories to the congregation. Gordon Bennett 1, For an artist whose practice was concerned with how labels and systems define and confine knowledge and perception, labels and categorisations such as aboriginal artist, or urban aboriginal artist that were often applied to his work through exhibitions, books and other commentaries presented many practical as well as philosophical issues, I am very aware of the boundaries of critical containment within the parameters of Urban Aboriginal Art, and have so far worked within these boundaries to try and broaden, extend and subvert them. The only clearly defined part of Possession Island is the black skinned male figure in the centre. The men also paint their bodies in red, yellow, white and black, or in feather down stuck with human blood when they dress up, and make music with a didgeridoo. possession island These racist terms confront an Aboriginal figure represented as a jack-in-the-box, as he is violently jerked from the box that contains him. John Citizen was a work in progress that allows me to follow other streams of thought in my practice. Gordon Bennett 1, Bennetts Aboriginal heritage came through his mother. How ideas might be encountered from different places and events interest him. At the heart of the artwork of Gordon Bennett is a journey to find that self amidst the cultural and historical inequities created by European settlement in Australia. Underlying Bennetts admiration for Basquiat was the need to re- contextualise the issues that he had explored throughout his career as an artist. New perspectives on familiar images and stories are presented. Symbols such as these highlight his awareness and use of visual images, forms and elements as signs. A long-distance hot-air balloon race (The International Gordon Bennett balloon race), which still continues, was inaugurated by him in 1906. Discuss with reference to Possession Island. In this way, Bennett effectively exposes and questions the constructed and value-laden nature of language and history, and how they shape our understanding of the world. Discuss with reference to examples in at least two works by Bennett. His work also includes performance art, video, photography and printmaking. In the first painting by Bennett, Possession Island 1991 (Museum of Sydney on the site of first Government House, Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales), the only figure painted in full vibrant colour is an isolated Aboriginal servant holding a drinks tray. Bennetts use of dots highlights the way Aboriginal cultural identity continues to be defined and confined by Western ideas of Aboriginality. He has written of his approach to his work: Bennetts practice include painting, printmaking, drawing, video, performance, installation and sculpture, and challenges racial stereotypes and critically reflects on Australias history (official and unacknowledged) by addressing issues relating to the role of language and systems of thought in forging identity. It was no accident that Bennett used Pollocks Blue Poles: Number 11. Their confidence was rewarded when Possession Island 1991, a triptych in which each panel measured 162 x 130 cm, sold for $384,000. 5. Eventually Bennetts mother earned an official exemption that allowed her to leave the Mission. Explain how these images might have influenced perceptions of Australian identity? Pollock becomes a catalyst for transformation. Australian politics is fraught yet the Australian public is disengaged. He probed ideas about identity, fuelled partly by his own . 35, 36. This work reflects our contemporary obsession with creating the perfect home filled with the latest must have designer style and material items. Blood is a potent symbol and has historically been a measure of Aboriginality. Bennetts art explores and reflects his personal experiences. But the mathematical formulation of linear perspective in the fifteenth century had a powerful influence on the representation of space in Western art from this point. Bennett attempts to destroy the stereotypes to question notions of identity. Is this response informed by Bennetts work? I did want to explore Aboriginality, however, and it is a subject of my work as much as colonialism and the narratives and language that frame it, and the language that has consistently framed me. Examine a range of Bennetts artworks and their titles and discuss how the titles might provide a useful starting point for analysing and interpreting the images. Bennett painted his version after Australias bicentennial celebrations in 1988. Mondrian cages the figures, Preston objectifies the figures; Bennett accommodates both to grasp the intangible and dissect these limited interpretations and stereotypes. A gush of blood red paint shoots into the sky from his body. Bennett has often used dots in his artworks as part of his investigation of issues of identity, and history. Nearby Recently Sold Homes. Consider what dates/events should be included in your timeline and why. It is open to self revelation, self redemption and a myriad of rich images of self that can be built upon. Explore a range of ideas and media within your work. His father, born in Scotland in 1795, emigrated to the US to become a journalist and subsequently founded the 'New York Herald' in 1835. Include reference to specific examples in your discussion. Reflecting the colours of the Aboriginal flag, splashes and drips of red, yellow and black paint across the surface of the painting quote the distinctive style of Jackson Pollock (19121956), which Bennett began to sample in 1990. These images are fused and overlapped in a dynamic composition underpinned by Mondrian-style grids. Like many of his own and earlier generations, Bennetts understanding of the nations history was partly shaped by the sort of images commonly found in history books. A fleet of tall ships sailed around Australia as part of the commemoration of settlement. The performance that forms an integral part of this work shows a tall indistinct figure (Bennett) prowling around a stage- like setting illuminated by a rapidly changing pattern of images, text, light and colour. Reynolds wrote books and articles about the history of Australian settlement as a story of invasion and genocide. The central figure is based on a monoprint made from the artists body. What is your personal interpretation of the abstract paintings? What does Bennetts goal for his work suggest to you about how he views the role of art? Bennett not only used Basquiat images, but begins to paint in his style. What aspects of Bennetts works might viewers focus on as emotional? John Citizen is an artist for our times: he reflects back to us citizens the white Australia of the postKeating era. For example, Aboriginal deaths in custody was recognised as a significant issue. Born in Monto, Queensland, Bennett was a significant figure in contemporary Indigenous Australian art . It is based on a newspaper photograph of Bennetts mother and another young Aboriginal woman, dressed in crisp white uniforms, polishing the elaborate architectural fittings in a grand interior of a homestead in Singleton. The early 'Possession Island' (Abstraction))' 1991 was one choice. Collection: Museum of Sydney, Sydney Living Museums The Estate of Gordon Bennett His art attempts to depict the complexity of both cultural perspectives. SOLD FEB 21, 2023. However Bennetts illusionistic representation of the rugged terrain and billowing clouds reflect a style of painting traditionally associated with European Romantic art. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Art Elements, Line, Colour and more. What strategies have been used to communicate and explore these themes and ideas in the book/film? The representation of Aborigines has been reduced to caricature. The triptych form of painting is most commonly associated with the altarpiece paintings made for Christian churches. Gordon Bennett born Australia 1955 Possession Island 1991 oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas (a-b) 162.0 x 260.0 cm (overall) Museum of Sydney on the site of first Government House, Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales. The imagery in this painting focuses on binary opposites, including the Aboriginal figure and various symbols of European and Indigenous art and culture . Discuss with reference to one or more works by Bennett. Bennett confronts and questions the appropriateness of this borrowing. Bennett was interested in the way language and images construct identity and history, and the way this language controls and creates meaning. cat. Bennetts pictures leave us with questions rather than answers, with complexities rather than simplicities as if the origins of truth, identity and ideology are in metaphors and signs rather than in things, and hence are layered and relative Ian McLean 1. Gordon Bennett Possession Island (Abstraction) 1991 Oil paint and acrylic paint on canvas 1 843 x 1845 mm Tate and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, purchased jointly with funds provided by the Qantas Foundation 2016 Estate of Gordon Bennett CZ: A lot of the featured artists have also created work since 1992. His bold and humane art challenged racial stereotypes and provoked critical reflection on Australia's official history and national identity. There was still no space for me to simply be. In 1989, a year after graduating from art college, his work was included in the high profile Australian Perspect a exhibition of contemporary art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. In 1999 Bennett adopted an alter ego and began making and exhibiting Pop Art inspired images under the name of John Citizen, a persona representative of the Australian Mr Average. These include the tall ship and the appropriated logos featuring kitsch and racist references to Indigenous people, and the ominous juxtaposition of bags of flour and bottles of poison. Art about art seems appropriate for the time being. Possession Island 1991 Oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas Two parts: 162 x 260cm (overall) The Estate of Gordon Bennett Purchased with funds. Nov 26, 2012 - The paintings of Gordon Bennett are loaded with graphic detail. He found this liberating. John Citizen had his first exhibition in 1995 at Sutton Gallery, Melbourne 2 As an alternative artistic identity, John Citizen not only alerts us to how artistic identity is constructed, it gave Bennett great freedom to be someone other than Gordon Bennett. Mixing of pure blood with European blood was feared by Europeans, authenticity was at risk and identity diluted. From 2003 Bennett worked on a series of non-representational abstract paintings that mark another significant shift in his practice. Inspired by African and Iberian art, he also contributed to the rise of Surrealism and Expressionism. The Spanish artist Francisco Goya (1746-1828) used the power of the grotesque in the Disasters of war series, which depicts some of the atrocities that took place in Spain during the War of Independence (1814-18). Create an illustrated and annotated timeline of the history of Australia since settlement. Conversation Bill Wright talks to Gordon Bennett, in Kelly Gellatly with contributions by Bill Wright, Justin Clemens and Jane Devery, Ian McLean, Who is John Citizen? Greenaway Art Gallery, 2006, Kelly Gellatly Citizen in the making, in Kelly Gellatly, p. 24. How does this work compare with conventional self-portraits? This is similar to the way a Pointillist painting can only be seen effectively from a distance to bring the image into focus. But this approach is central to the way many people describe and analyse his work. Celebrations continued throughout the year and gave renewed focus to traditional images and stories of the nations settlement history. Gordon Bennett 1. This purchase was indicative of a massive legislative reform program that had not been seen in Australian society for decades. Bennett used it to question notions of self. The Stripe series of abstract paintings represents a kind of freedom for me as an artist. Picassos sizable oeuvre grew to include over 20,000 paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures,ceramics, theater sets, and costume designs. While personal experience has had a significant influence on Gordon Bennetts art practice, the autobiographical aspects of his work are framed by bigger ideas and questions that have relevance and significance beyond Bennetts own experience. The Notes to Basquiat: 911 series and the Camouflage series, which reflect on the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the war in Iraq respectively, highlight Bennetts global perspective. In Notes to Basquiat (Jackson Pollock and his other) 2001, Bennett confronts these issues within a global context. 4. Layers of images superimposed with words. This contemporary questioning and revision of the traditional, narrow euro-centric view of history reflects a postcolonial perspective. The coming of the light suggests questions about the impact of Christianity on Indigenous cultures and people. Gordon BENNETT "Possession Island" (1991) Conceptual Painting Art Painting Contemporary Australian Artists Neo Expressionism Expressionist Art Collage Cultural Studies Indigenous Education Gordon BENNETT "Notes to Basquiat (The coming of the light)" (2001) Aboriginal Painting Drawing Prints Drawings Image Sheet Foley Present Day Based on your understanding of Bennetts motivations for the abstract paintings, outlined in the quote in the text, suggest what may have interested Bennett about the work of these artists. I needed to change direction at least for a while. Western art has a long tradition of creating an illusion of three- dimensional space on a flat surface. However, he offers more than one interpretation of the grids use, which is indicated by the sampling of works by Australian artist Margaret Preston . These qualities expose some of the complications that arise from understandings built on binary opposites. Today. Bennett's work is held in over 100 public and private collections, including many major state institutions such as the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra and National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. After years of critiquing art-historical standards, Bennett has himself become the standard bearer. The reality is, however, that I have never really had much choice; and I have been faced with my work not entering some collections on the grounds of it being not Aboriginal enough, to being asked to sell my work through stalls at cultural festivalsGordon Bennett 2. To the right of the canvas, Jackson Pollocks Blue Poles: Number 11, 1952 is clearly referenced. Preston envisioned the creation of an Australian aesthetic. The artist Gordon Bennett led a reclusive life. Within the Home dcor series Gordon Bennett escalates the sampling and quoting of other artists and works to develop a pastiche. She looms large over the landscape in Requiem, as she does in the post- contact history of the nation as a symbol of the devastating impact that colonisation had on Indigenous people and culture. The background colours and features of the landscape in each panel of Requiem, Of grandeur, Empire suggest a vast Australian desert . Gordon Bennett 2. Bennett intentionally fuses this iconic style of Western painting with the famous Aboriginal white dot painting of the Western Desert, reproducing the mix in Possession Island. Discuss with reference to a selection of at least three works, clearly identifying stylistic shifts, and evidence of conceptual unity. You might consider, scale, materials and techniques, perceptual effects. These binary opposites insider/outsider, black/white, primitive/civilised have had a powerful influence on perceptions of European and Indigenous people and culture. Who was Gordon Bennett? The strategy of word association subverts the values and meaning traditionally associated with the image. * February 4, 2015 The Institute of Modern Art announces its 2015 exhibition program Institute of Modern Art 420 Brunswick Street Fortitude Valley Brisbane QLD 4006 Australia T +61 (0) 7 3252 5750 ima [ at ] ima.org.au www.ima.org.au The focus on reason, scientific learning and progress that characterised the Enlightenment (suggested by the measuring marks on the torch) lead to many significant discoveries and new ways of understanding the world. Gordon Bennetts Possession Island 1991, highlights the influence that visual images have on our understanding of history, and the way that visual images often reflect the values of the social / historical context in which they are made. The Estate of Gordon Bennett. Discuss with reference to a range of artworks by Bennett. Bennetts grid formations seem to imprison the figures within the canvas. The Constitution is being rethought with respect to Indigenous Australians, and treaty-making is on the agenda yet the Uluru Statement from the Heart was roundly ignored by the Federal Government. Victorious soldiers triumphantly and ceremoniously paraded under such arches, sometimes accompanied by their captives. This led him to adopt an artistic alter ego, John Citizen. Every object is carefully and clearly painted, yet the images conceptually blur together as they intersect and interlace through the grid, across the canvas. Looking closely at the central panel we realise that the luminous sky is described with the dots that Bennett used in early works to signify Aboriginal art. While the conceptual framework underpinning Bennetts art remained remarkably consistent, his art practice was characterised by some dramatic stylistic shifts over twenty years. Bennett's art engages with historical and contemporary questions of cultural and personal identity, with a specific focus on Australia's colonial past and its postcolonial present. How have these sciences influenced the perception and understanding of Indigenous people and cultures? It has been designed for teachers and students to instigate discussion and investigation, and includes learning activities relevant to history and visual arts that can be adapted to different levels. are they representative of different cultural identities)? These paintings reflect Bennetts belief that after the Notes to Basquiat series of 2003, I had gone as far I could with the postcolonial project I was working through1. The The Notes to Basquiat series,which Bennett commenced in 1998, marked a significant new direction in his art in relation to working with the style of another artist. Gebraucht | Gewerblich. Using a painting technique, create a finished artwork based on one or some of these experiments. Research other artists who use appropriation and select an artist whose work interests you. my work was largely about ideas rather than emotional content emanating from some stereotype of a tortured soul. Gordon Bennett, Possession Island (1991)*. These signs can also be read as evidence that disputes the claim that Australia was discovered terra nullius or nobodys land. It was upon entering the workforce that I really learnt how low the general opinion of Aboriginal people was. The Other is clearly marked out as not only different but by necessity inferior. 'Bloodlines' He depicts how pain transcends place and event to encompass a global consciousness. GORDON BENNETT AND HIS RACES From the Book: Die Gordon Bennett Ballon Rennen (The Gordon Bennett Races)by Ulrich Hohmann Sr along with articles by others.Many of his contemporaries have considered Mister James Gordon Bennett to be a spleeny American. As the foundation of a system of representation, perspective produces an illusion of depth on an essentially flat two dimensional surface by the use of invisible lines that converge to a vanishing point.