the archibald trip may 2006
On 6th May, thirtyeight enthusiastic art loving souls climbed aboard the coach….Mark and I received our usual brief from Cara points 1 to 101 to follow!
Anticipation was great! What would the day bring? Would everything go as planned? Ultimately would everyone enjoy themselves for $30s?
The questions were endless, in the organizer’s minds, but with the rumble of the engine, the air conditioning adjusted, so it wasn’t quite a hot house and to save one lady from stripping in the heat, we thundered along the road…!.Happy voices, laughing, expectations high…. as the sun rose to reveal the uniquely beautiful Australian experience of Sydney Harbour stretched out on either side of our iconic grey coat-hanger……the white sails of our Opera House outlined against the azure sky….and onto the imposing Ancient Roman architecturally styled portal of “The NSW Art Gallery”.
Sally, the Gallery’s’ Events Organizer met us for our one hour private viewing before the Gallery opened. It was wonderful to step inside the quiet historic building, where footsteps echoed, voices were hushed, and gaze upon its imposing, friendly walls which framed works of art. Absolute treasures from masters and struggling artists, alike. We were divided into two groups, Mark and I each with a group, accompanied by a quietly spoken guide whose knowledge, enthusiasm and insight into each Archibald entry proved invaluable to our understanding of the concept of what constitutes a portrait. To understand each work our guide explained the medium of the individual works, anecdotes which related to the works …such as the court case surrounding Craig Ruddy's “Self-portrait- INTO THE BOX”. Debate had raged over whether this entry was actually a skilled portrait and to compound the issue Ruddy had painted the smaller work which neatly fitted into everyone’s concept of portraiture….Ruddy had already won the Archibald Prize in 2002 under controversial circumstances when another artist claimed it was not a painting and therefore ineligible…..so from the knowledge of our guide we learned that this artist liked to go out of his comfort zone and be controversial.
“The Archibald Prize”, is Australia’s oldest and most prestigious annual art award, and commenced in 1921. Jules Francois Archibald stated….”I
direct my Trustees …to provide an annual prize….for the best portrait preferably of some man or woman distinguished in Art Letters Science or Politics painted by any artist resident in Australasia …..”
with
“…..the aim of fostering portraiture, supporting artists and perpetuating the memory of great Australians, each year in accordance with the bequest….”
The 2006 winning entry….”The Paul Juraszek monolith (after Marcus Gheeraerts)” by artist Marcus Wills….. is an allegory about the Flemish engraver, illustrator and artist of the 1567 edition of ‘’Aesop’s Fables’’. “The original etching is about the Reformation, where at the bottom are iconoclasts smashing up relics, bones, Bibles and tossing them into a pit.” Wills used the work of sculptor Paul Juraszek, and so in his version the sculptures are being smashed and rescued….Juraszek appears in the painting 29 times.
As usual controversy raged over the winner….however it received my vote, the sheer detail, history and uniqueness fascinated me.
Entry “Weaver Jack in Lungarung” by artist Weaver Jack; really did need our guide’s commentary as it was confusing to gaze upon a work with no portrait as such to see. However it is only when one learns that the artist, a member of the Yulpariji People, sees herself as one with the land, and the dots are metaphors for her people walking around the land.
One lesson we all grasped by the end of the tour was just how diverse the Trustees definition of a portrait was. Included were groups of people, a scene of people with gutted hinds, family groups, Catherine Arbel’s juxtaposing of Julie Leighs published books as background…and the mediums! Oils on line, acrylic on canvas, enamel, Perspex and masonite on board, oil and thread on canvas, acrylic, oil, paint, varnish, graphite and charcoal on canvas and more. Each work was a personal and tangible embodiment of the artist, and was fascinating !
Our concentration was broken by the general public’s invasion and so coffee and refreshments were next on the agenda . Each person had time to pursue their own interests at the gallery, to look upon the different collections on display and to consider just what is art!!!
Noon! Away to The Rocks! Tourists, art enthusiastists, lovers, cyclists, boutiques, and a wide variety of cuisine to suit every pocket and taste.
The tour of the “Museum of Contemporary Art”, organized by Mark was a huge success.
Many people approach contemporary art cautiously…..however, the comments after the visit left no doubt in the majority of minds that the exhibitions were truly art.
Comments given were:
“…….most interesting and thought provoking visit we ever made to the museum….”
and,
“..your (guide) enthusiasm was contagious!”
and,
“…invaluable – it made the art work accessible…..thought provoking and enjoyable….”
and,
“……information brought history and meaning to the works of art”.
and,
“….a real insight in understanding their ( artists) stories….”
and comments on the entire day…..
“…….thankyou for a most enjoyable day…the company was good too. Hope to do it again next year!”
and,
“….when is your next bus trip?”
and,
“Best ever visit to a gallery…”
and finally;
“… an overwhelming thankyou to all the guides for their knowledge and communication skills.”
4 p.m. came around all too soon, and we found ourselves on the bus, being inundated with raffles! The bright lights of the city receded into the distance as we motored north. Mark’s motto…”.No peace for the wicked, who had been indulged all day in art works! We have money to take!..” Mark managed the raffles, although the males who pulled out the tickets left us pondering!! To round off an educationally superb, fun day, the $80 bottle of Champagne was won by our happy and compliant bus driver. His ready humour added to our enjoyment and we asked him if he’d join us again. The positive reply seemed a fitting end to a great trip. We had increased our knowledge, made new friends, had fun, had free time and above all had time to pursue our own personal love of art!
6:30 p.m. we pulled up outside our gallery tired but happy.
Louise Middlebrook. Art Lover!
