Images of summer and the beach are synonymous with many Australians’ holiday memories. While technology and consumer trends change, that inherent ‘call of the wild’ and pull to the ocean remains strong.
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Like migrating sand crabs, come December we emerge from our homes and scurry in droves to the coastal edges of the country in search of sand, cool water and the cleansing thick salt air of the ocean.
The idea of leisure was historically relegated to the wealthy until the emergence of a middle class in the 19th century, up until this point images of ‘leisure’ in art were typified by grand renderings of ladies and gents taking tea, languishing in the sun positioned around a European-style bath.
In the 20th century artists began depicting the social habits of the middle class and in Australia, early impressionist artists such as Streeton, Condor and Roberts began to present painterly renditions of Australians relaxing in the landscape.
Like migrating sand crabs, come December we emerge from our homes and scurry in droves to the coastal edges of the country.
- Jessica Bridgfoot
Lina Bryans (1909-2000) was part of the modernist movement of the 1930s, which introduced post-impressionism to Australia. Bryan’s expressive mark marking and vibrant palette was said to reflect her lively spirit, which was integral to her carving an artistic career for herself in what was essentially at the time a male dominated field.
Bryans famously took up with painter William ‘Jock’ Frater in 1935 and it was through the use of Frater’s studio that Bryans discovered her celebrated palette, injecting an impressionist’s pastel tone with splashes of vibrant colour.
A first glance at Lina Bryan’s Lorne (1945) renders a typical beach scene, with strong traditional impressionist influences of Cezanne or Matisse.
Look closer and Bryan’s keen eye for detail is revealed, cars rolling along the road, a mother in a sunhat with a small child, bathers frolic on the sand and are dotted around the water. There is joyousness in the bold use of cobalt blues and tangerine orange, a feeling of languid celebration in the colours of summer. Of course the landscape of Lorne has changed dramatically since Bryan’s depiction in 1945 however the impression – the essence – of the scene remains the same.
Lorne by Lina Bryans, as well as other summer landscapes by Clarice Beckett, Grace Cossington Smith Herbert Badham, Roy de Maistre and Arthur Murch is part of a group of modernist work currently on display until February 2017.
