Perhaps in this sense Citizen represents an Australian everyman who recognises the wrongs of history and racist representations, but who has no real interest in going any further in asking hard questions about why they happened and what impact they caused. He and his partner bought a house and settled in the suburbs of Brisbane like other young couples. Gordon Bennett was born on 9 October, 1955 in Monto, Australia. (Supplied: CGM Communications) In 1989, Bennett, Mr Lai and five other executives started Phosphate Resources Limited and got the locals to invest, raising about $3.4 million. They physically prevent the viewer from seeing the image clearly, but psychologically encourage the viewer to delve into the image more deeply and question: Where did these images come from that theyre relating back to in their minds in order to stage this re- enactment? 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. Bennetts final year at art college in 1988 coincided with the Bicentenary of European settlement of Australia. Purchased with funds from the Foundation for the Historic Houses Trust, Museum of Sydney Appeal, 2007. Gordon Bennett arrived on Christmas Island in 1979 to take a post as leader of the Union of Christmas Island Workers. This culminated in the Notes to Basquiat series in 2003. That's probably why he is hardly a household name, despite the cognoscenti referring to him as a powerfully influential figure in contemporary art. At the same time I have resisted being positioned as a spokesperson for my people since I do not have nor do I seek, such a mandate by declining to speak about my work. Possession Island (Appendix 1) 1991 and Notes to Basquiat (Jackson Pollock and his Other) (Appendix 2) 2001 will be discussed in relation to Henri's statement. We would like to hear from you. I AM is borrowed from a well known art work, Victory over death 2, 1970 by New Zealand artist Colin McCahon (19191987) . They are strategically and prominently placed at the centre top of each panel, each radiating an aura of light created by white dots. * 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 Indeed, he explains that before the age of sixteen he was not really aware of his Indigenous heritage. At art college Bennett discovered how Australian identity was built on a subjective writing of history. Issues ly explored in an Australian context are now examined in an international context. The Other is clearly marked out as not only different but by necessity inferior. Kelly Gellatly 1. The installation is filled with images of his family and Constructivist-style drawings made by the artist. 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. Much of Bennetts work has been concerned with an interrogation of Australias colonial past and postcolonial present, including issues associated with the dominant role that white, western culture has played in constructing the social and cultural landscape of the nation. Theosophy means god wisdom, the belief that everything living or dead was put together from basic blocks that lead towards consciousness. Both artists have an affinity with Jazz, Rap and Hip Hop music. Possession Island (Abstraction), Gordon Bennett, 1991, Oil paint and acrylic paint on canvas. 3 Baths. The motivation behind the abstract paintings was complex but in part it reflects Bennetts ongoing concerns about issues related to the reception of his work. all the education and socialization upon which my identity and self worth as a person, indeed my sense of Australianness, and that of my peers, had as its foundation the narratives of colonialism. He depicts how pain transcends place and event to encompass a global consciousness. John Citizen was a work in progress that allows me to follow other streams of thought in my practice. Gordon Bennetts art challenges us to question the stereotypes and racist labelling of Aboriginal Australians found in some history books written for and by Europeans. I found people were always confusing me as a person with the content of my work. Many Indigenous Australians saw this appropriation as further evidence of a justification of colonisation and a Eurocentric interpretation of Aboriginal culture. Research references to existing images in Gordon Bennetts The nine richochets (Fall down black fella, jump up white fella) 1990. Bennett used this symbol because: What emerges for all who take part in this piece is in fact an examination of the self. At auction, a number of Picassos paintings have sold for more than $100 million. Nearby homes similar to 2719 NE 21st Ter have recently sold between $824K to $1M at an average of $565 per square foot. Pinterest. 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. Picassos sizable oeuvre grew to include over 20,000 paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures,ceramics, theater sets, and costume designs. Appropriation art is an established postmodernist strategy defined as: The direct duplication, copying or incorporation of an image (painting, photography, etc) by another artist who represents it in a different context, thus completely altering its meaning and questioning notions of originality and authenticity.1. 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. Collect and find photographs of a wide variety of people of different ethnicities, cultures and physical appearances. Possession Island displays a photocopy of Samuel Calvert's engraving, Captain Cook . Discuss with reference to examples in at least two works by Bennett. Gordon Bennett 2. Image credit: Gordon Bennett - Possession Island (1991). However, while apparently recognising and presenting these motifs/symbols as signifiers of meaning, Citizen does not appear to have the same interest as Bennett in interrogating the systems and values these motifs represent or the role they have played in shaping identity, history and understanding. 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. However, he offers more than one interpretation of the grids use, which is indicated by the sampling of works by Australian artist Margaret Preston . See more ideas about artist, art, straight photography. There was still no space for me to simply be. Gordon Bennett, The Manifest Toe, in Ian McLean & Gordon Bennett, The Art of Gordon Bennett, Craftsman House/ G + G Arts International, Sydney, 1996, pp.962.Kelly Gellatly et.al., Gordon Bennett: A Survey, exhibition catalogue, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne 2007. The early 'Possession Island' (Abstraction))' 1991 was one choice. To the right of the canvas, Jackson Pollocks Blue Poles: Number 11, 1952 is clearly referenced. Research the representation of three dimensional space in selected artforms of several different cultures (ie. Gordon Bennett 3. In 2003, Bennett embarked on a series of non-representational abstract paintings, marking a dramatic shift in his art practice, formally and conceptually. James Gordon Bennett In your discussion consider meanings and ideas associated with, Compare your interpretation and analysis with others related to this artwork (this could be an interpretation by someone else in your class, or in a commentary on the work in gallery, book, catalogue etc. It is reproduced in flat, bold and black line work. This includes a focus on the role and power of language, including visual representations, in shaping identity, culture and history. May 20, 2022 - Explore Benny O's board "Artists" on Pinterest. Discuss with reference to Possession Island. Bennett establishes him as the focal point. Sutton Gallery. In The coming of the light, 1987 the high- rise buildings that frame the white faces are represented as grid-like forms. . 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. 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. It is also a direct reference to biblical stories in the Hebrew Scriptures. This pastiche of style and image is like a D J (Disc Jockey) sampling and remixing different styles of music to create new expressions. Ian McLean 2. Who was Paul Keating? His "history painting," as he called his large-scale canvases at the time, provoked a radical revision of Australia's past, fueling the meteoric rise of a career that left an indelible mark on Australian art . Queensland-born, Bennett (1955-2014) was deeply engaged with questions of identity, perception and the construction of history, and made a profound and ongoing contribution to contemporary art in Australia and internationally. [Bennett] seeks to expose the shadows of official history, to track its doubles and contradictions, not in order to repudiate the European vision but to map a postcolonial future Ian McLean 2. Gewerblich. The viewer is made to step back and allow the eyes to form the images. He described this knowledge as a psychic rupturing. His joy . The artist has effectively communicated his beliefs on the suppression of Aboriginal culture by combining confronting imagery with the concepts of Vincent Van Gogh, Francisco Goya and Classical art. Gleichzeitig war es das erste Jahr ohne Stadt-zu-Stadt-Rennen, die nach dem Todesrennen" Paris-Madrid . While the conceptual framework underpinning Bennetts art remained remarkably consistent, his art practice was characterised by some dramatic stylistic shifts over twenty years. Possession Island 1992. The arms that extend in opposite directions across the two panels of the painting represent different perspectives on the impact of the Enlightenment. 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. Against the background of the illusionistic representation of the landscape they capture our attention, alerting us to the fact that there are other ways of representing and understanding the landscape not just the European perspectives that have dominated our cultural history. Inspired by African and Iberian art, he also contributed to the rise of Surrealism and Expressionism. In a real sense I was still living in the suburbs, and in a world where there were very real demands to be one thing or the other. Opens in a new window or tab. Identify other artists who have used dots in their work (ie. The Estate of Gordon Bennett. How ideas might be encountered from different places and events interest him. It was no accident that Bennett used Pollocks Blue Poles: Number 11. Gordon Bennett, an Australian Aboriginal artist, demonstrates this theory through his work. Gordon Bennett, The manifest toe, p. 27, Identities come from somewhere, have histories, and like everything which is historical, they undergo constant transformation. 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. Pollock becomes a catalyst for transformation. For Mondrian the grid became the essence of all forms. The work is a copy of a copy of a copy. Is this response informed by Bennetts work? 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. These images, forever forged in our minds, are boldly depicted in Basquiats graffiti- like style. Collect a range of images (both art and media sources) that depict characters that are perceived or presented as typically Australian. While Bennetts art is grounded in his personal struggle for identity as an Australian of Aboriginal and AngloCeltic descent, it presents and examines a broad range of philosophical questions related to the construction of identity, perception and knowledge. Within the context of Australian art, he freed himself from being categorised solely as an Indigenous artist by creating an ongoing pop art-inspired alter ego named John Citizen. Bennett used 9/11 and its global impact three months after the event as the stage for his discourse on cultural identity. Here Bennett raises questions and matters about the stories that define us personally and culturally, and about the complex relationship that has existed between the Christian church and Indigenous cultures through history. Celebrations continued throughout the year and gave renewed focus to traditional images and stories of the nations settlement history. Include reference to specific examples in your discussion. Perhaps the most influential artist of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso may be best known for pioneering Cubism and fracturing the two-dimensional picture plane in order to convey three-dimensional space. The powerful image/word I AM, while central, is accompanied by statements of opposite, I am light I am dark. Often describing his own practice of borrowing images as quoting, Bennett re-contextualised existing images to challenge the viewer to question and see alternative perspectives. . Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? Purchased with funds from the Foundation for the Historic Houses Trust, Museum of Sydney Appeal, 2007 In the Home dcorseries Bennett used gridded compositions that refer to the paintings of Dutch artistPiet Mondrian (1872 1944). 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. The impact of colonisation on Aboriginal people and culture from this point was devastating. Gordon Bennett 3. a moment of possession; the place where he came ashore and allegedly claimed . How might John Citizen be seen as reflection of the post Keating era? Van Goghs original bedroom evokes a feeling of peace and harmony. Bennett was aware of the role binary opposites, such as self/other, play in constructing personal and cultural identity. Throughout his career Bennett has used many different strategies to engage the viewer in his work. What systems and/or conventions are used by each culture to represent three dimensional space? The artist Gordon Bennett led a reclusive life. This influence is seen in the rhythmic movement of Bennetts Notes to Basquiat series. Place each photograph on a separate layer, overlap and morph or merge all the portraits into one image. The grotesque in art is generally associated with bizarre, ugly or disturbing imagery. Gordon Bennett Possession Island (Abstraction), 1991 Kevin Gilbert Christmas Eve in the Land of the Dispossessed, 1968; 1992 KEY ARTIST ONE- VERNON AH KEE Born 1967, Innisfail, Queensland. From 2003 Bennett worked on a series of non-representational abstract paintings that mark another significant shift in his practice. Find out more about binary opposites and identify some binary opposites that you believe have had a significant influence on your understanding of the world. Gordon Bennett 1. From early in his career he was inspired by theories and ideas associated with postmodernism. His use of I AM emphasises this. possession island It is appropriation of an image that has already been copied with an image that has become central in the pysche of an Australian history. Bennetts use of the grotesque is evident in Outsider, 1988, which makes reference to two paintings by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh (1853 1890) Vincents bedroom in Arles 1888, and Starry night 1889. Typical of Bennetts early work, the painting appropriates an existing picture, in this case an historical painting, and transforms the content with carefully considered signs of Aboriginal identity. Most Australians were shocked and scandalised that public money was spent on something they neither appreciated nor understood. Bennett was in possession of all four, all of which will become evident upon a glance at a summary of his life. The pale, marble- like sculpted heads on the bed remind us of the Classical art and learning that has been privileged in Western culture above other forms of art and learning, including those associated with Indigenous cultures. But this approach is central to the way many people describe and analyse his work. The content of the work was getting to me emotionally. Calverts image becomes one of the layers of the painting. Home Dcor (Algebra) Ocean, 1998 synthesises the work of Piet Mondrian(18721944), Margaret Preston (18751963) and later in the series, JeanMichel Basquiat(19601988) among others. . Cooee Art Auctions works with artists bi-annually across two separate departments - Indigenous Fine Art and Modern & Contemporary Fine Art. In her lifetime, Trugannini witnessed the systematic and often violent destruction of her culture and people. Opens in a new window or tab. Australian politics is fraught yet the Australian public is disengaged. The juxtaposition and sequencing of words and images in Untitled is unsettling. 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. Gordon Bennett 1. 2 February 2021. Mixing of pure blood with European blood was feared by Europeans, authenticity was at risk and identity diluted. At the same time his work demonstrates great conceptual unity and interconnectedness. 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. There are a number of reasons why I began painting abstract paintings that focused on overt visual phenomena, as opposed to explicit visual content. Bennett also had ongoing concerns about how his Aboriginal identity and his interest in subjects related to Aboriginality were framing and hence limiting the way his artistic identity and his work were perceived. 4 While artists often have limited control over how their work is exhibited after it has been sold, Bennett also refused to exhibit his work in Aboriginal art exhibitions, preferring: to be conceived as a contemporary artist who just happens to be indigenous and whose work encompasses an investigation of aboriginality and the construction of identity within a broad range of complex and interconnected issues. 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. Bennetts art is not always easy to look at. Such imagery has often been used by artists to unsettle the viewer and present new perspectives on familiar subjects. Oil and acrylic on canvas, 182 x 182 cm. SOLD FEB 21, 2023. The mirror at the bottom left-hand corner of the painting represents Bennetts own shaving mirror. The left explodes with images of 9/11, the devastatingly unforgettable attacks in the United States, including New York. The vanishing point may also be understood as the point from which these lines extend outward past the picture plane to include the viewer in the pictorial space, positioned as observer of a self contained harmonious whole. 5. 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. However these ideas and values simultaneously oppressed Indigenous people and their cultural and knowledge systems. There is strong symbolism associated with the placement of the figure beneath the Roman triumphal arch. Bennetts grid formations seem to imprison the figures within the canvas. Roundels relating to symbols that denote significant sites in Aboriginal Western Desert dot painting also appear. They absorb the flow of blood and recall the symbols often used in Aboriginal dot painting of the Western Desert to represent significant sites. What does this interpretation add to your understanding of the artwork? These are paintings about painting. The circular forms in the sky are inspired by the brilliant bursts of light in van Goghs Starry night. At the heart of all human life is a concept of self. After working in various trades in his early life, Bennett enrolled as a matureage student at Queensland College of Art in 1986 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) degree in 1988.
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