“The fact – and this will seem to many unbelievable – that his paintings by no means equaled his superb engravings did a lot to damage his reputation.”[1] Constantijn Huygens, 1630 The term ‘virtuosity’ rarely fails to surface when discussing the graphic oeuvre of Dutch artist Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617). Praised for his sheer technical brilliance, … Continue reading
Cristofano Robetta (1462 – 1535 after) is not exactly a well known name, even to those interested in the early history of western printmaking. Over-shadowed by luminaries of his era, print historians have invariably discussed the awkward and technically unrefined aspects of his work. They also point out its heavily derivative nature as Robetta freely … Continue reading
Published in the University of Melbourne Collections, Issue 14, June 2014, pp. 46 – 50 Recently I had the opportunity to conduct in-depth research on an old master drawing from the J. Orde Poynton Collection, housed in the Baillieu Library at the University of Melbourne (illustrated below). The focus of that 12-week research project was … Continue reading
In memory of one of the greats of Australian painting who passed away earlier this week, Jeffrey Smart. Despite Modernism’s challenge to representational imagery, and the subsequent Death of Painting discourse which questioned the relevance of painting within the contemporary art spectrum, Smart remained true to his chosen genre and medium and created some of the most iconic … Continue reading
First Published Tuesday June 14 2011, on Artshub This vast exhibition of works by intrepid colonial painter Eugene von Guérard toured the National Gallery of Victoria, Queensland Art Gallery, and National Gallery of Australia between 2011 – 2012. Eugene Von Guérard: Nature Revealed gives us an insight into the wonder that this European artist, who evidently possessed a passion for … Continue reading
Excerpt from an article published in The Melbourne Review, Issue 10, August, 2012, p. 41 Figurative painting has had a lot to contend with over the last century. Since the invention of photography, there have been numerous claims about the death of painting as a means of relevant artistic expression in the modern age. While painting … Continue reading
Visual Pursuits 