Palpable: Works on Paper from the Mosman Art Collection
Palpable brings together a variety works on paper from the Mosman Art Collection, some of which have rarely been seen outside walls of Council buildings. Actively acquiring artwork since 1947 the Mosman Art Collection has long been committed to conserving and exhibiting the social and cultural history of the region. In the early years of the Mosman Art Prize, multiple acquisitive prizes allowed for the collection of works on paper, such as prints, drawings, watercolours and etchings.
Works on paper hold a particular fascination due to the myriad of ways in which paper can be used as a substrate; the way in which the type of paper determines the texture, depth, colour and light of the final product. Works on paper can also be seen as the first attempt, or a study, while the artist prepares to finish the work in a different medium.
Paper is an everyday material, we use it to print agendas, to write love letters, to note grocery lists, and it is often the first medium we encounter as children when we wish to make art. This exhibition aims to celebrate the surface that is ‘paper’, its fragility, its sturdiness, its ability to impact the composition purely due to its bumps, ridges and fibres.
While Mosman Art Prize and the related acquisitions have now focused on painting, the prize for many decades included an ‘other media’ category and ‘watercolour’ category, this allowed for a larger variety of artistic practices to be represented. During this period the Gallery gained a substantial amount of works on paper, by some of the most innovative artists of the time.
Painting has long dominated the arts industry, and in this exhibition, we see some of Australia’s most renowned artists showcase their skills in a different medium. Elioth Gruner was one of the country’s preeminent artists. Artist and writer Norman Lindsay said of Gruner ‘The analysis of light by colour is Gruner’s great contribution to the world’s art’ (footnote 1). Mosman Art Gallery is fortunate to have two paintings by Gruner, and a drypoint etching work, showing greater depth to Gruner’s practice, one that is less well known.
During the 1940s Australia experienced a printmaking lull after the boom of woodblock techniques and most work produced in this time was seen more as ‘hobby’ art (footnote 2). Margaret Preston defied this with her dynamic, colourful and well executed prints, which garnered public acclaim. Almost two decades later came the slow resurgence of printmaking, with Australian artists returning home after studying at the hailed Atelier 17 founded by influential artist Stanley William Hayter. Atelier 17 saw numerous students through its doors including Marc Chagall, Jackson Pollock, Vassily Kandinsky and other modernists. Among the students were also John Olsen, Earle Backen, and Strom Gould, who all feature in this exhibition. Earle Backen and Stom Gould went on to be the founding members of Sydney Printmakers which Ruth Faerber, Eva Kubbos, and Ruth Burgess, were all a part of, contributing to the ever changing, and exciting resurgence of the medium of paper.
Palpable showcases some of the generous donations by artists, patrons and community members to the Mosman Art Collection. Together, these works reveal the tactile and expressive nature of paper as a surface. Palpable invites viewers to look closely, tracing gestures, textures and processes that speak to the enduring relevance of works on paper and their vital role within the Mosman Art Collection.
- Norman Lindsay,Elioth Gruner, The Sheperd Press, Sydney, 1947, p.1
- Rose Vickers,Earle Backen – Printmaker & Painter,catalogue essay, 1987, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, p.7
Curated by Althea Kuzman
List of artists:
Earle Backen
Federic Bates
Ruth Burgess
Churchill Cann
Cressida Campbell
Tom Carment
Ken Done
Ruth Faerber
Strom Gould
Elioth Gruner
Eva Kubbos
John McConnochie
Max Miller
Tracey Moffatt
Marlee Naparrula
John Olsen
Carl Plate
Margaret Preston
Lloyd Rees
Clara Wabugwubuk
Judith White
Click to view the artworks and their corresponding wall label
