Arthur Boyd b. Murrumbeena 24.7.1920- d.1995.
Caged Painter Series 1973
1) Interview with black rabbit 2) Caged figure with dogs 3) Chained figure and bent tree 4) Reclining figure and black can 5) Daphne and Windpump
What is the series about?
The question is asked- Do you paint for love of art or money? He is questioning commercialism. In this series the works read as if the artist was exploring the theme in different ways rather than presenting a sequential account although they can be read that way. ( We were not sure if there is a set sequence for these works or if they are hung at the curator’s discretion.) Boyd was creating an Australian myth about his inner demons. Here is suffering and the artist is a victim who is torn in two directions.- the landscape gradually becomes more bleak and he is stuck inside the cage. The landscape is a backdrop to his suffering. He is trapped by and conscience-stricken about his own success. However, Daphne as the muse arrives with verdant foliage, offering him more paintbrushes and the artist is out of the cage but cowering.
Technique Consistency of a limited palette Use of black as a sketching tool, touches of blue used throughout Raw and expressive, appearance of being hasty and sketchy. Wide brushes used to show energy and anxiety BUT Delicate calligraphic details (the underarm hair, foliage) indicate attention to detail. Compare with the impasto of the naked backside. Elements of shadow and modelling become apparent with study The wire is fashioned carefully at first but then rendered hastily. Scale- the artist is very large when compared to the tree he is chained to.
Use with school groups:
Teach about a series. Ask them to find the similarities Look for the repetition of verticals- trees and the wind pump. What is the artist saying about the Australian landscape? Describe the landscape with strong, descriptive words? How many brushes are in each painting? What animals can be seen? Look for things that are wrong- e.g the misshapen figure in the first painting, (Why does he have a ruff around his neck) brushes back to front, brushes becoming arrows etc. Why might the artist have done this? What kind of painting might this artist want to paint? Use this series in conjunction with the Kelly series and talk about Boyd’s sculpture in that room before considering Boyd’s series. It should be reported that most guides indicated a reluctance to use these works with children though the discussion concluded with some saying they would try it. Kirsten reported that a group she used it with recited A Sunburnt Country to her.
Use with adults:
It was agreed that the works need time to unravel the layers. In the gallery at present they work well with the adjacent Blackman and Dickerson in their sense of the sinister. Jeffery Smart’s work relates also. Fred William’s landscape can be linked because of his use of colour. In terms of the impressions of the ex-pat artist, compare with Olsen’s Sydney Sun. Consider that impressionists did not use black and look at Boyd’s use of it. As a child, he was paid by his grandmother to read to him. He is still being paid for his talents and is hanging on to his identity while forced to make money.
The light bulb. This motif has also been used by Francis Bacon and is related to a quote from Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World ‘Hell is a green and yellow light bulb’. Painting on the other side of the wall of a single light bulb.
At this point in time there are enough Boyd’s (Merric’s pottery etc.)in the gallery to provide the basis of a Focus tour.
Symbols and motifs.
The black rabbit- animals used for experimentation. The billy- A source of survival and reference to pot boilers. Also a can of paint. Black dog- man’s base nature. Baying dogs attack him. Gold coins- his success is debased Windmill- is a broken life source His contorted form- he is ‘bending over backwards’ to please.
If you look at my pictures and wonder what they are about, they are mostly about animals and people. When you see a half-man, half-dog , butterfly or cat, they really have little to say unless the person looking at them is able to make up a story as to what these people are doing in the picture. Arthur Boyd.