Art Appreciation Lecture Series 2021 Love, sex and death: The constant companions of art

Streeton in love Wayne Tunnicliffe 10/11 February 2021

Lecture summary:

Arthur Streeton is a celebrated landscape painter, but how did love, sex and death influence his art? This lecture focusses on Streeton’s protracted ten-year courtship in London of acclaimed violinist Nora Clench and considers how this relationship shaped his painting practice and transformed his career. It also looks back to the 1880s and reveals an earlier secret romance encoded in Streeton’s great Australian impressionist landscapes. After Streeton and Nora married in 1908, where did love, sex and death take them in the ensuing years of great social change in Europe and Australia? Using Streeton’s paintings, letters and some never before seen archival photographs, Streeton in love will take a very personal view of ’s art and life.

Slide list

1. title ‘Streeton in love’ over a detail of Arthur Streeton, The flight of summer, c1890, oil on wood, private collection 2. Foster & Martin, Arthur Streeton, Melbourne 1887, photograph, private collection Unknown photographer, Nora Clench c1888, photograph, St Mary’s Museum, Ontario 3. Arthur Streeton, Half-length male nude c.1885, drawing, National Gallery of Australia Arthur Streeton, Female Nude Study 1887, drawing, Private collection, Melbourne 4. Arthur Streeton, Butterflies and blossoms 1889, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Victoria Arthur Streeton, Near Heidelberg 1890, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Victoria 5. Charles Conder, Herrick’s blossoms c1888, oil on cardboard, National Gallery of Australia H. Walter Barnett, Charles Conder c1900, photograph, National Gallery of Australia 6. Arthur Streeton, Spring 1890, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Victoria 7. Charles Conder, The Yarra, Heidelberg 1890, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Australia Arthur Streeton, ‘Above us the great grave sky’, 1890, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Australia 8. Arthur Streeton The flight of summer c1890, oil on wood, private collection 9. Unknown photographer, Nora Clench 1890, photograph, St Mary’s Museum, Ontario , Smike Streeton age 24, 1891, oil on canvas, Art Gallery of New South Wales 10. Arthur Streeton, ‘Still glides the stream, and shall for ever glide’ 1890, oil on canvas, Art Gallery of New South Wales

Proudly sponsored by:

11. Arthur Streeton, Beach scene 1890, oil on canvas board, Art Gallery of New South Wales Arthur Streeton The blue Pacific 1890, oil on canvas, private collection, Port Stephens 12. G Rodney Cherry, Arthur Streeton painting at Little Sirius Cove, Mossman c1892-93, photograph, private collection 13. Arthur Streeton, Scheherazade 1895, oil on wood, National Gallery of Victoria Arthur Streeton, The spirit of the drought c1896, oil on wood, National Gallery of Australia 14. Arthur Streeton, Professor Marshall-Hall 1892, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Victoria GWL Marshall-Hall, To Irene 1896, booklet, cover design by Arthur Streeton, State Library of New South Wales 15. Arthur Streeton, Oblivion 1895, oil on canvas, private collection, Perth 16. Arthur Streeton, Pozzuoli, Near Naples, Italy 1897, watercolour, private collection 17. Wilhelm von Gloeden, untitled photograph 1890s, private collection 18. Wilhelm von Gloeden, Reclining nude with vase 1890s, photograph, private collection Wilhelm von Gloeden, Faun 1890s, photograph, private collection 19. Unknown photographer, Nora Clench, second from left, in Durban 1898, private collection 20. Arthur Streeton Fire’s on 1891, oil on canvas, Art Gallery of New South Wales Arthur Streeton ‘The purple noon’s transparent might’ 1896, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Victoria 21. Arthur Streeton, The centre of the Empire 1902, oil on canvas, private collection, Sydney

22. Arthur Streeton, Venus and Adonis 1901, oil on canvas, Wollongong Art Gallery

23. Arthur Streeton, Classic romance, oil on canvas, location unknown

24. Grace Joel, Arthur Streeton – a sketch-portrait c1900-05, oil on canvas, Art Gallery of New South Wales

25. J Russell & sons, The Norah Clench quartette, London, c1904, photograph, private collection

26. Arthur Streeton, Australia Felix 1907, oil on canvas, Art Gallery of South Australia

27. Arthur Streeton, St Mark’s, Venice 1908, oil on canvas, Queensland Art Gallery

28. Arthur and Nora Streeton, St Mark’s Square, Venice 1908,photographs, private collection

29. Arthur and Nora Streeton, Venice 1908, photographs, private collection

30. Arthur Streeton, The Grand Canal 1908, oil on canvas, Collection of Susan Clarke, Victoria

31. H. Walter Barnett, Arthur Streeton, Nora Streeton and Pat, the dog, c. 1909, photograph, National Portrait Gallery For access to all past lecture notes visit: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/members/events/love-sex-and-death-2021/

32. Arthur Streeton, Corfe Castle 1909, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Victoria

33. Arthur Streeton, Worbarrow Bay 1909, oil on canvas, Art Gallery of New South Wales

34. Nora and Arthur Streeton on the Dorset coast 1909, photographs, private collection

35. Photographer unknown, Arthur Streeton in the grounds of the Third London General Hospital, Wandsworth 1915, private collection, Melbourne

Photographer unknown, The ‘artists squad’, Third London General Hospital, Wandsworth 1915, private collection

36. Lena Connell Lt Arthur Streeton 1918, photograph, private collection

Lena Connell Arthur, Norah and Oliver Streeton 1918, photograph, private collection

37. Arthur Streeton, Troops bathing, Glisy 1918, oil on canvas, private collection, Sydney

Arthur Streeton, Balloons on fire 1918, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Victoria

38. Arthur Streeton, Villers-Bretonneux 1918, oil on canvas, Art Gallery of New South Wales

39. Arthur Streeton, The valley from Olinda top 1925, National Gallery of Victoria

40. Arthur Streeton, Roses c1929, oil on canvas, Art Gallery of New South Wales

Arthur Streeton, Lilies and bells 1935, oil on canvas, private collection, Melbourne

41. Arthur Streeton, Tea in the garden, Grange Road 1930, oil on canvas, private collection Melbourne

42. Arthur Streeton, The vanishing forest 1934, oil on canvas, private collection/Art Gallery of Ballarat

43. Photographer unknown, Arthur Streeton at Longacres, Olinda, c 1930s, private collection

Reference:

Wayne Tunnicliffe (ed), Streeton, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2020

Chris Riopelle (ed), Australia’s impressionists, The National Gallery, London, 2016

Terence Lane (ed), Australian , National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2007

Proudly sponsored by:

Geoffrey Smith, Arthur Streeton 1867 – 1943, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 1995

Ann Galbally & Anne Gray (eds), Letters from Smike, the letters of Arthur Streeton 1890-1943, Oxford University Press, Melbourne 1989

Jane Clark & Bridget Whitelaw, Golden summers: Heidelberg and beyond, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne 1986

For access to all past lecture notes visit: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/members/events/love-sex-and-death-2021/