Dogs in Australian
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Dogs in AustralianDogs Art Dogs in Australian Art looks at Australian art through the lens of dog painting, showcasing Dogs in over 150 masterworks that illustrate the deep bond between Australians and their best friends. Australian Steven Miller’s whimsical text argues that all the major shifts which occurred in Australia art, Art and which have traditionally been attributed to the environment or historical factors, really occurred because of dogs. His book is also a study of how the various dog breeds have been depicted from colonial times until the present. STEVEN MILLER ISBN 978-1-74305-017-0 9 781743 050170 Steven Miller COVER by Lahn Stafford Design, adelaidE Dogs in Australian Art A New History of Antipodean Creativity Steven Miller is head of the Research Library and Archive of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. He has published widely on art, with his book on Australian culture between the two world wars (Degenerates and Perverts) winning the NSW Premier’s Australian History Award in 2006. He lives in Sydney and is the proud owner of Finbar, a Welsh Terrier. By the same author Degenerates and Perverts: The 1939 Herald Exhibition of French and British Contemporary Art The Face — Brent Harris The Sydney Camera Circle The Art and Life of Weaver Hawkins Dogs in Australian Art A New History of Antipodean Creativity STeveN MilleR Wakefield Press 1 The Parade West Kent Town South Australia 5067 www.wakefieldpress.com.au First published 2012 Copyright © Steven Miller, 2012 All rights reserved. This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced without written permission. enquiries should be addressed to the publisher. Cover painting by David Welch (see page 45) inside cover artwork by Ron McBurnie (see page 139) Title page artwork by Geoff Harvey (see page 119) Designed by Lahn Stafford Design, Adelaide Printing and quality control in China by Tingleman Pty Ltd National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: Miller, Steven. Title: Dogs in Australian art: a new history of antipodean creativity / Steven Miller. iSBN: 978 1 74305 017 0 (pbk.). Subjects: Dogs in art. Dogs--Australia. Dewey Number: 743.69772 FOR RHONDA The wolf lived two years at Gubbio; he went familiarly from door to door without harming anyone, and all the people received him courteously, feeding him with great pleasure, and no dog barked at him as he went about. At last, after two years, he died of old age, and the people of Gubbio mourned his loss greatly; for when they saw him going about so gently amongst them all, he reminded them of the virtue and sanctity of St Francis. The Little Flowers of St Francis ACKNOWLeDGeMeNTS This book could not have been written without the support of the many artists featured. Not only did they allow their work to be reproduced, they also showed great enthusiasm for the whole project. My first thanks goes to them. i hope that the book will contribute to an increased interest in their work. i would also like to thank the galleries which represent them. As i am no expert on dog breeds, i often had to rely on those who are when researching this book. i am indebted to them for the assistance they gave. Any errors or ambiguities are my own. early on in my research i realised that dog breeders are experts in their area and that i would need to take care with what i wrote. One example will suffice. When i contacted the Borzoi Club of victoria to ask about the dog in violet Teague’s Cynthia and Count Brusiloff, i was told that the National Gallery of victoria must have made a mistake with the titling of the work, as the dog was known as General not Count Brusiloff. i was also given the dog’s entire pedigree. i would also like to thank friends and colleagues for their ideas and support. Special mention should be made of those who read the text, or various parts of it. Gillian varley in London was a great help in focusing and correcting early versions of the book. Here in Sydney i am particularly grateful to my sister Christine, my colleague and regular co-author eileen Chanin and to vi King Lim. Finally, i would like to acknowledge the Australia Council. This book would not have been finished without the support of the Council. During 2007 i was the B.R. Whiting Fellow in Rome. Although it had not been my intention to work on this book during the residency, much of it was in fact completed over a few glasses of italian red, overlooking the rooftops of Trastevere. THe Untold Story of Australian Art 1 Contents AiReDALe 26 Mervyn Napier Waller Christian Waller with Baldur, Undine and Siren at Fairy Hills 1932 AMeRican CockeR SpanieL 28 William Dobell Self portrait 1968 AMeRican FOxhound 30 Terry Batt Double Happiness: The Year of the Dog 2006 AMeRican PiT Bull TerrieR 32 Cherry Hood Daisy 2005 Australian Cattle Dog 34 Hilda Rix Nicholas The fair musterer 1935 Australian Kelpie 36 Clifton Pugh Rounding sheep 1968 Australian SHePHerd 38 Louise Hearman Untitled # 820 2001 Australian TerrieR 40 Lucien Henry Australian Terrier on a packing crate in garden 1890 BasseT Hound 42 Rachel Fairfax Basset pups 2007 Beagle 44 David Welch The artist’s dog 2010 Bedlington TerrieR 46 Adrienne Doig Hamish and Max 2005 Bichon FRiSé 48 Gabrielle Martin Celeste and Lenny 1999 Black and Tan TerrieR (MiNiature) 50 Arthur Murch Suzanne Crookston 1935 BLenheiM SpanieL 52 William Dexter Lady’s pet 1855 BordeR Collie 54 eric Thake The weekly train departs, the dog goes back to sleep 1971 BordeR TerrieR 56 Joanna Braithwaite Diggers 2005 BorzOi 58 violet Teague Cynthia and Count Brusiloff c. 1917 Boston TerrieR 60 Louise Hearman Untitled # 999 2003 Brussels GRiffon 62 Joanna Braithwaite The ancestors 2005 Bull TerrieR 64 Peter Booth Painting c. 1977 Canaan Dog 66 Cherry Hood Bedouin Canaan Dog (No. 6) 2002 CAvalieR King CharleS SpanieL 68 Melissa egan The wife of Bath in her new hat 2006 CHihuahua 70 Anne Leisner Brutus 2006 CHiNeSe CResteD 72 Justin Spiers and yvonne Doherty Andrea, Tristan, Valentino & Tatiana 2006 Chow Chow 74 Basia Sokolowska Manchuride and Manchuhill 2008 Collie 76 Kristin Headlam Burns family portrait 2007 Corgi (Pembroke) 78 Rew Hanks King Billy Waiting for the Missing Monarch and King Billy Fetch Me My … 2003 Dachshund 80 Stephanie Monteith Young Sausage Dog 2005 Dalmatian 82 William Casey Devil dog 2006 Dingo 84 Lin Onus Michael and I are just slipping down to the pub for a minute 1992 English Bulldog 86 Grace Cossington Smith Krinkley Konks sleeping 1927–28 English CockeR SpanieL 88 Harold Septimus Power Cocker Spaniels c. 1935 English FOxhound 90 George Stubbs A couple of Foxhounds 1792 English POinteR 92 George Perrottet Bookplate for Carlyle S. Baer 1934 FOx TerrieR (Smooth) 94 Rupert Bunny Mrs Bunny and her terrier 1902–05 FOx TerrieR (WiRe HAiR) 96 William Dobell Conversation piece 1941 FRench Bulldog 98 Margaret Preston Nude with dog 1925 German SHePHerd 100 Chris Bruce Rex 2003 German Short-haiReD POinteR 102 Graeme Drendel The temptation and The players 2008 GoldeN RetrieveR 104 Matt Kelso Flying dogs over the Murrumbidgee River, NSW 1978 Gordon SetteR 106 Arthur Streeton Brace of Gordon Setters 1892 GReat Dane 108 ivor Hele Woodley 1955 GReat SWiss MountaiN Dog 110 viola Dominello Dog 2007 GReyhound 112 Tim McMonagle Cheese and Pickles 2005 Hungarian Puli 114 Janet Tavener Hungarian Puli 2006 Husky 116 Petrina Hicks Lambswool 2008 Ibizan Hound 118 Geoff Harvey Boris 1999 Irish ReD and WHiTe SetteR 120 William Strutt Dogs with flowers and game 1850s Irish TerrieR 122 Ron McBurnie Tobias and the angel 2009 Irish Wolfhound 124 Tom Roberts Blue eyes and brown c. 1887 Italian GReyhound 126 Rosslynd Piggott Dark sun, Tuscany 1993 Jack Russell 128 Noel McKenna Jack Russel 2001 Kangaroo Dog 130 Unknown artist Wallaroo and dog c. 1840 King CharleS SpanieL 132 Norman Lindsay Dogs for comfort 1937 Komondor 134 Fred Cress Debate 2008 Labrador RetrieveR 136 euan Heng Oskar welcomed 2005 Lakeland TerrieR 138 Ron McBurnie Professional dog show 1983 LöwcheN 140 Nicholas Chevalier Waiting for the ferry, Manila 1881 MalteSe TerrieR 142 James Guppy Between us 1991 MiNiature PinscheR 144 Marshall Claxton The Dickinson family 1851 Newfoundland 146 W.e. Kelly Nelson 1901 Papillon 148 emmanuel Phillips Fox The green parasol 1912 Parson Russell TerrieR 150 Douglas Fry My best friend 1910 PeKingeSe 152 Helen Stewart Portrait of Treania Smith Pharaoh Hound 154 edwin Russell Tanner Dog c. 1958 Poodle (Standard) 156 Gabrielle Martin Kate and Harry 1998 Poodle (TOy) 158 Richard Read Snr Julia Johnston 1824 Pug 160 Norman Lindsay Rose on ‘Bobs’ c. 1912 PyReNean MountaiN Dog 162 Robert Dowling Mrs Adolphus Sceales with Black Jimmie on Merrang Station 1855–56 Saluki 164 Fred Cress Too few lovers 1989 SchnauzeR (MiNiature) 166 Jim Birkett Max and the Boys 2006 Scottish TerrieR 168 May Gibbs Scotty 1941 Soft-CoateD WHeateN TerrieR 170 Peter Spilsbury Böcklin 2001 (WHiTe) SPiTz 172 Benjamin edwin Minns The blue hat 1918 StaffordshiRe TerrieR 174 J.M. Crossland Staffordshire Bull Terrier belonging to Rev. John Gower 1851 WeiMeraneR 176 Mclean edwards Martin Browne 2007 Welsh TerrieR 178 Adrienne Doig Finbar with Vi King and Steven 2006 West Highland TerrieR 180 Jeff Koons Puppy 1995 WHiPPeT 182 vicki varvaressos Portrait of Frank Watters 1994 YorkshiRe TerrieR 184 Neil evans Wilkie (Romantic Fool) Collins 2004 Index of Artists 187 The history of Australian art is conventionally told with reference to a the Untold number of themes, such as the Australian landscape and its light, urbani- sation, technological innovation or the impact of european art and ideas.