Intelligentsia Louis Kahan’s portraits of writers Vivien Gaston A recent exhibition at the Ian Potter Museum of Art provided the opportunity to view a remarkable group of drawings by the renowned portrait artist Louis Kahan AO (1905– 2002), now in the Special Collections of the Baillieu Library, University of Melbourne.1 Depicting notable writers, the 129 portraits were gifted by Kahan over four years from 1979 to 1983, a benefaction arranged by the then Vice-Principal of the University of Melbourne, Ray Marginson. On 5 November 1981, at the University of Melbourne Gallery, Marginson launched a handsome book illustrating a selection of the created for the journal Meanjin. They Trained as a tailor in his works with an adroit estimation of provide a rich microcosm of birthplace Vienna, Kahan worked for the artist’s career: Australian intellectual life from 1955 the couturier Paul Poiret, and as a to 1974, depicting many of the key theatre set designer in Paris in the How can one say anything more thinkers of the day who opened up 1920s where he encountered first about a man who has served in for local Australian culture the hand the work of Picasso, Matisse the French Foreign Legion, contemporary international world of and the School of Paris. With the worked for thirty years at the ideas. Kahan’s inclusive vision was outbreak of war he joined the French heart of the Australian Literary ideally suited to interpreting this Foreign Legion and, after and Artistic establishment, and extraordinary array of talent and demobilisation, began his life as an not only survived both, but intellect, which spanned writers from artist in Oran, Algeria. After travel in emerged universally loved and the right and left of politics, early the United States, he moved to Perth unscarred.2 female authors, edgy cultural in 1947 where he was reunited with commentators, novelists, speculative his family, had his first solo exhibition Intelligentsia: Louis Kahan’s portraits of poets, and scholars of subjects and began to gain recognition from writers ran at the Potter from 22 obscure, refined and pioneering. the art world. In 1950 he moved to January to 19 April 2009 and brought Through his uncanny ability to Melbourne where his talent for together an array of portraits capture likeness, this exhibition portraiture was recognised by the depicting poets, essayists, recreated the intensity and verve that Melbourne Herald art critic Alan philosophers and political writers animated these minds. McCulloch, who introduced him to University of Melbourne Collections, Issue 5, November 2009 3 Previous page: Installation view, Intelligentsia: Louis Kahan’s portraits of writers, exhibition at the Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of Melbourne, 2009, photographed by Viki Petherbridge. Below: Louis Kahan, Clement B. Christesen, 1960, pen and ink on paper, sheet: 56.9 x 37.8 cm. Reg. no. 1980.2044, gift of the artist, 1980, Special Collections, Baillieu Library, University of Melbourne. © Louis Kahan (estate)/Licensed by VISCOPY, Sydney 2008. Clem Christesen, editor of Meanjin. for innovative ideas and a forum for The exhibition Intelligentsia On a return trip to Perth in 1953 he debate at a time when the media in demonstrated how the creative met and married Lily Isaac. His Australia were at a rudimentary stage. interaction of literature and the visual contribution to Australian cultural life Meanjin exerted considerable power; arts was integral to Meanjin’s broad was recognised when he was made an at its 21st anniversary dinner Arthur cultural purpose. While Kahan’s Officer of the Order of Australia in Calwell, leader of the opposition drawings gave a distinctive graphic 1993. Louis Kahan died in Labor Party, gave a speech and Prime quality to the journal for nearly 20 Melbourne in 2002, aged 97. Minister Robert Menzies sent a years, other innovative work was also Kahan’s prodigious capacity for telegram. Contributors to Meanjin featured, including sketches, prints swift summation of the human face represent a who’s who of Australian and paintings by Aboriginal artists was honed in an unusual training writing. Since 1945 the journal has (usually unnamed) and artists and ground: the hospitals for wounded been supported by the University of designers such as Arthur Boyd, Roger soldiers in Oran, Algeria, where he Melbourne and in 2008 it became an Kemp and Douglas Annand. Kahan’s donated his time and talent to the imprint of Melbourne University portraits, however, played a special Red Cross, producing over 2,000 Publishing. role. Featured next to the subject’s portraits of soldiers which the men writing or a review of their work, they sent back to their families. With this provided an unabashed tribute to experience he was able to produce their subjects and their intellectual portraits with a sense of spontaneity and creative achievements. While under almost any conditions. The postmodern critics, whose theories majority of the Meanjin portraits diminish the importance of the were drawn directly from life, author, might disparage this elevation sometimes in the subject’s home or of individual identity, the effect of workplace, often in Kahan’s own these portraits is to illustrate the home studio. Occasionally however personal engagement involved in he was compelled to work from keeping such an independently photographs or even from television, minded journal alive. The exhibition grasping the essentials of a face with paid homage to this spirit of free minimum input. speech that has motivated and guided The portraits in this collection the journal. In his foreword to the were commissioned for the first issue of Meanjin (Christmas provocative literary and cultural 1940), Clem Christesen wrote: journal Meanjin by its founding editor Clem Christesen. Meanjin provided a … at a time of war and transition, ready network for writers and a we still strive to ‘talk poetry.’ … platform for new writing, a resource Literature and art, poetry and 4 University of Melbourne Collections, Issue 5, November 2009 Left: Louis Kahan, A.D. Hope, (c.1962), Below: Louis Kahan, Dame Mary Gilmore, 1960, pen and ink on paper, sheet: pen and ink on paper, sheet: 54.0 x 37.7 cm. 46.5 x 35.5 cm. Reg. no. 1979.2076, Reg. no. 1979.2068, gift of the artist, 1979, gift of the artist, 1980, Special Collections, Special Collections, Baillieu Library, Baillieu Library, University of Melbourne. University of Melbourne. © Louis Kahan (estate)/Licensed by VISCOPY, © Louis Kahan (estate)/Licensed by VISCOPY, Sydney 2009. First published with A.D. Hope, Sydney 2009. First published with ‘The young girl at the ball’, ‘A Blason’, ‘On an Robert D. Fitzgerald, ‘Mary Gilmore: Poet and early photograph of my mother’ and ‘Letter from great Australian’, Meanjin, vol. 19, no. 4, the line’, Meanjin Quarterly, vol. 21, no. 2, June December 1960, and subsequently with 1962. W.H. Wilde, ‘Mary Gilmore: The hidden years’, Meanjin Quarterly, vol. 32, no. 4, December 1973. drama do not spring into being at through the crowd recording the Augustan’ and was a scathing critic the word of command. Their life lively interactions of guests such as of unstructured modernism. With is a continuous process growing professor of English Ian Maxwell, T. Inglis Moore he introduced the within itself, and its suppression eminent art historian Dr Ursula Hoff, first degree course in Australian is death.3 Labor leader Arthur Calwell and literature as professor of English at writer Frank Dalby Davison. In the Australian National University. Kahan’s portrait of his patron, Clem another, Christesen darts a glance at Kahan was equally insightful in Christesen (illustrated opposite), head Overland editor Stephen Murray- his depiction of the legendary Dame resting on his hand with cigarette, Smith, with literary historian H.M. Mary Gilmore (illustrated below). book and glasses, is both determined Green in the background.5 Kahan Her highly popular poetry was bound and contemplative, almost relished the aesthetic possibilities of up with her activism, her concern melancholy. It makes a remarkable the occasion’s collegiality, commenting: with urban poverty, the rights of comparison with van Gogh’s wistful ‘A chance group—so often its women, children and indigenous portrait of his physician Dr Gachet members complement minds while Australians and her patriotism. Her (1890, now in the Musée d’Orsay). By their bodies compose a study for the politics were radical; she was the first contrast, Meanjin’s second editor, Jim artist.’6 woman member of the Australian Davidson, who took over in 1974, is Kahan’s forte was to depict the Workers Union and worked as editor portrayed as gently benevolent. This creative mind at work. This is of the Australian Worker. In 1937 she group of drawings also includes some especially apparent in his portraits of was appointed Dame Commander of of the wider field of experts who the poets—established, mid-career the British Empire for her contributed to Meanjin: Asian studies and upcoming—who chose to publish expert C.P. Fitzgerald; politician, in Meanjin. Instead of a static record diplomat and academic Neal Blewett; of facial features, his pen and ink lines agricultural chemist Geoffrey Leeper; fly and coalesce around nodal points and geographer, geologist and writer in the face correlating with the Marcel Aurousseau.4 workings of the active mind within; As editor of Meanjin, Clem the poet’s synthesis of free, disparate Christesen was supported by his wife thoughts at high velocity. In his Nina who founded the Department depiction of A.D. Hope (illustrated of Russian Language Studies at the above), a long prophet-like face University of Melbourne. Kahan’s conjures up the oracular cadence of portrait of Nina, depicted next to his poetry with its mythic themes Professor R. Douglas (Pansy) Wright, and, for the 1950s, provocative is one of several group portraits sensuality.