Out of the Shadows: The Mezzotints of Graeme Peebles ♦ Gordon Craig Visual Arts Department Creative Industries Faculty Queensland University of Technology This thesis is presented as part of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Master of Arts (Research) 2005 Keywords Peebles, Graeme; Young, Bill; art; printmaking; mezzotint; Melbourne; Point Lonsdale; Eucumbene; metaphysics. Abstract Out of the Shadows: The Mezzotints of Graeme Peebles investigates Victorian printmaker Graeme Peebles’ engagement with the mezzotint medium since the early 1970s. Over fifty works from the artist’s oeuvre of nearly 300 mezzotints are examined to demonstrate Peebles’ high quality technical skills and his unique approach to subject matter. This has ranged from enigmatic, surrealist-inspired subject matter to landscapes of the Lake Eucumbene region in the Kosciusko National Park, which range from the ominous and foreboding to the romantic and sublime. In this thesis I explore the intellectual groundwork on which much of Peebles work is based. In doing so I am redressing the imbalance between the popularity of Peebles’ work and the lack of critical writing about his art. While his work has been widely collected (see for instance the list of Public Collections that contain holdings of Peebles’ work, on page 96), to date his work has not received the attention as deserved by a master of their chosen medium. In reviewing his work in such a manner I believe that Peebles deserves greater recognition in contemporary Australian Art. In conjunction with this thesis I have curated an exhibition bearing the same title, which was displayed at the QUT Art Museum, Brisbane, 12 March – 30 May 2004. It then toured to the Latrobe Regional Gallery, Warrnambool Art Gallery, Geelong Gallery, Gold Coast City Art Gallery and Perc Tucker Regional Gallery. A 16-page colour catalogue was also produced to accompany the exhibition. Out of the Shadows: The Mezzotints of Graeme Peebles TABLE OF CONTENTS Keywords 2 Abstract 3 Table of Contents 5 List of Illustrations 6 Statement of Original Authorship 8 Author’s notes and acknowledgments 9 Introduction 11 Chapter 1 Mastering the Technique: Early works 13 Chapter 2 Metaphysical Works and the Drapery Landscapes 29 Chapter 3 Point Lonsdale 49 Chapter 4 Eucumbene 67 Conclusion 81 Appendix 1 Mezzotints: An Overview 83 Appendix 2 Printmaking in Australia: An Overview 87 List of Works Comprising the Exhibition 89 Chronology 93 Public Collections 97 Bibliography 99 List of Illustrations Unless stated otherwise, works of art are by Graeme Peebles. ILLUSTRATIONS 1. Abandoned workings, 1975, mezzotint 14 2. Works on Paper by RMIT Fine Art Students, exhibition catalogue, Crossley Gallery, Melbourne, 1975 14 3. Schadenfreude, 1978, mezzotint 17 4. Self portrait as a religious leader, 1980, colour mezzotint 18 5. Cimabue (c1240-c1302), the Basilica Santa Croce crucifix, Florence 18 6. Winter of my contempt, 1983, colour mezzotint 21 7. Photograph of the Exford Hotel, Melbourne, 2004 21 8. They mute horses, don’t they?, 1979, hand-coloured mezzotint 23 9. Ecce homo, 1980, hand-coloured mezzotint 24 10. The remnants of the Last Supper, 1981, colour mezzotint 26 11. Rembrandt Van Rijn (1606-69), The three crosses, 1653, drypoint and burin 26 12. Yves Tanguy (1900-55), Je vous attends (I await you), 1934, oil on canvas 30 13. Death of Damiens I-V, 1982, five mezzotints, some hand-coloured 33 14. Marat we’re marching on, 1984, colour mezzotint 34 15. Intimacy, 1983, colour mezzotint 35 16. They come in all shapes and sizes, 1984, colour mezzotint 35 17. Albert Tucker (1914-99), Images of evil no.21 (Night hospital), 1945, oil on plywood, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra 36 18. The human comedy, 1987, colour mezzotint 36 19. Altarpiece, 1984-87, Nine colour mezzotints, some hand-coloured 38 20. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), The Annunciation, c1472-75, oil and tempura on panel, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence 38 21. Artist’s notes with hand colouring legend for Altarpiece 38 22. Is God a paintbrush?, 1987-89, hand-coloured mezzotint 40 23. My bathtub full of memories, 1987, colour mezzotint 41 24. Get out of the bath, Proust!, 1989, hand-coloured mezzotint 41 25. The study for the Charge of the Light Brigade, 1990, hand-coloured mezzotint 42 26. The Charge of the Light Brigade, 1990, hand-coloured mezzotint 42 27. John Brack (1920-99), The battle, 1981-83, oil on canvas, gift of John and Helen Brack 1992, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra 43 28. John Brack (1920-99), The block, 1954, oil on canvas, presented through The Art Foundation of Victoria by Dr Joseph Brown, AO, OBE, Honorary Life Benefactor, 1999, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne 44 29. Stairway to heaven, 1992, mezzotint 45 30. Halls Gap, 1984, colour mezzotint 46 31. Mt Buffalo, 1989, colour mezzotint 46 32. Wilsons Prom, 1984, colour mezzotint 46 33. The You Yangs, 1982, colour mezzotint 46 34. Death of a shag, 1989-90, hand-coloured mezzotint 50 35. Lobster quadrille, 1989-90, mezzotint 50 36. Budgerigars, 1990-92, hand-coloured mezzotint 51 37. Rabbit trap, 1992, hand-coloured mezzotint 51 38. Point Lonsdale back beach, 1989, hand-coloured mezzotint 53 39. Brett Whiteley (1939-92), Almost once, 1968-91, black butt timber and fibreglass, gift of the artist 1991, Art Gallery of New South Wales 53 40. Lifeboat (State I), 1992-94, hand-coloured mezzotint 54 41. Théodore Géricault (1791-1824), The raft of the Medusa, 1818-19, oil on canvas, Musée du Louvre, Paris 54 42. Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863), Liberty leading the people, 1830, oil on canvas, Musée du Louvre, Paris 54 43. Beacon, 1993, colour mezzotint with hand-colouring 56 44. Lighthouse – night, 1994, colour mezzotint with hand-colouring 56 45. The wreck of the Ozone, 1993-94, mezzotint 58 46. Photograph of the Ozone wreck, 2004 58 47. Benito’s spot, 1992-93, colour mezzotint with hand-colouring 59 48. Photograph of the cypress tree which inspired Benito’s Spot, 2004 59 49. Starboard marker, 1994, hand-coloured mezzotint 60 50. Photograph of guiding post in Port Phillip Bay, 2004 60 51. René Magritte (1898-1967), La condition humaine (The human condition), 1933, oil on canvas, gift of the Collector’s Committee 1987, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC 61 52. Sideroads, 1994, hand-coloured mezzotint 61 53. Peter Tyndall (born 1951), detail: A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/someone looks at something... Untitled Painting No. 19 (Painting in a landscape - Sidney Nolan), 1975, oil on canvas 61 54. Metaphysics free zone, 1994, hand-coloured mezzotint 62 55. Island, 1995, colour mezzotint 63 56. Tree house, 1995, colour mezzotint with hand-colouring 64 57. Harbour, 1996-97, colour mezzotint 65 58. The rock at the end of the pier, 1997-98, colour mezzotint 66 59. Falling rocks, 1996, colour mezzotint 66 60. Clouds Eucumbene, 1996-97, mezzotint 67 61. Map of Kosciusko National Park 68 62. Moonlight at Eucumbene, 1997-98, colour mezzotint 69 63. Providence Reach, 1998, colour mezzotint 71 64. Snake Island, 1998, colour mezzotint 71 65. Three Mile Dam, 1998, mezzotint 72 66. Henri Matisse (1869-1954), Luxe, calme et volupté, 1904-05, oil on canvas, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris 73 67. Boot Point, 1998, mezzotint 73 68. Thunderhead at Eucumbene 1997, mezzotint 74 69. Lawrence Daws (born 1927), The burning train, 1972, colour screenprint 74 70. Storm over Eucumbene, 1999, mezzotint 75 71. James Gleeson (born 1915), The message arrives, 1995, oil on canvas 75 72. Light shaft, 2001, mezzotint 76 73. Cabbage soup, 2001, hand-coloured mezzotint 76 74. Mrs Simpson, 2001, hand-coloured mezzotint 76 75. Example of a Mrs Simpson trout fly 76 76. Irving Penn (born 1917), Duchess of Windsor, New York, 27 May 1948, 1948, gelatin silver photograph 77 77. Natura morto, 2000-03, five-plate colour mezzotint with hand-colouring 78 78. Dropping cloud, 2002-03, colour mezzotint 79 79. Video still of clouds at Lake Eucumbene 79 80. Skyhook, 2003, colour mezzotint 79 81. Photograph of Graeme Peebles and Bill Young checking printing proofs at Bill Young Studios, Melbourne 91 Statement of Original Authorship The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree or diploma at any other higher education institution. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made. Signed: Date: Author’s notes Only the first word is capitalised in the titles of works of art, which appear in italics. The exception to this being when proper names are used within the title of the artwork (for example They come in all shapes and sizes and The remnants of the Last Supper). Dates follow the titles with the year/s of production listed in brackets. Titles of work in other media such as literature and film have capitals on all key words. Works of art reproduced in the thesis are mezzotints by Graeme Peebles unless otherwise specified. The spelling and punctuation of Australian locations are taken from the Reader’s Digest Atlas of Australia (1994), 2nd edition, Sydney: Reader’s Digest Pty. Ltd. Acknowledgments I would like to thank my Supervisor, Mark Pennings, and my Associate Supervisor, Victoria Garnons-Williams, for their valuable feedback and advice; Graeme Peebles for his unwavering support of the project; and Bill Young, Laurie Petersen and Geoff Ricardo for providing some insight into Graeme’s work. Many other people have been supportive of my project, including David Hawke, Stephen Rainbird, Robyn Daw, Alison Kubler, Arryn Snowball, Stuart Purves at Australian Galleries, Murray White formerly of Australian Galleries, William Robinson, Lawrence Daws, Helen Brack, Ellen Thompson, Callum Campbell and Pamela See, as well as numerous other individuals whose enthusiasm about printmaking helps foster the art form.