© ATOM 2013 A STUDY GUIDE BY CASEY LANGSFORD http://www.metromagazine.com.au ISBN: 978-1-74295-364-9 http://www.theeducationshop.com.au The series follows former Art Gallery of New South Wales director Edmund Capon on an epic journey across the continent and back in time. It’s a journey of discovery in which Edmund uncovers the story of how art and artists played their part in the dramatic story of Australia’s cultural and historical development. For the first time on Australian TV, the series weaves the story of the Indigenous, European and Asian art traditions in Australia together. Each epi- sode follows a different theme as the story moves from the colonial past to the modern day. The films mix history in with Edmund’s encounters with important contemporary artists, whose work reflect the big-picture themes the series explores. Overall, The Art of Australia explains how through They investigate and discuss the contribution of The Art of prehistory, colonisation, gold rushes and wars, art the arts to society and other disciplines, such Australia is a helped make Australia, and continues to do so. It’s as Mathematics and History, focusing on ways three-part a dramatic tale that allows the viewer to under- contemporary and traditional arts disciplines, forms landmark stand better how art helped create a distinctive and works reinforce and challenge social, cultural, series. It is a Australian identity. personal and artistic practices and values. co-production between ABC, While teachers of Art will certainly be able to use this These learning standards are useful to consider BBC and Screen resource in their units, it will also be an engaging and when using The Art of Australia. Australia. informative series to use in English and Humanities. In conjunction with Art, this series connects to the Curriculum Guidelines AusVELS cross-curriculum proprieties: Learning areas that this series could link to include: 1. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories - Art and cultures - English 2. Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia - History The Art of Australia could also be successfully The Australian National Curriculum (Arts) outlines incorporated as a supporting text in English, with the learning focus at Year 10 that students develop the documentary highlighting how art reflects aesthetic and critical awareness through observa- Australian identity and, at the same time, has 2013 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION tion, research, discussion and analysis of arts works helped shape the history and culture of Australia. from different social, historical and cultural contexts. ‘Creating and Presenting’ encourages students Students are required to compare arts works to to draw on different texts to explore their context. consider similarities and differences in the styles, This documentary would support the development themes, intentions and aesthetic qualities of works of their context and their writing. by particular artists and artworks made at a par- ticular time within specific cultural contexts. 2 EPISODE ONE Episode One, ‘Strangers in a Strange Land’, tells the story of how art helped European settlers come to terms with an unfamiliar land, and how, by ignoring 60,000 years of Indigenous culture, they saw the place through a distorted European lens, until a uniquely Australian impressionism emerged that reflected the emergence of a distinctive national identity and an independent nation. Context This episode tells the story of how art helped European settlers come to terms with the unfamiliar landscape of Australia. conduct on Australian history or signifi- cant artworks. For example, students Before viewing the episode, it might might create the timeline shown below. be useful for students to explore Indigenous artwork prior to European Viewing Activities arrival and settlement. As students watch Episode One, they Aboriginal culture, and their artwork, can create and complete the tables on is considered to be one of the oldest the following page. to ‘belong’ and the importance of traditions in the world. remembering your past. Strangers in a Strange • Research Aboriginal art and • Students are to interview a migrant culture at the following website Land who has moved to Australia. This and summarise the different types may be a relative or even some- of art: <http://australia.gov.au/ Edmund Capon, the narrator, explores one in their class. Students are to about-australia/australian-story/ being a migrant in Australia. He sug- research the following information: austn-indigenous-art/> gests that the early Australian artists - Their migration story • Discuss ways that Aboriginal art struggled with similar issues that mi- - How they remember their and other forms of art you have grants today still explore. He identified history 2013 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION previously looked at are similar and two central concerns: the pressure - In what ways have they had to in what ways they are different. Students might also benefit from creat- DATE EVENT – key artwork, key historical moment etc ing a timeline in which they can add important historical dates from Episode EXAMPLE: EXAMPLE: Captain Phillips and the First Fleet arrive in Botany Bay, One and other research that they January 1788 Australia. 3 Name of Artwork/s DESCRIPTION OF ARTWORK IMPACT OF ARTWORK EXAMPLE EXAMPLE EXAMPLE Name of Artist SIGNIFICANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARTIST EXAMPLE EXAMPLE SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION 4 B A B A B B A Romantics and Australian Identity adapt? - Any significant artwork in As more and more free settlers arrived Australia and their home in Australia, the nature of the artwork country that resonates A being produced also shifted. The with them and why; include ‘grandfather’ of Australian landscapes, these images in your report John Glover, created an array of • Describe the artwork Longing Write a biography of Lycett that romantic depictions of the Tasmanian and Belonging by Iranian artist includes major events, significant landscape and Indigenous people. Hossein Valamanesh. What is be- artworks and your analysis of his Photos marked B above are his work. ing conveyed in this piece? Create impact on art in Australia. In the centre is John Glover’s portrait your own piece of modern art Joan Ross, a modern Australian by Mary Allport. entitled Longing and Belonging. artist, uses Lycett to influence her • European settlers are seen as own artwork. • Define the term ‘romanticism’ as it ‘strangers in a strange land’. Using • Compare the two landscapes relates to art. two of the artworks shown in the presented in the episode. How is • Conduct some research on John episode, explain how European the role and place of Indigenous Glover. Use this website to help settlers tried to adapt to this Australians different? Explain the your get started: <http://www. ‘strange land’. similarities and differences. artgallery.nsw.gov.au/galleries/ • Conduct some research on • Why might this artwork by Ross australian/featured-works/glover/>. 2013 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION Joseph Lycett. Photos marked (the video art that draws inspira- Create a biography of Glover that A above are his work. Use this tion from Lycett) be controversial? includes major events, significant website to get you started: <http:// • Create your own version of BBQ works and your analysis of his www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_ this Sunday, BYO. Sketch your impact on art in Australia. collections/history_nation/ interpretation of the landscape and macquarie/artists/lycett/index. write an explanation about your Edmund Capon explains the irony in html> piece. Glover’s representations of Tasmania. 5 B B A B B B Glover portrayed Indigenous Australians in his pieces, however at this time Tasmanian Aboriginals were being massacred, removed from their land and transported to Flinders Island. • Find three artworks of Glover’s that depict Aboriginals. How are C the Aboriginals portrayed in these artworks? Explain any differences to Lycett’s representations of • Examine the artwork Death in Exile artwork than other techniques? Indigenous Australians. (see photo A above) and discuss - Sketch or create a piece of • Investigate the massacre of the following questions work that has been inspired Tasmania’s Aboriginal populations. <http://nga.gov.au/ by both Glover and Maynard. Create a one-page report on this Exhibition/NIAT07/Detail. Include some annotations to research, listing the sources you cfm?IRN=163793&ViewID=2> explain your choices. have used. Discuss as a class - What features are present in the whether this research changes artwork? What is their impact? The Gold Rush of the nineteenth cen- the way you appreciate Glover’s - Why do you think the piece has tury had an important impact on the artwork. been titled Death in Exile? changing nature of Australian art and 2013 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION - What is the overall signifi- culture. We continue to see throughout Ricky Maynard creates artwork based cance of Maynard’s piece for the artwork of this time a shaping of on the tragedy and survival of the peo- Australian art and in shaping an Australian identity. The artworks of ple of Flinders Island. It is clear that Australian identity? artists like Eugene von Guerard (See events of the past still impact artworks - Explain why photography photos labled C above and next page) of today. See photos B above. might be more effective for this foster this burgeoning sense of identity. 6 • Explore the paintings made by von Guerard. Use this website as a starting point: <http://www.ngv.vic. gov.au/learn/schools-resources/ eugene-von-guerard/background -info/>. Discuss why Australian artists have been fascinated by the landscape. • Choose a landscape that you know well and spend some time B C A there recreating what you see for rise of the impressionists, who reject a piece of artwork. This may be many of the notions of the romantics, a drawing, painting or a series of including their more traditional training photographs.