Imagining Alannah Coleman at Royal Academy show 1.

What would Alannah Coleman have had to say about this latest show of Australian art at the Royal Academy, in 2013?

I've recently made my first visit to the huge show.  This is an effort to put myself in Alannah Coleman's shoes, and imagine how she would have seen it.

I think the first thought she would have had was that this had some similarities with the official show put together for the Tate back in 1963.  Her own response to this show was Australian Painting and Sculpture in Europe Today, a large and comprehensive overview of the work of the Australian being done at that moment, in Europe (but mainly London).  More about her show a bit later.

Coleman always held an open mind on new movements in art, and this can be seen in the way she embraced Kinetic art in London, in the 1960s, so I can imagine she would have loved the very first thing you see as you enter this exhibition - the video artist Shaun Gladwell.  It was always more about 'good art' than particular styles or artists for her.  Her appreciation of the new was one of her strength as a critic and supporter of Australian art.

The second room, with those large works by contemporary Aboriginal artists would have stunned her I think.  In 1988, when a number of exhibitions of Australian art where being shown around London, Coleman asked me what I thought about the work of these artists, and more particularly the international success of this movement.   She was puzzling out where they fitted into the business of Australian art.  She had not come to any real understanding by the time she died, but I think if she saw this room she would have found a way of absorbing these into her view.  As I said, for her it was about 'good art'.  Like some of the other critics, I think she would have drawn the parallels with Pollack and others.  She would have taken it further though, and looked for links into the development of Australian art, but I don't know how succesful she would have been.

If at this point I am going to skip the early Colonial rooms and move into the Australian Impressionists and make a few comments.  In a conversation back in the 1980s she told me about a visit made by Penrose to Sydney (when she was briefly running Bonython Gallery).  She had instigated an invitation for him to judge an art prize and this was his first visit to the country.  As he had met a number of the Australian artists in London, she took him to Melbourne to see Tucker.   At this time a show was on at the National Gallery of Victoria, hanging Streeton and Fred Williams side by side.  This was Penrose's first look at both of these artists.  He was impressed with Streeton but not at all by Williams.  Discreet as Coleman was, she seemed to be telling me that one was a giant of art and the other's reputation overblown.  Would she have changed her mind after viewing this exhibition?  I don't think so.  Like many of us I think she would have preferred to see a few more Streetons and a few less McCubbin sentimental narrative works. 

She would her paused in the next room showing the Moderns (of 1920-1930s) as she was very familar with most of these artists.  There would have been disappointment at the selection of some works and some artists and a quiet effort to form an overall opinion of how this show represented this period.  My view is she would have hoped for more ...more works by the better artists, more quality in the selection, and more discretion in showing those not quite up to scratch. 

Here critical senses would have been on alert walking into the next few rooms with the Nolan's, Boyd's - her contemporaries.  She had walked with Sidney Nolan through The Angry Penguins show in 1988, and I imagine she would have walked straight up to those Ned Kelly paintings in the R.A. and taken a long long look again.  I think she would have judged it a good thing to represent him with a series where most others only had a look in with one or two works.  She was shrewd and knew Nolan was and still is a draw card with any exhibition in London that is showing Australian art.  Those two early Arthur Boyd's would have caught her attention next.  Once again I think she would have taken a careful and long look at these.  Both images where familiar to her, but it would have been a very long time since she had seen them.  Would she have agreed with me that they seem somewhat diminished in this show?  When she turned and looked down the gallery to the wall at the end with the very large and loose Boyd, I think she would have nodded to herself in acknowledgement of his well earned place in Australian art.  I don't think Coleman knew the work of Tony Tuckson, although i might be wrong here.  His work was very seldom seen until he retired, and this would have been well after she returned to London in 1970.  My guess is she would have not missed the one example of his work, and would have wanted to see more.  I have no doubt she would have been somewhat bewildered at the absence of so many significant artists of the 1960s and 1970s.  Where were so many of those she included in her 1963 show, and that Robinson had included in his 1961 show? 

I doubt the gallery of political works would have excited her at all.  I imagine her looking around and not quite knowing what to say....except it was not 'good art'.  She may have taken a careful look at the work of a few artists, but would have largely walked on.  As for the most recent works, she would have been looking  and seeing one or two examples of the work of artists she thought had something to say and said well, but needing to see more to make a judgement. 

When I see this exhibition again tomorrow I will post another blog, with how I think she might have overviewed the show.  I will also talk a bit about her own 1963 show.

Cynthia Nolan -Peg McGuire

On my walk today I began to think over some significant criticism that M. E. (Peg) McGuire made back in 1988.  Peg has had a special interest in women in the arts, having written about Cynthia Nolan and  Clarice Beckett amongst others.

At the time I rewrote parts of the thesis based on her comments.  On re-reading her comments I am very aware how important it is to take another look at what she says, for example "centering the discussion more closely around visual images...images of AC made by others...About her own works........is it symbolic that so much seems to have been lost or destroyed?"

Her suggestions that I provide an "...analysis of AC's relationshps to women, perhaps focussing on the nurturing role she and others like Cynthia Nolan, had"  and "...place her in "the company of women" ".

Hmm, lots to think about.

photo:  Cynthia and Sid Nolan

Frustratingly I can only refer to my own 1st final draft and not the 2nd draft AFTER I had rewritten as a result of the comments made.  My copy is in storage.

John Steinbeck - journal of a novel

First off, an apology.  I am not very good at this blogging, and when I haven't proof read very well and find I have posted something with typing, spelling and other errors I can't seem to work out how to fix it.  I know 'stile' isn't spelt 'style' for example.  Diane Cilento has one 'n' not two as I sometimes spelt it.

This morning while walking (when I do my thinking), it came to me to examine what the blog was supposed to be, and who it was aimed at, and what if no one read it.

I have decided it is mostly for me.  Somewhere to note down those little gems of information and odd thoughts, but most of all to be an aid to writing.  My thinking took me back to a book I have owned for many many years (but in storage along with everything else I own).  This is by Steinbeck, but a sort of diary of the writing of one of his novels.  It was an American edition from the early 1960s when books were a joy to touch and a visual treat.  This one shares that rich thick creamy paper, and remember how the pages had to be cut?  This book (if my memory serves me well) was a fascimile of his writing - a journal of sorts.  On the right hand page he did his allocated number of words for his book, and the left hand side was the journal he used to kick start his writing.  This is what this blog is, the journal that will kick start my writing. 

As a result I will be thinking on paper about the process of writing.  I'll be using it to get myself thinking about what all the research means, what I have to say about what I have found out. 

DianeCilento - Alannah Coleman

I have just watched a documentary on Australian Story on ABC television about Diane Cilento (the actress who set up an open theatre in the middle of a Queensland rainforest).  I knew that Alannah knew her, that she had met her in South of France when Dianne was quite a young girl - 16 or so, and I found a letter from Diane to Alannah the other day from much later on.  I had though she would be a minor character in my story, despite being a marvellous actress, but now I think there is a lot more to say about her.

What struck me was how similar they were in appearance - quite remarkable really.  Beautiful, blond.......and the more the documentary told the more I thought of the similarities.  The way they were passionate about what they did.  How their relationships with men foundered on the fact they were unwilling to give up their passion.  There is more to learn with this I think.
Photo Cilento

I need to do some reading and research - but MUST NOT go off on too much of a tanget. 

Talking about Alannah Coleman at Heide

Heide floor talk on Sunday 4 November

How lucky was I?  The academic and author, Simon Pierse was in Australia briefly and invited me to share a floor talk with him.  He spoke about the Australian art and artists in London, 1950-1965: an Antipodean Summer (his newly published book), and I spoke about Alannah Coleman. We were both lucky as Traudi Allen (academic and author as well), introduced as in such a thoughful way.   It was related to a very interesting exhibition curated by Kendrah Morgan (Heide curator) of Albert Tucker's expatriate paintings.  If you haven't seen this then do so I insist. 

For me it was interesting to trawl through some of my archives to discover things I didn't know, or had long forgotten about Alannah Coleman and Albert Tucker's connections.Simon Pierse and I had a good old time swapping photocopies of stuff about Tucker, almost as exciting as swapping cards when I was a kid.    I'll get to this later on in this blogging business - the photocopies not the card swapping.

Incidently, I grew up only about a mile away (there you are I'm giving away my age with this 'miles' reference).  John Reed was a shopper in the Heidelberg village and I sometimes saw him, neat and dapper with his shopping basket over his arm.  The local shop keepers had a high regard for his custom, and one would run quickly to another saying "Mr Reed is on his way".  Later on when Heidi II finally opened as a gallery I would walk over the river, take a short cut through the river parklands and over style into the back of Heide.  It was much more rural then, lots of horse and cow paddocks, and the gardens far less manicured.  Maudie Palmer (the first director) was friendly and relaxed, and it still felt very much like the Reed's had just walked out and if one looked in the kitchen the teapot might still be warm.  Very different now, and the changes, necessary as I am sure they have been, have lost some of that special quality that Heidi II once had.

Alannah Coleman born in Melbourne 1918, died in London 1998.  Artist, dealer, promotor of Australian art and artists in London during the 'Antipodean Summer', 1950-1965.

The photo on this blog shows Alannah Coleman, in the later part of the 1930s, at work in the National Gallery School (Melbourne).  She is on the left of the photo, shown with fellow students.  I'll talk more about these fellow students as time goes by.  Her gift of friendship was life long, discreet, caring and loving.  She extended her friendships into her life as a dealer and promoter and worked tirelessly for old friends and new throught out her life.  These were the famous (Sid Nolan, Arthur Boyd, Albert Tucker, Joy Hester, John and Sunday Reed for example) and just as precious were those for whom fame had slipped by without pausing or who having paused moved on. 

I have had many very elderly men speak to me of this artist, art dealer and promoter of Australian artist in London.  What was the first thing they all said?  "She was so beautiful.  I can still see her standing on the steps in that dress". 

Being beautiful can be a blessing, but for a woman whose passion was the promotion of art, it could also be a curse.  I'll be talking about this a bit more as this blog moves forward.  I'll be putting up some photos so you can see for yourself.

This blog will move along as I write the biography of this remarkable woman.  In 1986 when I began my research,  it was only the artists, collectors and those others deeply involved in the art world of those years from 1935 in Melbourne and Sydney, and then in London from 1950 until her death in 1998 who knew anything of her.  Now, I am happy to say, there is finally interest in who she was and what she did.  So everyone out there (who ever you might be) please make this a two way street.  Add your comments.  I am particularly interested in locating any of her paintings done in the period of late 1930s to 1950.  

Her portraits were hung in the Archibald Prize (Art Gallery of NSW) in the 1940s, and I have the catalogues of her exhibitions.  I had traced a number of her works, but the information is now so old I doubt most of the owners are still alive. 

I will talk in some detail in the next blog about those interesting years in Melbourne when those artists represented in Angry Penguins exhibition in 1988  were struggling, and creating and bickering and generally growing as artists in leaps and bounds.  These years formed the woman who I am writing about.

Once I sort out how to get hard copy photos and slides in a form I can load onto to this blog, it will be photos of what ever I can manage to load.