What a fabulous visit we all had to the gallery today. There is nothing better than exploring the dramatic shifts that took place between the 18th and 19th Centuries and then exploring the way art developed up to the beginnings of the 20th Century. But most impressive on this particular tour is the way we are able to discover that early Australian Colonial art provides a stunning example of Romanticism at its peak. Here was a land completely unaffected by the huge social and industrial dramas preoccupying the rest of the civilized world. Here in Australia was the new EDEN which British, European and American artists were looking for. And we have this amazing treat in the gallery seeing how John Glover could paint an exquisite Romantic landscape in the English lake-district (home to William and Dorothy Wordsworth and Coleridge) and then move to Tasmania, continuing his Romantic explorations, but now among the gum trees… fabulous!

John Glover Ullswater Early Morning 1824

John Glover Launceston and the river Tamar 1832

Blog Topics Week 7

 

1/ Create a narrative that explains the differences between these two John Glover paintings, one from England, the other from Australia.

2/ Select any one painting explored today and describe it creatively in either prose or verse, bringing all its details into focus. 

3/ Write a short summary of your gallery visit today. Mention 2 or 3 of the paintings that most appealed to you and why.

4/ Write a paragraph explaining why you think it is worthwhile exploring art works even though you are a student of literature:

Enjoy!!

Floor talk on today’s tour round the gallery: