James V Wigley
Encyclopedia
James Vandeleur Wigley is an Australia
n painter known for his sensitive depictions of aboriginal
camp scenes and desert
landscapes.
Wigley studied at the School of Fine Arts in North Adelaide
with F. Millward Grey. During 1939 he spent time with his old school friend, the anthropologist
, Ronald Berndt, at Murray Bridge, where he completed a series of portrait
drawings of local people. He moved to Melbourne
in 1941 where he joined an army survey
regiment, then a unit making relief map
s and model aeroplanes used to train officers. Wigley exhibited in the 1942 Anti-Fascist exhibition held in Melbourne where he became friends with Noel Counihan
and other social realist painters and writers. After his discharge from the army in 1943 he travelled to the Northern Territory to join Ronald Berndt at Daly River. During this time he completed a number of drawings of outback
camp life.
Following his return to Melbourne and two years of art study at the National Gallery School in an army rehabilitation course, Wigley travelled to Europe with fellow artist Yosl Bergner
. He exhibited in Paris
, at the Galerie Gentil Hommiere, and in London
, before returning to Melbourne in 1953.
In 1956 Wigley went to Port Hedland in the North West to work with Donald McLeod and the Aborigines of the region in an Aboriginal workers' co-operative, living independently by mining
and pearl
shell gathering. During 1974 the group purchased a sheep station in the Pilbara and established an independent school. In developing this school, Wigley worked the offset press to print all material needed for a multi-lingual school, and illustrated and designed the readers' books.
In 1979 Wigley returned to Melbourne to paint and draw. In 1991 he returned to the Northern Territory for a short period, where his son, Julian, was working with Aboriginal communities. A survey of his work was held at the Niagara Galleries in 1992. He continued to paint until his death in 1999.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n painter known for his sensitive depictions of aboriginal
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
camp scenes and desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
landscapes.
Wigley studied at the School of Fine Arts in North Adelaide
North Adelaide
North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands.-History:...
with F. Millward Grey. During 1939 he spent time with his old school friend, the anthropologist
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, Ronald Berndt, at Murray Bridge, where he completed a series of portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
drawings of local people. He moved to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1941 where he joined an army survey
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
regiment, then a unit making relief map
Relief map
Relief map or mapping may refer to:*Raised-relief map, a three-dimensional representation of terrain*A two-dimensional map using cartographic relief depiction to represent terrain...
s and model aeroplanes used to train officers. Wigley exhibited in the 1942 Anti-Fascist exhibition held in Melbourne where he became friends with Noel Counihan
Noel Counihan
Noel Counihan was an Australian social realist painter.Counihan was born in Albert Park, then a working-class suburb of Melbourne. He attended Caulfield Grammar School in 1928...
and other social realist painters and writers. After his discharge from the army in 1943 he travelled to the Northern Territory to join Ronald Berndt at Daly River. During this time he completed a number of drawings of outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
camp life.
Following his return to Melbourne and two years of art study at the National Gallery School in an army rehabilitation course, Wigley travelled to Europe with fellow artist Yosl Bergner
Yosl Bergner
Yosl Bergner is an Israeli painter.-Biography:Yosl Bergner was born in Vienna in 1920 and grew up in Warsaw.With rampant anti-Semitism in Europe, the Freeland League for Jewish Territorial Colonisation was formed in July 1935, to search for a potential Jewish homeland...
. He exhibited in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, at the Galerie Gentil Hommiere, and in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, before returning to Melbourne in 1953.
In 1956 Wigley went to Port Hedland in the North West to work with Donald McLeod and the Aborigines of the region in an Aboriginal workers' co-operative, living independently by mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and pearl
Pearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
shell gathering. During 1974 the group purchased a sheep station in the Pilbara and established an independent school. In developing this school, Wigley worked the offset press to print all material needed for a multi-lingual school, and illustrated and designed the readers' books.
In 1979 Wigley returned to Melbourne to paint and draw. In 1991 he returned to the Northern Territory for a short period, where his son, Julian, was working with Aboriginal communities. A survey of his work was held at the Niagara Galleries in 1992. He continued to paint until his death in 1999.
Selected bibliography
- Encyclopedia of Australian Art. McCulloch Allan. 1984 Revised 1994.
- Artists in Australia. Germaine. M 1985.
- Rebels and Precursors. Haese,Richard. Publisher, Penguin, 1981.
- Catalogue " Art and Social Commitment: An End to the City of Dreams" 1931-1948", Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1984
- Catalogue "Aspects of Australian Figurative Painting 1942-1962: Dreams, Fears and Desires", S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, 1984
- Catalogue " James Wigley: Survey 1936-1992", Niagara Galleries, Mebourne,1992
Collections
- National Gallery of Australia, ACT
- National Gallery of Victoria
- Art Gallery of Western Australia
- Bendigo Art GalleryBendigo Art GalleryBendigo Art Gallery in Bendigo, founded in 1887, is one of Australia’s oldest and largest regional art galleries. The Bendigo Art Gallery hosts Australia's richest open painting prize, the Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize, worth $50,000, which was launched in 2003.- Prizes :* Arthur Guy Memorial...
- Castlemaine Art Gallery
- Newcastle Art Gallery
- McClelland Gallery, Melbourne
- Artbank, New South Wales
External links
- UK Government Art Collection: Image of painting "Family at Roeburne,N.W. Australia"
- National Gallery of Australia
- National Library of Australia-collection of Strelley School readers
- Australian War Memorial-a bust of Wigley by Ray Ewers, titled "Gunner James Wigley"
- Works by Wigley in Picture Australia