The pioneer (painting)
Encyclopedia
The pioneer is a 1904
painting by the Australian artist Frederick McCubbin
. The painting is a triptych
; the three panels tell a story of a free selector
and his family making a life in the Australian bush
. It is widely considered "one of the masterpieces of Australian art."
The painting is part of the National Gallery of Victoria
's Australian art collection and exhibited in the Ian Potter Centre
in Federation Square
in Melbourne
.
McCubbin painted the work en plein air
near Fontainebleau—his home in Mount Macedon
, north west of Melbourne
—using specially dug trenches to lower the canvas. The view is across a neighbouring property owned by William Peter McGregor, the second chairman of Broken Hill Proprietary Ltd
. The cottage in the middle panel was the home of the manager of McGregor's bull stud
. McCubbin's wife Annie and a local sawyer
Patrick "Paddy" Watson were the models for the left panel, with Watson also the model for the youth in the right panel. The model for the centre panel was a young commercial painter, James Edward with Annie again posing as the women. The baby was Jimmy Watson, Patrick's nephew.
purchased the painting the following year for 367 pounds
and 10 shillings, using funds from the Felton Bequest.
The painting has been described as "self-consciously nationalistic; proud of the prosperity of the fine city seen in the background - Its mood of quiet optimism is unqualified."
The artist Anne Zahalka
appropriated
The pioneers in her work Immigrants 2, a photomontage
superimposing photographs of a Greek Australian
family over the background taken from McCubbin's painting. The work aims to demonstrate how recent migrants and other diverse groups are excluded from "many of the texts and images that have helped define national identity."
1904 in art
-Events:*Georges Braque leaves the Academie Humbert.*Mary Cassatt is awarded the Légion d'honneur by the French government for her services to the arts.-Works:-Paintings:*Lawrence Alma-Tadema - The Finding of Moses*Frederick McCubbin - The pioneer...
painting by the Australian artist Frederick McCubbin
Frederick McCubbin
Frederick McCubbin was an Australian painter who was prominent in the Heidelberg School, one of the more important periods in Australia's visual arts history....
. The painting is a triptych
Triptych
A triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...
; the three panels tell a story of a free selector
Selection (Australian history)
Selection referred to "free selection before survey" of crown land in some Australian colonies under land legislation introduced in the 1860s. These acts were similar to the United States Homestead Act and were intended to encourage closer settlement, based on intensive agriculture, such as...
and his family making a life in the Australian bush
The Bush
"The bush" is a term used for rural, undeveloped land or country areas in certain countries.-Australia:The term is iconic in Australia. In reference to the landscape, "bush" describes a wooded area, intermediate between a shrubland and a forest, generally of dry and nitrogen-poor soil, mostly...
. It is widely considered "one of the masterpieces of Australian art."
The painting is part of the National Gallery of Victoria
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. Since December 2003, NGV has operated across two sites...
's Australian art collection and exhibited in the Ian Potter Centre
Ian Potter Centre
The Ian Potter Centre houses the Australian part of the art collection of the National Gallery of Victoria , and is located at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia...
in Federation Square
Federation Square
Federation Square is a civic centre and cultural precinct in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
in 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...
.
Composition
The three panels of the triptych tell a story of a free selector, a farmer who has chosen some land to clear and farm and his family. The story is ambiguous, like many of McCubbin's other works and McCubbin chose not to respond when controversy broke out over the "correct" meaning. The left panel shows the selector and his wife settling on their selection, in the foreground the woman is deep in thought. In the centre panel, the baby in the womans arms indicates that some time has elapsed, A cottage, the family home, can be seen in a clearing through the trees. The right panel shows a young man standing over a grave. A city is visible in the background, again indicating that some time has passed. It is unclear if the young man is the baby from the centre panel or a stranger stumbling across the grave.McCubbin painted the work en plein air
En plein air
En plein air is a French expression which means "in the open air", and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors.Artists have long painted outdoors, but in the mid-19th century working in natural light became particularly important to the Barbizon school and Impressionism...
near Fontainebleau—his home in Mount Macedon
Mount Macedon, Victoria
Mount Macedon is a small town located northwest of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria. It is situated on the side of the mountain of the same name, known as Geboor by the indigenous Wurundjeri people, which rises to above sea level. At the 2006 census, Mount Macedon had a population...
, north west of 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...
—using specially dug trenches to lower the canvas. The view is across a neighbouring property owned by William Peter McGregor, the second chairman of Broken Hill Proprietary Ltd
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
. The cottage in the middle panel was the home of the manager of McGregor's bull stud
Stud farm
A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry, is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English stod meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding" Historically, documentation of the breedings that occur on a stud farm leads to the...
. McCubbin's wife Annie and a local sawyer
Sawyer
Sawyer is an occupational term referring to someone who saws wood. One such job was the now-archaic occupation of someone who cut lumber to length for the consumer market, a task now done by end users or at lumber and home improvement stores...
Patrick "Paddy" Watson were the models for the left panel, with Watson also the model for the youth in the right panel. The model for the centre panel was a young commercial painter, James Edward with Annie again posing as the women. The baby was Jimmy Watson, Patrick's nephew.
History and legacy
The painting was first exhibited in a one-man show in 1904 but did not find a buyer. Walter Withers, a friend of McCubbin's, suggested that MCubbin add a view of Melbourne in the background of the right panel, which he did. The National Gallery of VictoriaNational Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. Since December 2003, NGV has operated across two sites...
purchased the painting the following year for 367 pounds
Australian pound
The pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 13 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :...
and 10 shillings, using funds from the Felton Bequest.
The painting has been described as "self-consciously nationalistic; proud of the prosperity of the fine city seen in the background - Its mood of quiet optimism is unqualified."
The artist Anne Zahalka
Anne Zahalka
Ann Zahalka is a contemporary Australian photographer.Her artwork revolves around Australian culture, focusing on themes such as gender roles, leisure activities and the conventions of art...
appropriated
Appropriation (art)
Appropriation is a fundamental aspect in the history of the arts . Appropriation can be understood as "the use of borrowed elements in the creation of a new work."...
The pioneers in her work Immigrants 2, a photomontage
Photomontage
Photomontage is the process and result of making a composite photograph by cutting and joining a number of other photographs. The composite picture was sometimes photographed so that the final image is converted back into a seamless photographic print. A similar method, although one that does not...
superimposing photographs of a Greek Australian
Greek Australian
Greeks are the seventh-largest ethnic group in Australia, after those declaring their ancestry simply as "Australian". In the 2006 census, 365,147 persons declared having Greek ancestry, either alone or in conjunction with another ethnicity....
family over the background taken from McCubbin's painting. The work aims to demonstrate how recent migrants and other diverse groups are excluded from "many of the texts and images that have helped define national identity."
External links
- The pioneer (1904) - National Gallery of Victoria