COURSE DESCRIPTION

Spirituality in its broadest sense – a belief that there is more to the world than its material fabric – reveals the incredible diversity in Australian art and society, from Federation to the present. This course takes a closer look at modern Australian art through the lens of spirituality, from Indigenous paintings of Country, to the mythological landscapes of Sidney Nolan and the surrealist paintings of James Gleeson and Vali Myers (friend of Dali and Patti Smith).

We begin the course by looking at the rise of contemporary Indigenous art. Indigenous artists - who are members of the oldest continuous cultures in the world - translated understandings of Country from traditional media to canvas and acrylic paints in the 1970s, and have come to be the makers of art that is instantly recognisable for its simultaneous contemporaneity and antiquity.

We then take a step back to look at ‘home-grown’ mythologies, with artists such as Russell Drysdale who sought to move white Australian art away from the pastoral scenes of the Heidelberg school, and Sidney Nolan who saw in the Australian landscape and its characters a new and uniquely Australian story to tell.

In the second half of the course, we look at transplanted mythologies - Australian artists who drew extensively on foreign ideas of a world beyond the visible. Some, such as Vali Myers and James Gleeson, reveal a range of influences in how they explored an inner world of the subconscious through dreams, psychoanalysis and surrealism. In the final session, we step into the world of Roie Norton, whose art from the 1930s to the1970s drew on ‘alternative’ beliefs such as the occult and esoteric philosophy.

COURSE CONTENT

Session 1: Painting Country: Western Desert Art, Emily Kngwarreye & Mavis Ngallametta (Dr Nick Gordon)

Session 2: Homegrown mythologies: Drysdale, Nolan, Arthur Boyd (Dr Nick Gordon)

Session 3: Journey’s within: Vali Myers and James Gleeson (Dr Will Visconti)

Session 4: Alternative visions: Roie Norton (Dr Will Visconti)

LECTURERs

Dr Nick Gordon is a cultural historian and artist with an encyclopedic knowledge of European and Australian art. His research on the Italian Middle Ages and Renaissance has won numerous academic scholarships and prizes (including a University of Sydney medal in History and a PhD). He has over fifteen years’ experience speaking about history and art history to university and adult audiences, and regularly takes small groups to major modern and contemporary art events, including the Venice Biennale and Art Basel.

Dr Will Visconti has taught art history, French and Italian language and literature at the University of Sydney, where he is an Adjunct Lecturer, and at Central St Martins College, London. He has a PhD in Italian Studies and French Studies from the University of Sydney. Will’s research focuses on sex, the arts and transgression in history and ranges across numerous disciplines - from Italian and French literature, to cultural studies, theatre and art history. He brings his wide ranging knowledge, sensitivity to the humanity of the people he studies, and sense of humour to his lectures, providing unique insights into often neglected areas of the past.

COURSE STRUCTURE

4 x 1.5 hour sessions. Each session includes a lecture and time for group discussion and analysis.