Culture

= ART = =__Famous Australian Painters__= Click HERE to find out more

= ABORIGINAL ART = click here to see a short video on the HISTORY of Aboriginal Art ABC TV Program on ABORIGINAL ART: ART AND SOUL - WEBSITE with videos and information: []
 * __ALBERT NAMATJIRA __**
 * news story from ABC about Albert Namatjira ****(click HERE to see the news story and the script as well, from the Stateline site) **
 * Video Clip of Archie Roach song about Albert Namatjira: Native Born **

=__The Archibald Prize__=

Link on Autralian Culture Site: The Archibald Prize

GENERAL: THE ARCHIBALD PRIZE AND PORTRAITURE =J.F. Archibald= J.F. Archibald had no desire to become famous and during his lifetime, he shunned publicity and remained evasive and enigmatic. A portrait of him, commissioned by the Trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW, was made after his death and remains as one of the pictorial records of a man who avoided having his photograph taken. Yet J.F. Archibald is the man behind one of Australia’s oldest and best known art prizes for portraiture. He was born in Victoria in 1856, christened with the name John Feltham. When he was fifteen, he started his career in journalism on a country newspaper in Warrnambool, Victoria. His passion for newspapers lead him to Melbourne searching for work in ‘the big smoke’. He lived a bohemian life, frequenting Melbourne’s city boarding houses, streets, theatres and cafes. A life he imagined to be quite European, which led him to change his name to Jules François and later to leave money in his will for a large fountain to be built in the middle of Sydney’s Hyde Park to commemorate the association of France and Australia in World War I. Realising the power of print, in 1880 he and a friend founded the Bulletin magazine, a radical journal for its time addressing issues of nationhood, culture and identity. This journal was influential in shaping opinions and raising issues in the public’s consciousness. He also employed the best young artists to be its illustrators. His interest in art led him in his later years to serve as a Trustee for the Art Gallery of NSW, keen to promote the work of younger artists and writers. In 1900, he commissioned Melbourne portrait artist, John Longstaff to paint a portrait of poet Henry Lawson for fifty guineas. Apparently he was so pleased with this portrait, that he left money in his will for an annual portrait prize. The Archibald Prize, from its outset, has aroused controversy while chronicling the changing face of Australian society. Numerous legal battles and much debate have focused on the evolving definitions of portraiture. It has become one of the most popular annual art exhibitions in Australia. The Archibald Prize Each year in accordance with the bequest of Jules F. Archibald (1856–1919) the Trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW invite artists to submit paintings in competition for the annual Archibald Prize, to be awarded to the best portrait preferentially of a man or woman distinguished in Art, Letters, Science or Politics. The artist must have been a resident of Australia during the previous 12 months. The entries are judged by the Trustees of the Gallery and the winner currently receives a prize of $50 000, sponsored by Myer. The People’s Choice, running since 1988, is an opportunity for the public to vote for their favourite portrait in the Archibald exhibition and is awarded to the painting voted most popular by visitors. Both the artists and the selected voter each receive a prize of $2500, plus a $1000 gift card from Myer. The Packing Room Prize is awarded by the team behind the scenes who receive, unpack and hang all the entries in the exhibition. First awarded in 1991, it is adjudicated by the Gallery’s storeman, Steve Peters, with the winner receiving $500, plus a $500 gift card from Myer. 1 Florence Rodway, Jules Francois Archibald 1921 Art Gallery of NSW © AGNSW