I am a person who not goes to any art event, because I do not interest with art and, also I cannot understand what art represent probably. But we have learn Applied Graphic Design on this semester, we have learn a lot of art movement and try to understand what artist want to tell us about they work. When teacher tell us research what art event will go to watch, I research it then I saw Painting the Rocks- The loss of Old Sydney advertisement on the website. The first one come in my mind-old Sydney, what is an old Sydney looks like, What is building look like and how’s people life on that time. They only have advertising on the website, but they have event introduction on the website. In the first decades of the 20th century, many buildings from our colonial past were torn down, whole streets disappearing as Sydneysiders embraced the march of progress. Amid slum clearances, wharf rebuilding and debates about working-class living conditions, an informal network of artists were impelled to paint images of ‘Old Sydney' before it vanished forever. The detail of this art event, it is start from Saturday 7 of August to Sunday 29 of November 2010 and opening hours from 09:30am to 17:00 pm. It is organize by the Sydney Harbor Foreshore Authority and the Museum of Sydney. Price of Entry fee is $5 for Children, $10 for Adult and $20 for Family ticket.
I been this event before the day it finish, and the museum of Sydney do not allow people take photo, so I just can write down the entire artist name on my notebook and hope I can find those pictures on the internet. I have stay in museum for 2 hours, just to copy the art image data. During I transcribe the information, and I looked around, there are many western people in there. Their age is almost 30-60 years, I think they are local people. Australia is a country with a history of several centuries. Every country have their own history, when the era of progress, science and technology in development. People want to improve their life and improve the appearance of a city. They tear down old buildings and build of the new building. Many buildings have their own story, but there are around 90% building have been removed. There are some people who love art, they would like to explore and understand the history. This event is let those people who love art to understand the Old Sydney.
When I walk in the exhibition room, I saw a big title of Preserving Old Sydney. On that time, I been think which area or urban be preserve, and better showing others nationality people Sydney’s history and feature. I looking the picture on the wall, almost picture all is paint and photographer in the rocks. The Rocks is an urban local locality, it is tourist precinct and historic area of Sydney city centre. The original building are made by Sandstone, from the earliest history, this area have a reputation as a slum. Looking the artwork on wall, I am very surprise about it, because they have different type of artist and they have use different way to represent what they have see and how’s life on the rocks. Such as: Photography, Painting, Etching, Watercolor, Oil canvas, pen and pencil drawing.
There are few my favorite artwork which I like in this art event. The first art work I see is a photo take by Harold Cazneaux o in 1912, I really like the picture he take, the most my favorite art work name is call Argyle Cut, also called ‘Children of the The Rocks. There are seven child stands in front of the house with the immense height of the rock walls and bridges that rise above them. I feel I have been that place when I still in my High school, teacher take us go to harbor bridge and we have pass it. I do not feel much change on that place. The huge wall is behind the children and very high bridge above them. You can feel that child just like a little ant which near the big stone, they looks very weak and small. Look carefully the wall they have clung is very old and their clothes are crumple. Do you feel a sense of sad from their eye? Looking this picture, I am been think, what are they doing in there and what kind of life they live. The features images used to justify the demolition of homes and businesses. Following the outbreak of bubonic plague, photographers documented decrepit housing with third-world sanitation and poorly clad street children.
Harold CAZNEAUX 1878–1953, New Zealand
Argyle Cut 1912
The Susannah Place Museum is a place to see what living the Rocks area was like through the years, four homes of this building which include a shop in the corner were built in 1844 and have been to be home to many families until over 1990s. I been study High School in Sydney, and we have learnt about Australia history, teacher has take us go to this place where is call slum between 1788-1900s, we also have take look inside of this building. Now, there is not much place have old building which can represent the pass. I do understand why the artist wants to take a picture of this building, because it is a part of history. The material of house is use wood and stone, which is base thing to represent Old Sydney. I have been this place, and then I feel this photo is left a lot history to the futurity people. They left behind to preserve all the history and do not changed. In this photo, it is really shows and express what earliest people life like.
Harold CAZNEAUX uses his camera record the pass. The human eye is just like a highest pixel camera, which can capture and photograph some of the most beautiful moments, Camera is a very wonderful invention, because it can help us to keep the that moment, and shows people history of a country, or a story of this picture.
I could not find the image which take by Harold Cazneaux. But I find a image from internet for this place. - The Susannah Place Museum
The second artist is Sir Lionel Arthur Lindsay (1874 - 1961), he is an artist who very good at etching. This is art name is The Lolly Shop, Essex Street, The Rocks. . Lolly shop is like a convenience store now, which has people coming and going every day. I think producer want to shows us a normal place which have a lot of people’s memory. This is artwork does not have very special thing on it, it is very normal. But there is something really honest and touch people’s heart in these when you look it, these images really makes people to remember their childhood. I am not live on that time, but it is remind me when I young. The angle of this art is horizontal angle, it is just like as you stand across the street.
(The Lolly Shop, Essex Street, The Rocks)Lionel Lindsay, sketch 1910 printed 1923
Bottom these two artworks on shoot the same place and same view. One of them take by camera, and other one is drawing by the pen. But there are two different mean of expression and it gives people two different feeling. First one gives people a sense of cold, because the photo is take by black and white color. First artwork you can see very clearly what materials were made of their home and street in the rocks. I t total looks like a slum. The second one give people a feel of relax. Because it just likes a picture on the comic book. But this art is looks feeling better, because it is looks like a town not a slum. On this art event, I like to look the different drawing type of same place, because you can compare what different between them.
Cumberland Street, The Rocks, 95 and 97 Cumberland Street, The Rocks(1900)
Cumberland Street / Sir William Elliot Johnson(1901)
Same as before what I say, I am people who do not like go to museum, because those places are very boring for me. I am not good at art and drawing, so go to art event is a hardest thing for me, because you can see my confused face. For a people who from other background and have poor English, it is quite hard to understand all the content of art in English. I recommend they can have different language introduction that will make more people understand what artist want to represent. If the museum of Sydney has guide to talk about Old Sydney to the visitor, that will make people easier to understand art. There are a lot people in the room, but room is a little is crowded. I quite like this art event, because I learnt a bit history of Sydney and different language background. The most interesting things is, museum provide same view of old Sydney and work on different people. But you can find out, they have different thing in their work. From this art event, I know what is oil canvas and watercolor. I feel I like artwork more than before, because I am trying to understand what artist want to represent. People like to remember what have happen in the past, so they use camera, drawing, painting, writing to record the history. Artist use art to represent what they feeling and thinking, viewer also can read artist mind from their artwork. Every picture and image has their own story behind it, exhibition is a way to teach and tell people about past and future. I am glad I have learnt something about art movement, because it is really useful and help us more understand art.
Image reference:
Painting the Rocks: The Loss of Old Sydney
http://www.google.com.hk/imglanding?q=Painting+the+Rocks:+The+Loss+of+Old+Sydney&um=1&hl=zh-CN&safe=strict&client=aff-cs-360se&hs=NH9&sa=N&source=og&biw=1349&bih=564&tbs=isch:1&tbnid=Ustt7VHsxnSpvM:&imgrefurl=http://whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/events/8464-painting-the-rocks-the-loss-of-old-sydney&imgurl=http://whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/system/event_images/38625/large_PaintingtheRocks_Aug10_300.gif%253F1280915985&ei=EDA0TZ6RIZDXcPOE0LUH&zoom=1&w=429&h=429&iact=rc&oei=EDA0TZ6RIZDXcPOE0LUH&esq=1&page=1&tbnh=117&tbnw=125&start=0&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0
Harold CAZNEAUX 1878–1953, New Zealand, Argyle Cut 1912
http://nga.gov.au/federation/Detail.cfm?WorkID=112337&ZoomID=3
The Susannah Place Museum
http://www.hht.net.au/museums/susannah_place_museum
The Lolly Shop, Essex Street, The RocksLionel Lindsay, sketch 1910 printed 1923
Reference:http://www.google.com.hk/imglanding?q=Sir+Lionel+Arthur+Lindsay&um=1&hl=zh-CN&safe=strict&client=aff-cs-360se&hs=2gS&sa=G&source=univ&biw=1349&bih=564&tbs=isch:1&tbnid=TVu4Y4MaPL1LnM:&imgrefurl=http://allisonlowepaintingdiary.blogspot.com/2010/04/sir-lionel-arthur-lindsay-1874-1961.html&imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HZveC_RWOztBKpP6_zp5vB6j8JGxgf_J-cUIDQbCfHG65epa1Ycuj6PYVSCeKb_iVi-ve4G0PKQyVk_YgZNIsWxkAHi6DZEBt9PSWCgLH8h9ja6v4nhEMSfwwHlA5v-enXm2-c_k5YeY/s1600/the%252Blolly%252Bshop-lindsay%252Blionel.JPG&ei=PR00TbHYIIOmugOYltSZCw&zoom=1&w=600&h=530&iact=hc&oei=PR00TbHYIIOmugOYltSZCw&esq=1&page=1&tbnh=118&tbnw=125&start=0&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0
Cumberland Street, The Rocks,95 and 97 Cumberland Street, The Rocks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/state-records-nsw/4254411821/
Cumberland Street / Sir William Elliot Johnson
http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemLarge.aspx?itemID=844534
Face book: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=121080397939722&index=1>
