Useless beauty : flowers and Australian art / by Ann Elias
- Bib ID:
- 6894007
- Format:
- Book
- Author:
- Elias, Ann, author
- Description:
-
- Newcastle upon Tyne, UK : Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015
- xiii, 244 pages, 52 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations ; 22 cm
- ISBN:
-
- 9781443875486 (hardback)
- 1443875481 (hardback)
- Summary:
-
This book puts flowers front and centre, because they have often been ignored in preference for more masculine themes. Departing from where studies of single flower artists leave off, Useless Beauty embraces the general topic of flowers in Australian art and shines new light on a slice of Australian art history that extends from 1880 to 1950. It is the first book of broad chronology to discuss Australian art through blossoms, which it does by addressing stories of major figures including Hans Heysen, Margaret Preston and Sidney Nolan, as well as specific objects such as surreal flowers, Aboriginal flowers and war flowers. Whether modern or conservative, the artists in this study shared an intellectual and emotional passion for flora. This was true for men as well as women, despite blossoms being a more traditionally feminine subject. Through spectacular reproductions of historical and contemporary artworks drawn from collections in Australia, the United States, Britain and New Zealand, Useless Beauty explores how flowers influenced the psyche, governed rituals, defined identity and brought a psychological dimension to the everyday. The peak years for flower-centricity in Australian art were between 1920 and 1940 when flowers were known as the apotheosis of useless beauty.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Subject:
-
- Painting, Australian -- 20th century
- Flowers in art
- Art, Australasian
- Plants - Wildflowers
- Art - Print and printmaking
- Art - Production - Materials / techniques - Oil paint
- Art - Theory and criticism
- Art - Aboriginalia
- Defence - World War I
- Art - Modernism
- Art - Postmodernism
- Art - Artists
- Plants
- Art - Painting
- Australia
- Australian
- Copyright:
-
In Copyright
You may copy under some circumstances, for example you may copy a portion for research or study. Order a copy through Copies Direct to the extent allowed under fair dealing. Contact us for further information about copying.
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Literary Dramatic Musical
- Published status:
- Published
- Publication date:
- 2015
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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