Inspired by Jan Senbergs

Last week we had such a lovely, albeit busy Sunday. One of the many things we did was add another favourite artist to our list. Jan Senbergs' work are wonderfully detailed and get the imagination pumping.





We had packed so much into a single day that we didn't get to spend as long as we would have liked at the exhibition, so we returned today and took in every piece. Gaia brought her sketchbook and pencils to draw her favourite. Yemaya was inspired to do the same.

Every Senbergs is fascinating and we had a great time listening to the girls discuss the pieces that spoke to them. It was a surprise to learn which works they favoured. Yemaya liked the black and white sketches Senbergs had drawn of his studio space and kitchen and a painting featuring kookaburras (Otway Night). I learned that the epic wall art at The High Court of Australia is a Senbergs, appreciated how he captured our bushfires with his brush, but mostly favoured his epic city scape drawings. And Gaia was most struck by this piece (Platcha):

Gaia really loved this Antarctic landscape and the bushfire paintings.

I'm selfishly pleased Gaia is such an art-lover and that her love extends beyond the sheer joy of creating, that she likes to take in an exhibition with me, discussing the works and how they inspire her. It is wonderful to have someone to share this with. As we wandered and talked and admired and critiqued I wondered if one day I might find myself sipping champagne at one of my prolific daughter's art shows. As she sat on the gallery floor, lost in the pages of her sketchbook I smiled to myself, satisfied that our school free journey so far has fostered the artist in her. May I always be a great support rather than a critic and stay out of her way, let her create as she feels moved to create, and not try to push her toward a particular style or medium. It was always the pushing and the comparison, no matter how subtle, that quashed my own drive to paint and draw. I have to supply the materials and then walk away, only giving my impressions when specifically requested and just give her the freedom to unfurl. It is my hope that in so doing, one day she will be a self-assured adult who creates unique, original art that gives her great satisfaction, and I have no doubt that if she becomes that woman, she (and her art) will have many adoring fans.

Senbergs' is on exhibit at NGV Ian Potter Centre, level 3, Federation Square, Melbourne. Check it out!

More on Senbergs here:
Jan Senbergs paintings are a brilliant shock to the senses

Jan Senbergs: observation-imagination

'It is very hard to think these days": Jan Senbergs stays true to his art

And to finish, a few of my favourites...

Melbourne

The Swimmer

Another Melbourne

White Australia's Black Past, an introduction.

Today's book learnin' is brought to you by Mum's white guilt. Gaia was confusing refugees with Indigenous Australians, so we set to work clearing that up with a discussion about pre-history,  First Australians, European imperialism, colonialism, & reconciliation. 

One of the passages we read mentioned a shift in European thinking in the 1700s from enlightenment/all men are created equal philosophies to the hierarchical racist thinking which continues today, that European society is civilised & other cultures are inferior. The author suggested this shift occurred as Europeans came in to more frequent contact with First Nations peoples around the world. It was satisfying to see how utterly insane these concepts were to an 8 year old. She couldn't fathom anyone thinking one group of people are better than another. She believes difference is natural and important, that it makes the world a better place. Racism is learnt. 

We have just scratched the surface of White Australia's Black History, a subject we will never stop learning in this lifetime.

We pulled out Mum's fine arts books cataloging some of the work of Indigenous artists (art is Gaia's favoured language). We learnt that the legend of the rainbow serpent is the longest surviving belief in human history! She already knew a little about ancient indigenous art and "dot paintings", but we also took a look at some more contemporary works. It's important for all Australians to understand that our black history is not in the past, and to begin this with Gaia, we've started appreciating a wider range of art by 20th and 21st century First Australian artists.

Once she grasped the fundamental difference between Indigenous Australians and refugess (the former being The First Australians, here for tens of thousands of years and the later coming to Australia for the first time, in search of safety) we explored some of the links between Indigenous Australians and refugees. This links included: European Australian racism and hypocrisy, and draconian governmental approaches to the issues faced by both groups (though I may not have used the word "draconian").

It was a lot to take in, but she is hungry for more, and I'm relieved I didn't overwhelm her. I resent the way our black history was taught to us in school in the 80s and 90s (though I recognise I was fortunate to attend schools that mentioned it at all!). Australian history was presented in an Us Vs The fashion, which left students with the impression that Indigenous Australians were whiney and stuck in the past. It certainly was not taught in a way that promoted a thirst for more knowledge or desire for reconciliation or treaty. I was determined not to let that happen at our home school.