Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Elizabeth Durack in 1949
Elizabeth Durack in 1949

Elizabeth Durack (1915–2000) CMG, OBE was a Western Australian artist and writer. The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George Prince Regent (later George The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent.

Contents

Early life

Born in the Perth suburb of Claremont on 6 July 1915, she was a daughter of noted Kimberley pioneer Michael Patrick Durack (1865 - 1950)[1] and younger sister of writer and historian Mary Durack(1913–1994). Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Claremont is a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia on the north bank of the Swan River. Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Kimberley is one of the nine Regions of Western Australia. Michael Patrick Durack, ( July 22, 1865 &ndash September 3, 1950) was a pastoralist and Western Australian pioneer Mary Durack, ( 20 February 1913 &ndash 16 December 1994) was an Australian Author and Historian. [2] The sisters were educated at the Loreto Convent in Perth, and also on the Kimberley cattle stations, Argyle and Ivanhoe. It was there that they established unique and enduring relationships with the Mirriuwong-Gajerrong people of the Ord River region. Miriwoong is an Australian Indigenous language which today has about 20 speakers most of whom live in or near Kununurra in Western Australia The Ord River is a 320-kilometer-long river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. In 1936-7 the sisters travelled to Europe where Elizabeth studied at the Chelsea Polytechnic in London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

Art

Her work was notable for the way it combined and reflected both western and aboriginal perceptions of the world. Based for much of her life in remote parts of north and central Western Australia, far from the metropolitan centers of mainstream artistic activity, Durack received stimulus and inspiration from sources quite different from those of her contemporaries. [3] Separated from the latter by both geography and gender, her talent emerged ". . . original, versatile and persistent, a xerophytic adaptation, almost, to a particularly harsh environment". [4]

From August 1946 when she held her first exhibition in Perth, to July 2000 when an exhibition planned by the artist was held posthumously in London, Elizabeth Durack held 65 solo exhibitions and participated in many group shows. Over that time her art evolved from simple line drawings, through part-abstract metaphorical works, to the transcendent works of her last creative phase.

Awards

In recognition of services to art and literature, Elizabeth Durack was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1966 and in 1982, a Companion of St Michael and St George (CMG). The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George Prince Regent (later George In 1994 and 1996 Murdoch University and the University of Western Australia conferred upon her Honorary Doctorates of Letters. Murdoch University is a public University based in Perth, Australia. The University of Western Australia (UWA is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia.

In March 1997, Durack became the subject of controversy when she revealed through an article by art historian, Robert Smith, in the journal,Art Monthly that she had entered paintings into Aboriginal art exhibitions under the name Eddie Burrup. Eddie Burrup was an Indigenous Australian Pseudonym of Anglo-Australian painter Elizabeth Durack. Despite the storm that followed the revelation of using the time-honoured device of a pseudonym, Elizabeth Durack continued to paint for Eddie Burrup until a few weeks before she died.

Controversy

main article: Eddie Burrup
In the 1990s, artworks by indigenous artist "Eddie Burrup" began to appear on the Aboriginal art scene and in 1997 it was found Burrup was the pseudonym of Elizabeth Durack who considered Burrup her "alter ego". Eddie Burrup was an Indigenous Australian Pseudonym of Anglo-Australian painter Elizabeth Durack. Eddie Burrup was an Indigenous Australian Pseudonym of Anglo-Australian painter Elizabeth Durack. An alter ego ( Latin, "the other I" is a second self, a second Personality or Persona within a Person Durack freely assumed the right to make Aboriginal art as Burrup. [5] This was not appreciated by other Aboriginal artist nor the gallery owner who represented "Burrup". Durack continued to make art as Eddie Burrup until her death in 2000.

Legacy

The estate of Elizabeth Durack contains original material from the 1920s on through all decades up until the year 2000. The material consists principally of artworks, manuscripts, poetry and letters. During her lifetime Durack held many successful exhibitions but resisted selling certain key works that remain with the estate. Rare among artists, she produced her best work late in life.

Since her death, executors have arranged exhibitions as follows:

References

  1. ^ Durack, Michael Patrick (1865 - 1950)
  2. ^ Durack, Mary (1913-1994)
  3. ^ e. g. William Dobell, Arthur Boyd, Albert Tucker et al
  4. ^ Hutchings, Patrick: "The Art of Elizabeth Durack", The Western Mail, Perth, 1981, page 9
  5. ^ Video interview
  6. ^ ABC News

See also

External links

Mary Durack, ( 20 February 1913 &ndash 16 December 1994) was an Australian Author and Historian. Michael Patrick Durack, ( July 22, 1865 &ndash September 3, 1950) was a pastoralist and Western Australian pioneer Eddie Burrup was an Indigenous Australian Pseudonym of Anglo-Australian painter Elizabeth Durack.
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic