Grace Cossington Smith - National Gallery of Australia

LANDSCAPE
Grace Cossington Smith
Four panels for a screen: loquat tree, gum and wattle trees,
waterfall, picnic in a gully 1929
oil on cardboard
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Purchased 1976
A thread that runs through the work of Grace Cossington Smith is her contented view of the
world around her – the suburban life of North Shore Turramurra, where she lived for most of her life.
Although much of her subject matter was fairly conservative – still lifes, landscapes, fl ower studies,
portraits, interiors and cityscapes – her radical, adventurous treatment of these subjects placed
her in a realm of her own. She often stated her interest in the works of European masters, such as
Cézanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin, and incorporated stylistic elements from these artists into her
own art, which resulted in paintings of great vigour and originality.
Four panels for a screen: loquat tree, gum and wattle trees, waterfall, picnic in a gully was painted
in 1929; it was commissioned by Gladys MacDermot a collector who, on a visit to Sydney, had
admired and bought one of Cossington Smith’s Bridge paintings. The four panels were displayed
individually in an exhibition in 1932 at the Walker’s Galleries in London before being made into a
screen. Despite favourable reviews, MacDermot did not approve of the panels and they were
left with Cossington Smith’s sister Mabel, who lived in England. There they stayed until they were
purchased for the National Gallery of Australia in 1976.
The fi rst two panels illustrate fl owers and trees from the artist’s garden in Turramurra, while the
second two are bushland panels that describe the bush nearby.
Visual analysis
The unusual, tall format suits the subject matter of trees, waterfalls and rocky outcrops. To
counteract this verticality Cossington Smith uses many horizontal curved forms that describe
foliage, the foreground, rocks, falling water and the sky. The colour is high-keyed and opaque, with
each brushstroke applied deftly.
Discussion point
•In what way was Grace Cossington Smith pushing the boundaries of contemporary art?