Born in Melbourne in 1876, Cobb lived in Warragul with his family from the age of six to twelve, and continued to return to the region throughout his adult life. He travelled Gippsland widely, making a visual diary of his travels which remain today in the form of drawings, etchings and sketchbooks.

The exhibition also reveals how Cobb played an instrumental role in the development of printmaking as a fine art in Victoria, and the charmed circles within which he moved in Melbourne. Well liked and respected by his peers, Cobb was part of a group of artists who helped forge a greater acceptance for art and progressed its technical standards.

Artworks such as ‘Gippsland’ (now in the collection of the Gallery) reveal Cobb’s skilful mastery of the print medium, in a work that also reflects on the melancholic passing of time in nature with the removal of Gippsland’s massive gum trees to make away for agricultural activity.

Other artworks in the exhibition present the changing face of Melbourne, with particular emphasis on old and decaying buildings and structures, in addition to those that document his travels through the bush. Lovers of traditional art will find plenty to enjoy in this exhibition of early twentieth-century scenes, from one of the region’s most respected but less well-known artists.

“TheHappy Wanderer” has been curated by guest curator Rodney Scherer.

[Gallery publicity]