Title

Young farmer. [by Murray Griffin]

Author

Bunbury, Alisa

Source

[Not applicable]

Publication date

1998

Type

About the work

Language

English

Country of context

Australia

Full text

Young farmer.

Young farmer, like Rabbit trapper’s daughter [cat.49], presents a figure statically posed against a landscape. The life-size farmer dominates the image, so close to the front of the picture plane that even his shoulders are cut off. This image should be seen in the context of nationalistic ideals. The farmer is archetypal, contrasting with Rabbit trapper’s daughter, which instantly evokes questions of identity. Like Max Dupain’s Sunbaker (1937), while nothing is known about the figure, he makes a confident statement about his position within the Australian landscape. Placed against the rolling golden pastures, the farmer’s ruddy complexion reflects the bark of the trunks, although the energy radiating from him contrasts with the dying trees behind. Threatening dark clouds fill the sky, creating an omnipresent weight. The curvilinear trees are depicted in a manner seen in only a few of Griffin’s prints, such as Aborigines [cat.79], but which is common in his landscape paintings.

© Alisa Bunbury, 1998.

Last Updated

23 Sep 2020