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Artist
Margaret Preston
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Born
1875
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Died
1963
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Title
Emus
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Date of Production
1949
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Medium
stencil
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Dimensions
304 x 379 mm
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Credit Details
Purchased, 1972
Margaret Preston
Emus
Margaret Preston, who studied art in Melbourne and Adelaide
before travelling to Europe prior to the First World War, was not
only a leading proponent of Modern Art in Sydney but was also one
of the first to advocate the incorporation of aboriginal designs
and motifs into mainstream art practice. Travelling widely around
Australia to study aboriginal art, Preston produced a number of
works that reflected her personal interest in its narrative
qualities and aesthetic power.
This work makes use of stencilling, a technique brought to the
west from China, but which was also used by Aborigines to create
hand prints on the walls of rock shelters. Using earth colours and
a bold vigorous style, Preston has applied thick gouache against a
flat black background to create a lively yet timeless image of a
hunter, long since gone from the landscape, and a flock of emus
with eggs and chicks.