We had a lovely day down on the South Coast on Sunday 24th of May, 2009.
It meant getting up for an early start at the Barker Street departure point at 6.30am to join the group of travellers from the UNSW Social Club. We duly clambered aboard our Telford's bus, clicked in seat belts, and awaited our adventure.
First stop was Bulli Pass/Sublime Point, a wonderful scenic promontory over looking the beaches just north of Wollongong. Then we stopped at the Nowra Greyhound Track for the Sunday market. Onwards we travelled to take a leisurely two hour cruise upriver on the beautiful Shoalhaven. Then it was to the Shoalhaven Ex-Servicemen's and Sports Club for a filling smorgasbord lunch.
The highlight for me was the following visit to the Bundanon farm and art collection of Arthur and Yvonne Boyd (nee Lennie) and various members of the Boyd dynasty.
Having just had a filling lunch the driver, Bob, warned us of the bumpy dirt road (9kms) and said it could “help our lunch to settle into our legs”. We bumped and twisted around the forest and then drove alongside the river for a short time before arriving at Bundanon, a nice farm and oasis for artists doing landscapes and creative work. There we were met by three women of the Bundanon Trust. We were given some background history and then divided into three groups to see the studio, grounds and house which the Boyd's lived and worked in. Julia Bambach, Collections and Exhibitions Officer, lead the group I was in.
Arthur Boyd (1920-1999) was one of five children of Merric Boyd (1888-1959) and Doris Gough (1889-1960). Merric was a potter and sculptor whilst Doris a painter and potter. Arthur's brothers and sisters were Lucy, Guy, David and Mary Boyd and all became either painters, ceramicists, sculptors or potters. Arthur Boyd and Yvonne Lennie in turn had three children though only Jamie became a successful full time artist. Polly, who resides in Melbourne, is part of the Bundanon Board, whilst Lucy lives in the UK with her two children.
Arthur and Yvonne Boyd visited Bundanon in 1971 after an invitation from Frank MacDonald. They acquired an adjacent property, Riversdale, soon after and brought Bundanon privately in 1979. Four generations of the McKenzie family had lived on the land. The land was acquired in 1838 by Kenneth McKenzie, newly arrived from Scotland, and eventually sold in 1967. In 1968 it was acquired by Sandra and Tony McGrath along with Frank MacDonald (Sandra, an art historian, and the men art dealers). After living at Bundanon for a few years, the Boyd's gave the whole estate and art collection to the Australian people in 1993 and the Bundanon Trust became administrators. Apparently they just packed up and left leaving the estate and artworks. Arthur, it was said, had the view that `you can't own a landscape'.
It was impressive seeing Arthur's studio (completed in 1981), seeing some artworks there, and gaining insights into his methods and his quirks. A big painting art piece caused problems with removal until Arthur had a worker take to the back of his art studio with a chainsaw to allow removal of the work. Another quirky thing was the bleached bones of a horse's head above the door inside the studio. It was supposedly Flame, the head of a treasured horse of a daughter of an owner of the land. The symbolism of Flame featured in several artworks. Arthur's `Peter's fish and crucifixion' (1993), developed as a contemporary work after Arthur was given three fish for a meal by a local. As the work developed he realised the spiritual significance and placed a red cross on the bank of the river in the background. It showed the artistic development process and how works can be in a state of flux. Arthur was quite adaptable with tool making as he made up brushes, bristles, long handles for charcoal and paint brushes etc. His work bench had a hole within for Arthur to throw rags used in painting and in cleaning up. Apparently Arthur was at his most productive and successful in the 1980s.
It was pleasing viewing the exquisite carved marble and stone works, and cast bronze pieces, around the garden. Then we approached the house and those that wanted to put on calico booties around their shoes, to prevent damage to the building, whilst others walked in their socks. Julia began describing the works of Arthur and other members of the Boyd family and artist network. Interestingly, she is from Kiama where my great grandmother,
Elizabeth Carson was born to Irish parents. Julia's reflections on the artworks gave humour and insights into the varied circumstances of the Boyd's over several generations. She recounted how a maid, looking after the house, had been in turmoil upon seeing one of the works with flowers drawn across a man's face as she thought a visitor had scribbled on the work. Fortunately she didn't get to the point of trying to clean the flowers off, being told in time that they were part of the work. Some of the works were on lids and hard to maintain objects which are a conservator's nightmare. The Boyd dynasty all seemed to be pretty artistic but they fluctuated through levels of wealth. Early on they flitted between England and Melbourne, often returning to England about every two years. Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula had been home to the Boyd's. There were many interactions with other artists and Mary, Arthur's sister, married the painter Sidney Nolan after a first marriage to John Perceval (painter and ceramist). Once, when on a painting and camping trip, Arthur and Sidney had all their camp equipment stolen but the thieves left all the art works. Arthur apparently said “they must have been art critics” but Sidney was insulted. It was suggested that Lady Mary Nolan welled up with emotion when visiting Bundanon in recent times after an absence of about twenty years. It wouldn't be surprising considering the art and ephemera of a family's diverse history.
Arthur, though, grew up in poverty when the family money ran out in the 1880s recession. His talents were realised though and later his fortunes improved. Merrick Boyd encouraged Arthur and Arthur would go off into the bush for the day. He obtained a frame for his easel and equipment to go upon a bike. The fourteen year old Arthur painted the old home at Murrumbeena as Open Country (it being where the Boyd's lived in austere times).
As a 16 year old Arthur went to live with his grandfather (Arthur Merric Boyd) for three years after his grandmother (Emma Minnie A'Becket) died, and this was apparently a happy time and greatly contributed to his development as an artist. The Grandfather's place was named Rosebud (which was also the icon used in the Citizen Kane movie delving into the corruption of the USA media). Emma was an established artist who exhibited in both London and Melbourne and was a leader for her time with very high quality work. Arthur's father Merric became known as the Father of Australian Studio Pottery. His works depicted ti-tree roots, koalas, and other Australiana. Later, Merrick developed epilepsy but was supported by his family so that he wasn't institutionalized (as was common in those days). The Boyd's, Merric and Doris, had a tradition of generosity so it isn't surprising Arthur and Yvonne also gave generously to the Australian people.
Arthur's work often portrayed the feeling of a menacing voyeur as developed from his feelings of school and control. During WW2 Arthur was a member of a Cartographical Unit responsible for mapping. Yvonne, his love, was close by, and they decided to take a stroll with a blanket and were found in a compromising position. Well, Yvonne was sent home and Arthur was charged with absence without leave and acquiring army property. It all seems very trite in this day and age but the military was an organisation bent on control which would rankle with the feelings of most people with a free spirit. Yvonne and Arthur married in 1945 in any case and Arthur's art career developed, along with additions to the family in the form of Polly, Jamie and Lucy. Yvonne's art work reduced though she was very supportive of the art community. She had done some powerful Social Realist work and Children, Fitzroy, 1944, showed great feeling in the faces rather than the lyrical side of life. The painted countenances are in quite austere relief that some today feel ugly but which expressed the hardship of the times. Arthur wouldn't take payments for commissions as he thought that would affect the work and the way it was perceived. In 1959 they visited England and, with the recognition that brought, his success blossomed. He won the Australian of the year award in 1995. His brother David Boyd gave him the work Europa (1995) which has a great deal of symbolism. Of course the tale of Europa is ancient and relates to `a beautiful young woman who despite her charms desired to fly like a bird. Europa began fashioning herself a pair of golden wings by collecting the gold from the wings and tail of the black cockatoo and was eventually crushed by the weight of her solid gold wings. The story has strong links to aboriginal culture, being painted in the colours of the aboriginal flag and featuring a black cockatoo, which means Nowra when translated. Europa sat in the tree for 207 years signifying the time from white settlement/invasion to the time the work was painted'. It has `links to the Shoalhaven (Nowra means cockatoo in the local aboriginal language)' and `Arthur's love of myth/legend' (my appreciation to Julia Bambach for the background to the Europa myth and local connections.). The painting, with its bold colours, glows even in the dark (perhaps this is the glow of truth… we shouldn't let facts get in the way of truth, of what makes reality rather than what is precise for an instant.).
Arthur and Yvonne's journey was long. Eventually he and Yvonne were able to acquire adjoining properties and then Bundanon. Initially they had been taken to the area from Melbourne for a weekend but stayed ten days. On arriving Arthur headed off to paint near the river and was out all day. He was besotted with the place and his love of outdoor painting and landscapes returned and flourished. It is understandable how the feeling of the landscape could ignite the artistic spirit. The natural scenic location is a long way from The Panther (Rilke's poem) where the panther imprisoned in a human public place represented the artistic temperament enclosed within a cage and within an alien city, away from nature.
C. Grant N Platt May 28, 2009.
My thanks go to Julia Bambach, The Bundanon Trust, the UNSW Social Club, along with our Telford's driver and the river cruise personnel.
Further Reading: Brenda Niall's book ‘The Boyds'.