Australia's Famous Painters

John Glover

Glover was one of the precursors of an Australian style of painting. He arrived in Tasmania from England in 1831. A talented landscape painter with a strong reputation in England (and France), Glover was never seen as an artist who 'pushed the boundaries'.

While he was initially criticised for not paying close enough attention to the 'local characteristics', he did find an individuality in his work through the new landscapes and atmosphere of Tasmania. His depiction of the Tasmanian light as bright and clear, was a departure from his European paintings and gave his paintings a true Australian quality.

His body of work made him a pioneer of landscape painting in Australia.

Tom Roberts

Roberts was the first major painter to be selected to study at London's Royal Academy of Arts in 1881. He studied impressionism in Europe and returned to Australia in 1885 and, together with McCubbin, Streeton and Condor (the Heidelberg School), dedicated himself to painting the bush.

The outback was the stuff of his paintings - Shearing the Rams and A Break Away being amongst his most famous.

Fredrick McCubbin

McCubbin became the first Australian-born white artist of significance and was probably the most impressionistic of the nationalistic group of painters. His long association with Roberts had a significant impact on his painting and he was one of the Heidelberg School's leading lights.

McCubbin's most famous work - Lost - was inspired by twelve year old Clara Crosbie who was found alive after three weeks lost in the bush near Lilydale.

Grace Cossington Smith

Cossington Smith stands at the vanguard of modernism in Australia and her painting - The Sock Knitter (1915) - is recognised as a key modernist work.

The real character of her contribution to modern painting took shape with the formation of the 'Contemporary Group' in 1926 (with Roland Wakelin and Roy de Maistre). It was many more years before appropriate recognition was given to her impressive body of work.

Margaret Preston

Margaret Preston has endured as one of the nation's most popular painters. She is most well known for her oils and prints of Australian flora and fauna.

She was heavily influenced by modernism and was one of the first artists to understand the importance of, and to be influenced by, Aboriginal art.

Preston also took a liking to print-making and producing hand decorated ceramics.

Sidney Nolan

Nolan was fixated with Australia's icons, especially the legendary bushranger, Ned Kelly. Nolan painted his first Ned Kelly series in 1947 and brought together the land, its people, history and most importantly, its mythology.

Nolan described his work as 'a confused mix of landscape, animals, and Aboriginal culture, with a kind of Bible overtone'.

Arthur Boyd

Influenced by the French post-impressionists, Boyd absorbed a range of artistic influences, including Sidney Nolan, Albert Tucker and the Russian emigre, Danila Vassilieff.

Boyd's celebrated Half-caste Bride pictures were inspired by time spent in Central Australia, as well as the early surrealist paintings of Chagall.

John Olsen

Olsen's chief subject is the Australian landscape. His observations of the land's wildlife and the 'Aussie larrikin' taps into a tradition and a sense of national identity that harks back to the Heidelberg School.

Some of his greatest works include his Lake Eyre paintings and more recent works such as Golden Summer and Clarendon. His mural Salute to Five Bells is exhibited at the Sydney Opera House.

Brett Whiteley

The best example of this eclecticism can be seen in the work of Brett Whiteley who drew on a wide range of cultures and influences.

He was seen as one of the leading lights of the avant-garde art movement. His brilliant Alchemy depicted life's journey, from birth to death, and the ultimate transmutation. In 1977 he became the only Australian artist ever to claim the Archibald, Sulman and Wynne art prizes - a unique treble.

Richard Larter

Widely regarded as the 'grandfather' of Pop art in Australia, Larter has used different mediums throughout his career to portray his work.

Larter's main theme in his work was the sexuality of the human figure, particularly women. His adaptation of the hypodermic syringe was his 'painter's pen'. By varying the finger pressure on the plunger, Larter believed he had more control over his works 'than Jackson Pollock pouring paint from holes in cans and flipping drip sticks'.

Michael Johnson

One of a new generation of abstractionists, Johnson uses shaped canvasses and broad masses of flat, uninterrupted colour. Rectangular forms provide the structural component of his work and there is a three-dimensional element to many of his works.

Lindy Lee

Lindy Lee is one of Australia's foremost contemporary artists. She became known in the 1980s with paintings based on images from the past (e.g. El Grecho, Rembrandt, Delacroix).

Her technique of scraping back the black oil and wax she applied to the surface of her paintings to reveal an underlying image, gave her works an almost ghostly 'foggy' feel. (The Encyclopaedia of Australian Art 1994).

Wonders of Australia

Kakadu National Park

Kakadu is the premier national park in Australia and offers some of the most stunning displays of wildlife you can find on the continent. Saltwater crocodiles can be found all over the park, as well as kangaroos and wallabies. In addition to stunning rock outcrops and wildlife, Kakadu some of the oldest aboriginal artwork in Australia. Many of the rock drawings date back over 20,000 years. Kakadu was location for many of the scenes from the movie Crocodile Dundee.

Uluru/Kata Tjuta

Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) is probably the best known natural icon in Australia, and no list of the Seven Wonders of Australia could be complete without it. The iron content in the rock makes its colors change through the course of a day from bright to dark red. Sacred to the local aboriginal Pitjantjatjara people, it is also of great cultural significance as well as natural significance. Often overlooked, nearby Kata Tjuta is actually higher than Uluru, but has been eroded into several pieces.

Sydney Harbor

What says “Australia” more than Sydney harbor? Maybe a kangaroo holding a boomerang and beer in the outback, but that’s about it. The center of Australia’s largest city, Sydney Harbor is home to the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. You can take a ferry across the harbor, walk across the top of the Harbor Bridge, have tea in the Opera House, and take a stroll in the nearby Royal Botanical Gardens.

Bungle Bungles/Purnululu National Park

Had this list been created 30 years ago, the Bungle Bungles might not have been listed. Having come to the world’s attention only in the mid-1980′s, the bee hive domes of the Bungles make Purnululu National Park the premier attraction in the Kimberly region of Western Australia. Difficult to get to, what makes the Bungles fascinating are the unique erosional features which are unlike anything else in the world.

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is so big, the scope of it can really only be appreciated from the air, or even better, from orbit. By far the largest coral reef system in the world, the Great Barrier Reef extends over 2,600km (1,600mi), almost the entire length of the coast of Queensland. It is usually on any short list of the natural wonders of the world. There are plenty of places you can experience the reef, the most common of which are Cairns and the Whitsunday Islands.

Giant Eucalyptus Trees of Tasmania

Tasmania is the most unspoiled wilderness in Australia. In addition to its pristine beauty, it is home to many unique species of plant and animal including the threatened Tasmanian Devil. The most dramatic of all the things in Tasmania is the Eucalyptus Regnans, the giant eucalyptus tree. Also known as the Swamp Gum, Mountain Ash or Tasmanian Oak, it is the largest flowering plant and hardwood tree in the world and is second only to the redwood tree in height.

The Great Ocean Road

One of the greatest drives in the world is the Great Ocean Road on the southern coast of Victoria. Carved by thousands of years of battering by the Great Southern Ocean, the sandstone formations of the Great Ocean Road are truly stunning. The Twelve Apostles, London Bridge, Lord Ard Gorge are just some of the significant erosional features which can be seen on the drive near the town of Port Campbell.

Iconic Australians

AB ‘Banjo’ Paterson (1864–1941) was a poet and journalist who produced perhaps two of the best known pieces of Australian writing—the ballad Waltzing Matilda (which many Australians still regard as an unofficial Australian anthem) and the poem The Man from Snowy River. Paterson was a partner in a Sydney firm of solicitors when he started publishing verse in the Bulletin and the Sydney Mail under the pseudonyms ‘B’ and ‘The Banjo’. His first book, The Man from Snowy River and other verses, was published in 1895 and sold out within a week. Four editions were published in six months. By 1902, Paterson had left the legal profession to become a full-time journalist and writer. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1939. His portrait appears on the Australian $10 note.

Errol Flynn (1909–59) is one of Australia’s best known actors, with his off-screen adventures attracting at least as much attention as his film career. After a rebellious childhood and somewhat fragmented schooling, he moved to Papua New Guinea, where he trained as a district officer and also tried his hand as the overseer of a copra plantation, partner in a charter schooner business, gold prospector, sailor and manager of a tobacco plantation. Flynn was chosen by Australian film maker Charles Chauvel to play Fletcher Christian in the 1933 film In the Wake of the Bounty. He then worked as an actor in London before relocating to Hollywood, where he made an immediate impact as the swashbuckling Captain Blood (1935). Flynn appeared in some of the biggest action and adventure movies of his day.

Sir Donald Bradman (1908–2001) is arguably the greatest cricketer of all time. During a period spanning 21 years (1928–48) Sir Donald represented Australia, playing 52 Test matches and scoring a total of 6996 runs— with a batting average of 99.94. This was almost double that of his nearest rivals. Sir Donald, who was born in Cootamundra in New South Wales, rose to acclaim during a period of hardship, depression and recovery, and his heroic exploits on the cricket pitch raised the spirits of many Australians during the tough years of the Great Depression. Sir Donald was knighted on his retirement and was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1976. In 2000, he was named as one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the 20th Century.

Ned Kelly (1855–80) is Australia’s most famous bushranger. He is regarded by many Australians as a folk hero for his rebellious defiance of colonial authorities. Kelly, in his home-made metal armour and helmet, has been memorialised in paintings, books, music and films. He was born in 1855 near Melbourne to an Irish-Catholic couple (his father was an ex-convict). As a young man, Kelly clashed with police. He was declared an outlaw and was captured after a violent confrontation with police at Glenrowan. He was executed by hanging at Melbourne Gaol in 1880.

Dame Nellie Melba (1861–1931) achieved international recognition in her lifetime as a ‘super star’ soprano and enjoyed an unrivalled popularity and status in Australia. She made her operatic debut in Brussels in 1887 as Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto and went on to sing to great acclaim in London, Paris, Milan, New York and other major cities. She later became prima donna at London’s Covent Garden. In 1902, Melba had a triumphant home coming, giving concerts in all Australian states. During World War I, she worked tirelessly to raise funds for war charities and gave wartime concerts in North America. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1918 and her portrait appears on the Australian $100 note.

Famous Boxers

Jeff Harding.

Known as "Hit Man," Harding turned professional in 1986 and in 1989 won the World Boxing Federation Light Heavyweight Title, which he lost, then rewon in 1991. He defended the title twice and then retired after losing it in 1994.

Lester Ellis.

Ellis, who turned pro in 1983, became world boxing champion in 1985 when he won the International Boxing Federation super lightweight world title.

Tony Mundine.

The only Australian boxer to have competed in four weight divisions, Mundine held the Australian middleweight, light heavyweight, cruiserweight, and heavyweight titles. In addition to his career in boxing, Mundine also played rugby. He currently manages a gym in Australia.

Jimmy Carruthers.

A world champion in the bantamweight division, Carruthers began his boxing career in the 1948 Summer Olympics, and turned pro in 1950. He retired still holding his world title in 1954.

Dave Sands.

Like Darcy, Sands also won the Australian Heavyweight title while boxing as a middleweight, and also died tragically: in a car accident, at age 26. He came from a large family of boxers, including a nephew who held the welterweight championship.

Jeff Fenech.

Born in Sydney, New South Wales in 1964, Fenech was captain of the Australian 1984 Olympic boxing team. After the Olympic games, Fenech ("The Marrickville Mauler") turned pro and won both the International Boxing Federation bantamweight title and the World Boxing Federation super bantamweight title before retiring in 1996.

John Famechon.

Born in France in 1945 before moving to Australia at age 5, Famechon was the continent's third world boxing champion. He never boxed as an amateur and began boxing in pro bouts in 1961. He retired in 1970 after losing his title as world flyweight and bantamweight king.

Lionel Rose

. The oldest of nine children in an Aboriginal family, Rose followed in the footsteps of his father to become a boxer. He became the second world title winner from Australia when he won the world bantamweight championship in 1968.

Young Griffo.

Griffo became the first world boxing champion from Australia when he won the world featherweight title in 1890. He also held the Australian featherweight title for many years before retiring in 1904.

Les Darcy.

Darcy, possibly the most famous Australian boxer of all time, has the distinction of holding the Australian Heavyweight title while also boxing as a middleweight. Tragically, he died of a strep infection at the age of 23.

Best Australian Author

Peter Carey

Now based in New York, Carey is one of only two authors to have won the Booker Prize twice. He’s a legitimate big-hitter of literature – up there with Rushdie, Roth and McCarthy. His 2001 novel, True History of the Kelly Gang, has no punctuation but it is exceptionally readable as Kelly’s remarkable bushwhacking adventures are given a fresh grainy interpretation. Also don’t miss his 1988 novel, Oscar and Lucinda - the story of an Anglican priest who meets an Australian heiress who owns a glass factory. They place a bet that the priest cannot transport a glass church to a settlement in the back of beyond.

JM Coetzee

He really is a South African but John Maxwell Coetzee lives in Australia and became an Aussie citizen two years ago. "I was attracted by the free and generous spirit of the people, by the beauty of the land itself and - when I first saw Adelaide - by the grace of the city that I now have the honour of calling my home." He won the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature – not bad for a former computer programmer but awards count for little with Coetzee. He did not collect either of his Booker gongs, Life & Times of Michael K in 1983 and Disgrace in 1999, but London is a long away from Adelaide. The Observer newspaper polled literary types in 2006 and named Disgrace one of the ‘greatest novel of the last 25 years.’ Disgrace could win the Best of the Bookers vote.

David Malouf

A Lebanese-Australian author, Malouf is a playwright as well as a novelist. His 1993 novel Remembering Babylon was shortlisted for the Booker Prize – it is a tale of friendship and warfare. He is also well known for his 1982 Fly Away Peter – a book that examines Australia’s racist colonial past. Malouf is also an accomplished poet and short story writer.

Shirley Hazzard

Like so many Australians, Hazzard has travelled and lived around the world. She used to work for the United Nations as a clerk but quit the UN and its mountains of paperwork to become a full-time writer. She picked up a National Book Critics Circle Award in 1980 for her third novel, The Transit of Venus – the story of two sisters who travel to England from Australia in the 1950s in search of a fresh start. Hazzard has also penned two books criticizing the United Nations - Defeat of an Ideal and Countenance of Truth.

Thomas Keneally

Another of Australia’s major literary talents, Keneally won the 1982 Booker Prize with Schindler’s Ark – the moving story of a German entrepreneur who saves countless Jews from the death camps. The movie version was called Schindler’s List. He has written 30 novels as well non-fiction and plays. This guy was churning out novels decades before anyone regarded Australian literature as an international force.

Geraldine Brooks

Brooks, a former Sydney Morning Herald and Wall Street Journal reporter, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2006 for March – a book about the absent father from Little Women. Historical fiction is her specialty and this year People of the Book has earned rave reviews for its story of the Sarajevo Haggadah – a priceless Jewish book rescued from Serb shelling during the Yugoslavian war.

Tim Winton

One of the current flavours of the month for Breath – a book about surfing, recklessness and friendships, Winton has been producing novels since the early 1980s. He also writes plays, non-fiction, children’s fiction and short stories. Winton prefers to keep a low profile but supports environment issues. In Australia, he’s been a literary stalwart for a long time so international acclaim is overdue for this writer.

Helen Garner

A former high school teacher who was sacked for giving an impromptu sex education lesson to her 13-year-old pupils, Garner’s novels address sexual desire and the family. Australian female novelists are outnumbered by their male counterparts so Garner has been a figurehead since the 1970s. Her first novel, Monkey Grip,from 1977, tells the story of a group of people living on welfare in Melbourne.

Michelle de Kretser

Born in Sri Lanka, de Ketser immigrated to Australia when she was 14. She has worked as an editor at Lonely Planet and studied for an MA at the Sorbonne. With just three novels to her name, she is part of the new generation of Aussie novelists. The Lost Dog is picking up international acclaim – she’s the verge of the big time.

Markus Zusak

One of the hottest authors in the young adult genre, Zusak has enjoyed worldwide success with this novel, The Book Thief. The New York Times described it as ”Harry Potter and the Holocaust” as Death himself narrates this World War II-based story.

Australian Famous NBA Player

Andrew Bogut

7’0″, 245lbs, born in Melbourne, Australia.

Before Andrew Bogut came on the scene there were essentially two types of Aussies that made it to the NBA: 1) Really tall guys (Longley, Bradtke, Anstey) who were good at being tall, and 2) Great outside shooters (Heal, Gaze) who were good at shooting threes. Either way they were pretty limited roles that didn’t lend themselves to a lot of NBA court time unless you were lucky enough to be on a team with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Aussies in the NBA were essentially a novelty, a foreign experiment. That was until Andrew Bogut came on to the scene. After catching the eye of many scouts in college as a big man with a soft touch and great smarts, Bogut rode the wave of hype all the way to a #1 selection in the 2005 NBA Draft. An Australian, the number 1 pick in the NBA Draft!! I’ll never forget that day. It was the day Australian basketball was stamped on the map.

Signature Move: The up-and-under left-handed hook shot, made so impressive by the fact he’s actually right-handed.

Andrew Gaze

6’7″, 205lbs, born in Melbourne, Australia.

Andrew Gaze is the greatest basketballer in the history of Australia’s National Basketball League, and will be for all eternity. Why? Because if Australia ever produces a player this good again, he will not spend 20 years playing in the NBL. To put it simply, Andrew Gaze is the Michael Jordan of the NBL. Just check his career achievements:

• 2 time NBL Champion with the Melbourne Tigers in 1993 and 1997
• 7 time Most Valuable Player (91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98)
• Won the NBL’s Most Efficient Player Award 8-straight years from 1990-1997
• NBL Leading Scorer 14 times (including 11-straight years from 1991-2001)
• All time NBA leading points scorer (18,908 points)
• A season average of 37.6 ppg back in 1990, only to be topped the following season with 38.8 pppg
• In 1995 he averaged 31.1 points, 8.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds

Signature Move: The layup.

Chris Anstey

7’0″, 249lbs, born in Melbourne, Australia.

Chris Anstey began his career as a nineteen year old playing for the Melbourne Tigers in 1994. It wasn’t until he moved to the South East Melbourne Magic the following season that his career really took off, being named the NBL’s Most Improved Player in 1996 and helping his team win the Championship that season (against his old team the Tigers, no less). Having established himself as one of Australia’s best big men he elected for the 1997 NBA Draft where he was taken at pick 18 by the Trail Blazers. His draft rights were then traded to the Mavericks for cash plus Kelvin Cato (how amusing!) and Anstey enjoyed reasonable success coming off the Mavericks bench, and actually starting in 8 games.

Signature Move: The three-pointer – no other Australian center has the range Anstey has.

Lanard Copeland

6’6″, 190lbs, born in Atlanta, Georgia.

Lanard Copeland is not Australian, but between the years of 1992 and 1999 approximately 82% of every dunk or alley-oop performed in Australia’s NBL was actually performed by Lanard Copeland. He was the guy that brought the essence of the NBA – crazy athleticism, soaring dunks, and black men – to Australia’s National Basketball League. Sure, more kids probably turned up to the games wearing Gaze jerseys, but it was a Lanard Copeland fast-break tomahawk they were all waiting to see. Copeland first tried his luck in the NBA, picked up undrafted by the 76′ers in 1989 where his career highlight was probably an 8 point, 2 rebound, 2 assist performance against the Hersey Hawkins-lead Los Angeles Clippers. Copeland got to play alongside Charles Barkley that season, but it would be the last season he played for the Sixers. He was later signed to a 10-day contract by the Clippers in 1991, but he mainly got garbage time minutes and struggled to make an impression. The following year he came to the NBL and thoroughly dominated – he averaged 28-4-3 in his rookie season and formed a unique bond with Melbourne Tigers teammate Andrew Gaze that would last over a decade.

Signature Move: The Gaze-to-Copeland alley-oop.

Luke Schenscher

7’1″, 255lbs, born in Hope Forrest, Australia.

Luke Schenscher played alongside Jarret Jack for Georgia Tech where he made the 2004 NCAA Championship Game (and lost to the Huskies). His NBA career was unfortunately not as successful. Despite not being drafted he found himself on both the Kings and Nuggets pre-season rosters, but ended up playing in the D-League that season for the Fort Worth Flyers. In March 2006 he signed a 10-day contract with the Bulls, becoming the third Aussie along with Longley and Anstey to play for Chicago. It was during this contract he exploded for his career-high 10 points to go with 4 rebounds against the Trailblazers and his former college teammate, Jack. So impressed were the Bulls they offered him another 10-day contract, then signed him for the remainder of the season. Schensher even got some playoff burn against the Heat, but similar to Heal, Gaze and Anstey before him, it was only garbage time minutes. He played a few games for the Trailblazers the next season but didn’t really make an impact. After playing a year in the German League he returned home to Australia to play for Adelaide in the NBL, where he is currently second in the league in rebounding behind Chris Anstey.

Signature Move: Setting screens

Australia's Guinness World Records

Domino’s Pizza

World record: Most pizzas made in 60 minutes

Domino’s Pizza is always looking at new, inventive marketing methods, and the company thrives on regularly challenging and breaking its own internal performance records. So it was no surprise when they decided to set an official Guinness World Record during a team building exercise. Many of the company’s best and brightest from the Australian and New Zealand outlets were brought together in the Bundaberg Domino’s Pizza restaurant for a weekend of pizza perfection. During the busiest hour of the Saturday evening, as pizza prices plummeted to attract hungry consumers, they pumped out 837 pizzas, breaking the previous world record by over 200.

Priceline and Women’s Health

World record: Largest breakfast in bed

Priceline Pharmacies has become somewhat of a serial record-breaking organisation, and they always do it in such style. In the past two years Priceline has set records for the most nails filed and varnished (eight hours), the largest make-up application class and this event, the largest breakfast in bed. All of the events have themes interwoven with the Priceline Sisterhood’s charity partners, such as Look Good Feel Better, which helps out women recovering from cancer treatment. The big brekky was in partnership with Women‘s Health magazine and intended to make participants feel great about themselves. Around 85 beds were shipped in to Sydney’s Martin Place and 289 people in those beds were given a freshly-cooked breakfast. The result? Great media and smiles all around.

The Gold Coast Bulletin

World record: Longest bikini parade

In what is both a record from late last year and an upcoming attempt late this year, the good people at The Gold Coast Bulletin decided to attract international attention to their stretch of beach by organising the longest bikini parade. The previous record stood at 331 bikini-clad women doing the one-mile parade (Cayman Islands, 2010), and the organisers were convinced they could knock it off. Would I like to come along to adjudicate? Why yes, I would! And it really was one of those perfect Queensland days. The weather could not have been better. The result was impressive too, with a new record of 357 women wearing bikinis. Media attention was enormous and international, so much so that Panama City Beach went on to break this record in March this year with 450 women. Then in August in Huludao City, Liaoning, China, 1085 ladies marched a mile in two-pieces. The people at The Gold Coast Bulletin want their record back, and are currently planning another event for late this year.

Blatchy’s Blues (State of Origin)

World record: Most people wearing wigs

At State of Origin game two in 2012 Dan Blatch, founder of Blatchy’s Blues, thought he could break a record and in doing so bring attention to the game he loves so much, the team he lives for and the thousands of people that have become his loyal followers. A sea of blue wigs (12,083 to be exact) confirmed his suspicions, and a small army of witnesses sent out to count them confirmed the record. The attempt was heavily supported by the NRL, earned respectable media coverage – particularly during the high-rating game – and spurred the Blues on to their only win of the three-game series.

CUE TV New Zealand

World record: Longest television interview

Having heard about the longest radio interview on the ABC, TV station owner and interviewer Tom Conroy from CUE TV in Invercargill, New Zealand, decided to attract national attention by creating his own record, the longest TV interview. He did so by interviewing storyteller extraordinaire Tim Shadbolt, one of New Zealand’s most fascinating and controversial figures, and current mayor of Invercargill, for 26 hours. And it really was a mesmerising chat. I was required at the record attempt for the first four hours and the last four hours. In between I was free to be a tourist, sleep etc. But I stayed for a total of 21 hours because Shadbolt’s stories were so captivating.