Nationalism, Britishness and the ‘souring’ of Australian national art

Berryman, J. (2016) Nationalism, Britishness and the ‘souring’ of Australian national art. Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, 44(4), pp. 573-591. (doi: 10.1080/03086534.2016.1210250)

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Abstract

This article investigates the nationalist historiography of the Heidelberg School, an Australian art movement from the Federation period, known for its iconic representations of national life and landscape. Drawing on recent scholarship of Australian nationalism, it questions conventional accounts of the Heidelberg School in Australian art history, especially those based on Bernard Smith’s radical interpretation of this movement. For Bernard Smith, and the generations of Australian art historians he influenced, the nationalism of the 1890s was a progressive force for national culture. Yet, in the post-Federation decades, national art declined (or ‘soured’) into a reactionary form of insular nationalism. By focusing on the ‘souring’ narrative of Australian national art, this article critiques the nationalist interpretation of the Heidelberg School. It explores an apparent contradiction: the role of Britishness in the construction of a distinctly Australian national art.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Berryman, Dr Jim
Authors: Berryman, J.
College/School:College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Information Studies
Journal Name:Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History
Publisher:Taylor and Francis
ISSN:0308-6534
ISSN (Online):1743-9329
Published Online:16 August 2016

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