Emma Lang
Newtown High School of Performing Arts
PERSEPHONE'S GARDEN / DEMETER'S MORNING
Painting
Water colour on handmade paper
Each year the Australian bush catches fire, consuming the landscape in a fiery scene, clearing the land of the thirsty flora. My body of work is a chronological series that represents the progression of the bush after burning. Inspired by the Greek myth of the goddesses Persephone and Demeter, it explores the impact of weather cycles on the Australian bush. Based on my photos from the 2019 bushfires, my intention was to showcase the resilience of the Australian landscape and how the cycle of life and death is seen in nature.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Charles Condor, Hans Heysen
Marker's Commentary
Persephone's Garden / Demeter's Mourning captures the cyclical nature of bushfires in the Australian landscape and the process of growth, devastation and renewal. The highly accomplished series of small scale watercolour works on handmade paper are expressive in style, with soft, loose edges. The student has skilfully maintained the size of the works, whilst capturing range from close-up studies to deep perspective landscapes. The title of the work alludes to the Greek myth, where Demeter mourns the loss of her daughter Peresphone, taken by Hades to live under the earth. When Demeter refused the earth to be bountiful as a result, an agreement was struck where Peresphone could be with her mother two-thirds of the year and the earth would be fruitful once more.
The sophisticated material practice and understanding of watercolour is demonstrated across the works utilising a range of techniques including bleeding washes, wet on wet, and controlled wet on dry. Areas of loose, expressive skies and foliage are contrasted with highly detailed and refined areas of tree trunks, grasses, seed pods and florals. The student has successfully used colour to contrast the cyclical growth stages before and after a bushfire, with vivid yellows and greens, juxtaposed with bleak monotonal greys and warm browns. The works demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of natural light in the distinctive landscape at various times throughout the day, and evokes the Australian plein air Impressionist artists, who were adept at capturing the shifting and fleeting nature of the landscape.