How a 'mere flower painter' created a unique Australian art style
After World War I, Margaret Preston embarked on a quest to create a unique, national art identity — but she took from First Nations artists to do it. A new exhibition examines her immense and complicated legacy.
When Margaret Preston returned to Australia from Europe after World War I, she set her sights on creating a distinct Australian art style. Born Rose Preston in Adelaide in 1875, she began her artistic journey at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School in Melbourne. Her early work often featured bold subjects, such as herself in front of a life model.
In 1904, she traveled to Europe with her lover and fellow artist Bessie Davidson, a trip that would inspire her artistic style. Upon her return, Preston became fascinated with Australian flora, landscapes, and Aboriginal art, incorporating these elements into her unique style. Her art, characterized by bright colors, flat aspects, and dark licorice lines, showcased her influences from Post-Impressionism, European Primitivism, the Arts and Crafts movement, and Japanese ukiyo-e.
Preston's later travels to China, Japan, and Korea introduced her to woodblock printing, a technique she embraced and adapted with her own unique approach. The exhibition showcases Preston's evolution as an artist and her significant contributions to Australian art, despite facing criticism and controversy throughout her career.
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