Preview

Max Dupain's Sunbaker

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
718 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Max Dupain's Sunbaker
"˜Sunbaker ' is Max Dupain 's most famous artwork. It was taken in 1937. It is not just an artwork but it is an Australian icon because it represents what Australia is.

Description The photo is a famous image of the shapely male shoulders of a European man lying on Bondi Beach. Dupain used a low viewpoint to take the photo so that only the figure 's head, broad shoulders and well muscled arms are revealed.

Mood/Emotions Evoked The mood it creates is a very patriotic one which would fill most Australians with a sense of national pride. Most Australian 's spend a lot of their time at the beach so looking at the artwork reminds people of how much fun they have at the beach and how this makes them happy.

Messages/Ideas Just like most modernist art, this photograph too is multilayered with meaning and insight.

The obvious meaning being the fact that the young strong surfer stretched out in the sand sunbaking represents Australian 's affinity with the out doors and the importance of sport and physical activity in our culture. It symbolizes health, vitality and a celebration of the physical life we lead in Australia. The photo was taken in Bondi beach which is Australia 's most famous beach and it is an icon by itself.

The notion of Australian 'nation-ness ' was depicted in a white male metaphor at the turn of the century - an urban myth of origin about 'the little boy from Bondi ', a cartoon character representing the infant nation at the time of the federation of the colonial States in 1901. In the spirit of that myth, the little boy is all grown up in "˜Sunbaker '. So this artwork may be considered a metaphor for Australia as a country. The Australian nation today is a maturing sexual adult which has undergone his separation from Mother England. This photo was taken 37 years after the federation representing how we have moved since the time of the federation. He is relaxed at home on Bondi beach because this is his home and this is where he is going to stay. He

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sunny Abberton's highly personal documentary, narrated by Russell Crowe, examines Australian surf culture – a far cry from the endless summer stereotype image of laid-back guys blessed out on being one with the waves -- through the story of his own family. What it lacks in objectivity, it makes up for in vivid intimacy.…

    • 394 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Max Dupain’s image is a documentary style photograph which has become an Australian Icon. The image represents all we believe is associated with the bronzed Aussie. This is a relaxed image of the strong sculptured Adonis, comfortable, if not commanding in his environment, lying in the sun. The identity, we are left in no doubt, is masculine. The composition and framing show the ‘beautiful chiselled body’ dominating the landscape, in a care free, effortless manner. The image is represented as a true document of life, an everyday scene captured on Dupain’s Rolliflex. In true Modernist style Dupain has used the full frame for this image which also emphasises the ‘truth’ behind this image. The black and white fine grain film gives us a ‘true reality’ and once again reinforces the message that this is a ‘natural’ image. The Sunbaker has run out of the surf and flopped down in the sand, Dupain was there to capture this ‘moment in time’. The beads of water from the ocean are still glistening on the sunbaker’s skin. Dupain has carefully composed the image using the design elements and principles to ensure the focal point of the image is the triangular shape of the man which emphasises the feeling of strength and prosperity of his physique. The low camera angle and triangle composition all work to produce a well balanced, aesthetically pleasing image.…

    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The dominating skull can be perceived as a powerful symbol of mortality. The children playing on the surface of the skull suggests innocence and life. This artwork could also suggest the colonisation of Australia. The blue colours and illustrations represent other cultures. Contrasting with the images of children and native birds. The flowers presented in the background are…

    • 130 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    His paintings depict rugged geological features and the distinctive native Australian flora. Containing coded expressions of sacred sites and traditional knowledge of the Aboriginal culture. In Albert’s works, his connections to the country and his belonging to the land is evident.…

    • 316 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this response, I intend to discuss Arthur Streeton’s Fire’s On, a 183.8 x 122.5cm oil on canvas painting, produced in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia in 1891, after “nationalistic sentiment” had taken its toll with the centennial of the European settlement. Fire’s On depicts the steep “walls of rock” “crowned” with “bronze green” “gums” and the “crest mouth” that he encountered on his journey through the Blue Mountains. Streeton created this painting to justly portray the rough, “glor[ious]”, unsung landscape of Australia, namely its “great, gold plains” and “hot, trying winds”. Thus, Streeton defied the inaccurate depictions of Australian landscape produced in the early nineteenth century by early immigrants, showing “green…

    • 1073 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    AIA History of Bangledesh

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages

    2. ‘19th century Australian landscape painting does not represent the physical environment; rather it reflects European painting conventions and Imperial agendas'. Critically discuss.…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Thomas Sully´s 1830 “Portrait of Margaret H. Sandford”, was astonishing. The beauty of this young lady was remarkable. Hours could pass, and no one could get tired of admiring her elegance and the artist´s talent. This oil on canvas piece of realist art, by Thomas Sully, created an atmosphere of enjoyable tranquility. On the other hand, Waugh´s “Smothering Surf”, portrayed feelings of anger and impatience. A coast with incredibly high tide was painted by Frederick Judd Waugh with oil on panel. With large waves crashing into the rocks and white fog in the sky, Waugh expressed his frustrations. However, the quality of this melancholic piece of art was unreal. Each brush stroke made by Waugh was incredibly precise. The change in tone of the hues and the detailed characteristics of each wave, made me want to stare at the painting all…

    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    ben quilty

    • 1069 Words
    • 5 Pages

    He works in a wide range of genres, including portraits and still lifes, but also landscapes that reflect his fascination with Australianness, a passion which has its origins in Arthur Streeton’s edict that Australian artists should look to their own backyards for inspiration.…

    • 1069 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Castle

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages

    I think the most central message about Australia being presented in his movie is to do with Family values. The Kerrigan's, are the perfect representation of the traditional Australian family. They are a family which eats dinner together at the same time every night, with Darryl, unfailingly complementing Sal on her cooking. They love each other and respect each other, and even though Wayne is in jail for armed robbery they are all as proud of him as each other. The film pokes a lot of fun at the Kerrigan's and Australians in general. But the typical Australian family with the pool room, patio & trading post on the kitchen table evoke something deeper in us than a quaint fondness. Although we spend a lot of the film laughing at them and their some what ignorant ways, we find by the end of the film that we have built a kind of bond with them. Despite their to some extent typical Australian foolishness we see that they are a family that is…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Australian flag was chosen in 1901, when a competition was held to design our country's flag. The guidelines of this competition included that the Union Jack and Southern Cross should appear on the flag. However, I believe that in the year 2001, the Australian flag needs to be changed. During the course of this essay, I will show that the Australian flag does not represent all Australians, in particular, Aboriginal Australians and that the symbols on our flag are no longer relevant and are not unique to Australia. I will also show that the present flag is not instantly recognisable and is too similar to flags of other countries.…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    All in all the beautiful but complex marine life living in harmony sharing crystal clear waters of the uniquely Australian, Great Barrier Reef, symbolizes how we live in harmony with the people of this wonderful country of…

    • 303 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Australian Identity

    • 1628 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Australian identity refers to how a country is depicted as a whole whilst encompassing its culture, traditions, language and politics. Australia is the smallest, youngest continent with the lowest population density, which often struggles to define its national identity. As Australia originates from British descent, it lacks originality in culture and heritage. One aspect as portrayed by Tim Winton in his narrative style article Tide of Joy is an Australian identity revolving around summer by the sea with family. Danny Katz emphasises the difference between those considered ‘worthy’ of celebrating Australia Day and those that do not meet the criteria in his editorial Aussie, Aussie, Aussie? No, No, No. These two texts help to define the open-ended question of, ‘How do we define Australian identity?’ However, the texts both represent a narrow range of individuals in Australian society and therefore by reading these two texts alone, it is a rather biased view of the Australian stereotype.…

    • 1628 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The poem “I am Australian” relates to the concept of belonging to and national identity. Repetition of 'I Am Australian' reinforces this, imagery of the environment and creates a link between the nation and the self, and thus the person is intimately connected to the country. The Poem is about celebrating diversity in Australia, between the people and the land.…

    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Castle Film Analysis

    • 1060 Words
    • 5 Pages

    I think one of the main messages about Australia conveyed in The castle is the fact that Australians are not terribly materialistic and in general are quite simplistic. They appreciate the simple positive things in life no matter how unimportant or visually unappealing they may be to others. Darryl Kerrigan views the world in a unique way. He looks at the humming…

    • 1060 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Layers of rainbow gradients of aerosolized paint radiate on the public walls, depicting nonsensical messages and phrases. Thousands of dissonant colors swirl together to express the emotions and feelings of the artist. The abstract scenery and images, give life to the area, truly exhibiting the contagiousness of emotions. The texture of the wall, the surroundings, the ground- everything is incorporated into this scenery, infusing passion and an infinite amount of hues and tones into the bleak monotony of the everyday world.…

    • 408 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays