Sasha Grishin on ST Gill: The artist as social commentator

About this video

Hear Professor Sasha Grishin in conversation with Virginia Trioli, as he explores the role of colonial artist ST Gill as a social commentator.

Sasha takes us on a chronological journey through the life of the painter, beginning with his birth in 1818 in Somerset, England, and arrival in South Australia at the age of 21.

We follow the development of Gill's craft as his portraits of people, places and animals are joined by observant depictions of the Australian outback, life on the goldfields and Marvellous Melbourne at its height.

Sasha reveals the birth of the tough and resilient digger in Gill's watercolours, his depiction of the dark side of the gold rushes, his affinity with the Indigenous people and for their appreciation of Australia's special environment. He also shows how Gill's paintings are often layered, moving from the anecdotal to the insightful, interpreting social mores and providing visual clues to the artist's often profound thoughts.

Filmed on 10 August 2015, this discussion was one of a series of events held to celebrate the Library's exhibition Australian sketchbook, curated by Professor Sasha Grishin.

Speakers

Sasha Grishin is an Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University, where he established the academic discipline of Art History and was the Sir William Dobell Professor of Art History and Head of Art History and Curatorship until 2013. He works internationally as an art historian, art critic and curator, and has published more than 25 books. In 2015, Sasha curated the State Library's winter exhibition, Australian sketchbook: Colonial life and the work of ST Gill.