Paintings from Gallipoli

A Dream for a young artist in Gallipoli

Ties: Memories of Gallipoli

 

Sixty to seventy people including myself were gathered on the verandah of the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum in the fading light of Thursday 17th March 2016. As I enjoyed a humbling conversation with the delightful Glynnis Murphy, (curator /collector of vintage clothing and wife of Idris Murphy) and several friends ,with a chilled glass of wine overlooking the beautiful Currambene Creek, I was thrilled to be surrounded by this fantastic supportive arts community.

Anticipating the night ahead, we all made our way inside the Museum/gallery space eager to hear the words of Australia’s artistic gem Idris Murphy ( introduced by Art Patron Max Dingle) who was the guest speaker for the evening. He shared with us his Grandfather’s personal letters to his sweetheart Violet (and future wife), written from the trenches at Gallipoli.

The letters provided an insight into not only the deteriorating condition and appearance of the diggers but also the Australian and Turkish comraderie during the breaks from battle. This particular quote from one letter resonated with me about the futility of war and the amazing human spirit. ”We had some fun in the trenches this morning……we threw some tinned beef and jam over to the Turks. In return they  threw tobacco and cigarette papers….We finished up with a message saying we were going to end the armistice in a quarter of an hour by throwing a bomb and after that it was on as usual.”

These same letters inspired Idris to take a group of Australian artists back to where his grandfather fought and among them was Alison Chiam. She described the experience, “it was like a dream for a young artist”

As Idris spoke, Alison’s paintings hanging on the walls all around us paid tribute to his words and set the tone for an honest yet confronting discussion. ‘Ties: Memories of Gallipoli’ is Alison’s response to her experience in Gallipoli aptly titled to show the connectivity between the men, their enemy and the loved ones back home. Perhaps also the connectivity between the group of artists on the trip and their shared emotional responses.

 

The three panel board paintings above are shaped by thinking about how individuals within a group see and share an experience of Gallipoli- “their individual and collective memories of the event, their relationship to their comrades and the men they fought as well as the memories of their family, friends and loved ones back home.”

The implausibility of paddling a paper boat on turbulent seas inappropriately dressed highlights the sense of inadequate preparation in this painting, ‘The Big Adventure- Self Portrait in a Paper Boat”. Here Alison draws parallels to the impossibility of the task of diggers who fought at Gallipoli. Battles were fought with rifles converted to bayonets. This rendered the rifles useless as they were not able to fire bullets. Recruitment drives such as The Waratah Drive were used to incentivise young men to join up for service in WW1 by likening the experience to ‘A Big Adventure’. It wasn’t until much later that the impossibility of their task was revealed.

 

 

 

‘Looking Back’ speaks of the relationships of the men who are now a memory to us. The symbol that allows us to interpret this as a memory and not as reality is the ‘mirrored’ “lest we forget” on the headstone that the elderly man in standing on. This painting also positions the landscape as a memory.

The exhibition is a collection of paintings worked on in Alison’s studio. Her abstract expressionistic works are based on her own reaction to and experience of the Gallipoli landscape and history. Processes for working involved using photography, acrylic paint ,ink and charcoal to record her observations, to collate color palettes and gather as much information as possible on site in Gallipoli. Returning home she then  started sorting and working through these raw emotions. Alison felt very strongly about the place particularly as she was sitting ,drawing in a Turkish trench overlooking the beautiful Suvla Bay. Her  paintings inspired by trips to the Snowy High plains where she spends a great deal of time hiking, biking and fishing were also exhibited in this exhibition.

 

 

The differences in color palettes between the two is as different as the themes. The Gallipoli paintings are worked predominantly in neutral greys using color and line intuitively. This echoed the atmosphere generated by Idris’ stories .These works were heavily layered creating a sense of history within each painting. The Snowy High Plains  works were more in keeping with the clean colors of the Australian landscape , painted with a spontaneity which captures the freshness of the land.

The element which united them was the fluidity of Alison’s mark making; her brushstrokes which softened the harshness of the Gallipoli paintings yet highlighted the ruggedness of the Snowy series.

 

This Exhibition is on until ANZAC day and is open everyday from 10- 4.

 

 

http://www.alisonchiamartworkshopsjervisbay.com/

http://www.jervisbaymaritimemuseum.asn.au/what-s-on.html

 

 

 

.