Canberra odds and ends

Just a few bits and pieces from my recent Canberra trip.

The War Memorial is an iconic part of Canberra. This Honour Roll stretches along this wall and the colonnade on the other side. Way too many deaths. The red poppies are a symbol of remembrance. You can see some on the statue of Simpson and his donkey.

Honour roll, at the War Memorial, Canberra (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2013)

Simpson and his donkey, War Memorial, Canberra (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2013)

And how could we not eat an ANZAC biscuit (or 2!) there?

ANZAC biscuit, War Memorial cafe, Canberra (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2013)

There was an exhibition at Old Parliament of some paintings from one of my favourite Australian artists, Arthur Boyd. I fell in love with his works when I saw the series of paintings in the Arts Centre, Melbourne. They are of Pulpit rock in different lights. Gorgeous. Check them out if you are in Melbourne.

Boyd had a social conscious, which he put into his paintings. He was passionate about the environment, Indigenous issues, nuclear power and human rights. This exhibition in Canberra helped me to understand some of the symbolism that he used to express his ideas. I am only posting 2 photos, but may do another post on Boyd at a later date.

Large skate on grey background (1979) is a very large painting of, no surprises here, a skate on a grey background! Sounds like an odd subject, but it was a beautiful painting.

Large skate on a grey background, 1979

Picture on the wall, Shoalhaven, (1979 – 80) a clever painting, showing Boyd’s concerns with nuclear weapons.

Picture on the wall, Shoalhaven (1979 – 80)

A little snippet that I found interesting…When Bob Hawke was Prime Minister he chose a very similar painting to this one to hang on the wall in front of his desk. He had a wide choice of art work, and could have had more than one. But the Boyd painting was the one he wanted to look at each day.