Read
On first inspection, the wild rumpus of smiling trees, cavorting green gnomes, ships, planes and tractors dominated by a benign and colossal Dr Bob Brown appears comedic and not at all a serious attempt to record Australian history. This is, nonetheless, an important history painting, one of a handful of Australian paintings that could be so described.
Read the Portrait article Where the Wild Things Are by Michael Desmond.
Solo Activity
Narrative is central to this portrait of Bob Brown. Use collage to create your own narrative portrait.
You will need: drawing paper or cardboard; glue or tape; various collage materials (eg. – old newspapers, magazines, cards, wrapping paper)
- Using a mix of various collage materials create your own narrative portrait. Cut out pictures and arrange them onto your paper or cardboard to build up the layers for the background. Stick them down once you’re happy with the arrangement.
- Now look for images of eclectic items that you could include in your collage, such as furniture, or outside items such as a car, deck chairs ... spaceships(!). Think Monty Python perhaps! The pictures you select can be amusing and, if desired, without obvious relevance to each other.
- Find an image of at least one figure and place it/them in the collage also. You may find yourself creating a narrative portrait in the same way that Harold Thornton composed this significant story.
Connected activity
Every story has a beginning, middle, and end. Test your storytelling skills with a friend.
You will need: paper; pencil
- Have a video call with a friend or a phone call while you are both on email. This is a game of draw an historical event in Australian history! There are 6 rounds (3 turns each).
- You have one minute to draw an event from Australian history – no text allowed.
- If you have a video, you can do it live while your friend guesses, or finish your drawing and email it to your friend for them to guess.