AT THE MUSEUM
AUSTRALIAN PAINTER MARGARET PRESTON WAS GREATLY INFLUENCED BY JAPANESE ARTISTIC TECHNIQUES.
WESTERN ART HAS often been influenced by the arts of Asia. Chinese porcelain was copied by European factories, especially those in the Netherlands, and several in England in the 17th century. From as early as 200 BCE, the Silk Road brought Chinese and Indian textiles to Europe. When trade with Japan opened up in the 19th century, the fashion developed for Japanese ceramics, textiles and furniture.
But it was late in the century when collectors noticed that many of the delicate ceramics imported from Japan were wrapped in woodcuts and that they were often great works of art. French artists Manet and Monet, and the writer Zola, began to collect them.
In the early 20th century, Australian painter Margaret Preston studied in London, and in 1913 saw an exhibition of Japanese prints at the Victoria and Albert Museum. On her return to Sydney after WWI, her paintings and woodcuts, usually hand-coloured, showed the influence of Japanese prints. Preston’s strong black outlines, asymmetrical compositions and bold colour is also evidence of her determination to create art that belonged to the 20th century.
More recently, Sydney artist Cressida Campbell has demonstrated how the influence of Asian art continues to play a strong part in contemporary Australian art. After studying traditional printmaking techniques in Japan, Campbell has developed an extraordinary level of delicacy in her woodcuts and painted woodblocks. View the exhibition Cutting Through Time: Cressida Campbell, Margaret Preston, and the Japanese Print at Geelong Gallery until July 28. 55 Little Malop St, Geelong, Vic, (03) 5229 3645; geelonggallery.org.au