A River
Номер объектаM2020/012
НазваниеA River
ОписаниеPainting, 'A River', acrylic on paper laid on canvas, by Geoff Todd AM, 2014.
The painting depicts William Cooper, an Indigenous Australian, sitting at the river's mouth; the river appears to be flowing from his blue tie; Churchill and a blond female diner sips on champagne in oblivion to the bodies floating in the water. 'A River' is painted in honour of the Aboriginal elder: At a time when Aboriginal people were denied citizenship and other basic human rights, William Cooper, an Elder of the Yorta Yorta nation, was moved to action when he heard news of Kristallnacht. On 6 December 1938, aged 77, he led a delegation of the Australian Aborigines’ League to the German consulate in Melbourne. They were refused entry but Cooper’s petition on behalf of the Aborigines of Australia protested "the cruel persecution of the Jewish people by the Nazi government of Germany."
For the artist, the river’s ability to “wash away evidence” alludes to denial of the Holocaust to this day. The element of denial is also represented by the main image of Cooper being laid over the top of writing to ensure it is unread, which at the time became the same fate of William Cooper’s petition.
The artist, Geoff Todd, was born in Melbourne in 1950. After teaching in Victoria he travelled across Australia to Maningrida in Arnhem Land where he worked with Aboriginal artist for more than two years. Along with many public and private collectors of his work, in Australia he is represented in the public collections of Canberra’s National Gallery of Australia, the Australian National Library of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, the State Library of Victoria, the Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, and other regional and international institutions.
In 2019 he was awarded an AM for significant services to art and sculpture.
The painting depicts William Cooper, an Indigenous Australian, sitting at the river's mouth; the river appears to be flowing from his blue tie; Churchill and a blond female diner sips on champagne in oblivion to the bodies floating in the water. 'A River' is painted in honour of the Aboriginal elder: At a time when Aboriginal people were denied citizenship and other basic human rights, William Cooper, an Elder of the Yorta Yorta nation, was moved to action when he heard news of Kristallnacht. On 6 December 1938, aged 77, he led a delegation of the Australian Aborigines’ League to the German consulate in Melbourne. They were refused entry but Cooper’s petition on behalf of the Aborigines of Australia protested "the cruel persecution of the Jewish people by the Nazi government of Germany."
For the artist, the river’s ability to “wash away evidence” alludes to denial of the Holocaust to this day. The element of denial is also represented by the main image of Cooper being laid over the top of writing to ensure it is unread, which at the time became the same fate of William Cooper’s petition.
The artist, Geoff Todd, was born in Melbourne in 1950. After teaching in Victoria he travelled across Australia to Maningrida in Arnhem Land where he worked with Aboriginal artist for more than two years. Along with many public and private collectors of his work, in Australia he is represented in the public collections of Canberra’s National Gallery of Australia, the Australian National Library of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, the State Library of Victoria, the Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, and other regional and international institutions.
In 2019 he was awarded an AM for significant services to art and sculpture.
Дата 2014 - 2014
Наименованиеpaintings
Материалacrylic paint, canvas
Размерность
- width: 710.00 mm
height: 910.00 mm
Кредитная линияSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Geoff Todd and Dana Levitt