Art Gallery of New South Wales

Today, I made a quick visit to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, located among the giant fig trees of The Domain, a large parkland in the heart of Sydney, with views of one of the most spectacular harbours in the world. It's a must see if you are in this part of Australia, or the world.

Here are some marine-themed works from the AGNSW collection. From what I could see in the limited time available, only the Monet is actually on display. I suspect that marine painting, especially maritime or nautical art, is often seen by curators as too bourgeois - something that businessmen use to decorate their office or study. None of these works are by Australian artists. Marines have not been a major aspect of Australian painting, despite the fact that Australia is an island continent with a vast coastline, and, apart from the indigenous population, our ancestors came here on very long sea voyages. Perhaps we don't like to be reminded of the sea that exiled us from the rest of the world.

Charles Napier Hemy, Smugglers- "To save their necks".
Edward de Martino, Golfo degli Aranci, Sardinia.
John Mogford, Crossing the Bar, Scarborough.
Julius Olsson, The Night Tide, 1915.
Cluade Monet, Port-Goulphar, Belle-ile.