The painting by Grace Cossington-Smith (a nice overlap for me as I saw some of her work recently at an exhibition entitled O’Keeffe, Preston, Cossington Smith : making modernism at the Art Gallery of New South Wales) of the bridge during construction has an optimistic feel there’s colour, movement and expansive skies. ![]() The exhibition starts with paintings and photos documenting the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Wandering round the NGV Australia’s exhibition of life in 1930s Australia – Brave New World, named after Aldous Huxley’s classic futuristic dystopian novel – I was struck by how many of the themes and concerns of that era still preoccupy us today – from consumerism, traffic congestion and the loss of individuality in an increasingly fast-paced and mechanised world to the position of women in society. Pick your decade and add a touch of sepia and a few cherry-picked memorable events, and it can all seem much more glamorous, if not romantic. ![]() It’s easy to put on rose-tinted glasses and think that the world used to be an easier, better place in bygone eras.
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June 2023
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