The Early Bird

Dublin Core

Title

The Early Bird

Subject

Landscape

Description

Jackson’s watercolour, 'The Early Bird,' depicts an artist painting en plein air. The figure is active in his pose, poised with his weight on one foot and arm extended with a brush in hand. Jackson’s style displays impressionistic tendencies. In the foreground, he places flat daubs of paint in varying levels of saturation and tone to depict the earth. The marks forming the shadow of the figure, easel and tree fade out into a puddle of deep purple as the paint becomes more sheer and the brush marks less distinguished. The figure is also painted with limited detail; only a few subtle marks provide the indication of a face. Jackson makes use of the blue grey colour of the paper for the sky, adding white paint to depict clouds. The work is completed with a fragmented black frame painted only in the bottom left corner of the earth, while the sky is left to extend beyond the picture plane. The figure’s skin is quite tanned in complexion, perhaps a nationalistic nod to the effects of the Australian sun. Furthermore, the painting within a painting concept raises possible implications. The painter looks out at the viewer, positioning our space as an extension of his landscape. As his gaze returns ours, the place of the viewer is transformed so that we become a sight to be consumed, just as we consume the artwork.

Jackson spent a year studying in Paris at the Académie Colarossi where he learned the principles of impressionism, fostering a love for light, movement and colour contrasts (Jackson, 1991, p. 15; Pearce, 1996). After returning to his hometown of Sydney, Jackson’s paintings were noted to reflect the ochres and blues of the Australian landscape (Jackson, 1991, p. 20). In fact, Jackson specifically disliked painting with a green-blue palette, an inclination evident in the warm yellows and browns of 'The Early Bird' (Jackson, 1991, p. 20). He painted his works directly outside, and although preferring oil paint, Jackson always used watercolour in his sketchbook, as he has in 'The Early Bird' (Jackson, 1991, p. 47). He was especially enchanted by the effects of sunlight, which he described as “the essence of a landscape painter’s life” (Jackson, 1991, p. 41). Jackson became recognised for his trademark inclusion of figures in his landscapes - also evident in 'The Early Bird' - and he believed the skill of an artist should be judged by their ability to draw figures and nudes (Jackson, 1991, p. 21).

Jackson was a member of the Australian Art Association (AAA) in Melbourne from 1916 to 1933, allowing him to exhibit there regularly and secure a following (Pearce, 1996). It is perhaps from these exhibitions that the Dyers became familiar with Jackson’s work. In fact, a 1926 exhibition of his paintings at the New Gallery on Elizabeth Street was opened by James Dyer, evidencing a sustained relationship between artist and patron. (The Age, 18 May 1926, p. 12).

References

Jackson, 1991: Jacqueline Jackson, James R Jackson: Art was his life, Sydney: Bay Books & National Library of Australia, 1991.

Pearce, 1996: Barry Pearce, ‘Jackson, James Ranalph (1882 - 1975)’ in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1996. Accessed online 21 December 2017, URL: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/jackson-james-ranalph-10598.

The Age, 1926: ‘Exhibition of Paintings by James R. Jackson’, The Age, 18 May 1926, Art Notes, p. 12.

Creator

James Ranalph Jackson (1882 - 1975)

Source

Book of autographs of visitors to Louise Hanson-Dyer, manuscript, The University of Melbourne

Date

1928

Contributor

Reetika Khanna

Format

Watercolour, 268 x 198 mm

Type

Image

Citation

James Ranalph Jackson (1882 - 1975), “The Early Bird,” Special Collections and Grainger Museum, accessed March 29, 2024, https://spcgm.omeka.net/items/show/16.

Output Formats