Marking the Land: Inked, Drawn, Painted presents depictions of early Liverpool by colonial artists from the 1800s to 1900s”.
Their vision, often romanticised, recall idealised English landscapes far removed from the harsh reality and danger of the Australian bush. Whilst styled in a European drawing and painting tradition botanical clues exist, portrayed through native Australian flora, which hints toward a partial topographical depiction of New South Wales. As two worlds collided these landscapes marked changing times during contact between colonists and First Nations peoples. A time when two cultures and their relationship with the land differed greatly. One of tradition and the known, dating back thousands of years, and one of the unknown, dating back to 24 January 1788*. Their landscape experiences and interpretations would continue to be rendered in vastly different visual languages and cultures.
*First Fleet landed in Botany Bay on 18 January 1788. First Contact was made with First Nations peoples on 24 January 1788 at what is now known as Frenchmans Beach, La Perouse.
All exhibited works are from the State Library of New South Wales Collection and the Liverpool Regional Museum Collection
