Tuesday, December 8, 2015

ARTIST CAPTURED NORTH AUSTRALIA ,THE PACIFIC ISLANDS AND ITS PEOPLE

The  fact  that  the late artist , Ray Crooke OAM , who died from cancer  , at the age of 93,   did  portraits of prominent and controversial   author  Xavier Herbert  and  his wife , Sadie, seems to  have been  almost completely overlooked  by the  Australian media. Newspaper reports  of  Crooke's  death  concentrated  on the fact  that he had  won  the Archibald  Prize in 1969  with the  portrait of  another  author and  friend , George Johnston , and his Gauguin-like renditions of  island  life .

Herbert   won  the  1938 Australian sesquicentenary award  with his novel, Capricornia, based on his experiences in the Northern Territory,   and in 1975  was declared the Miles Franklin Award   winner with  his epic  Poor Fellow My Country, the  cover paintings  by  Crooke. He also illustrated Herbert's Dreaming  Road .
 
Beginning early next year, Little Darwin will  launch  an extensive  series about  Xavier  Herbert's  colourful life,  concentrating on  his time in the Northern Territory  and   the   Cairns   area .