DRYSDALE'S MECHANICAL EYE

The   late  Dame  Elisabeth  Murdoch  contributed   to   the publication  of  the     book- DRYSDALE   Photographer-  written   by  Jennie  Boddington, Curator  of  Photography , National  Gallery  of  Victoria, 1987, which  contains  photos  taken  while  the sight impaired  artist  travelled   about  the  nation   in  search  of   the  essence  of  Australia .[ See littledarwin.blogspot.com  for   TRAGEDY  STALKED  OUTBACK  ARTIST , November 5 ,  2008,  also  CHARLES  DARWIN  AND  THE  WOWSERS ,  January 31, 2009.]

 Dame   Elisabeth  supported   the  book’s  publication   as   a  tribute  to  the  artist ,  whom   she  held  in  high regard ,  in   one   of    the   exhibitions  to   mark  the opening of  The   Keith  and    Elisabeth  Murdoch  Court   of  Contemporary  Art.

Dame   Elisabeth   was   herself   the   subject  of   an  entry in the  2009  Archibald Art Prize, painted  by  Hong Fu,  one of  the  finalists .   A  copy  of  a   guide  to   that   year’s  entries   turned  up  in  Darwin  and  was   collected  by   Little  Darwin, which, like a magpie, is always  on  the  lookout  for   ephemera ,  associated pieces .   It  contains  handwritten  comments  by  an  apparent   art  lover   and   in  respect of   Dame Elisabeth’s  portrait    remarked  that   the  actual  painting   revealed   more   of   the   admirable   character  of    the  subject .  The   winning   painting   that   year  was   of   NT  Indigenous  musician , Geoffrey  Gurrumul  Yunupingu ,   by  Guy Maestri.   NEXT:   Drysdale’s   love  of   early  Australian   books  revealed   in   the   Special  Collections  section   of   the   Eddie  Koiki  Mabo   Library,  James   Cook  University ,  Townsville .