Sydney Sandstone - Painting the Lands Department building

The Lands Department building 22-33 Bridge Street Sydney, is one of the most outstanding surviving Victorian buildings in Sydney. The building had been used continuously for the purpose which it was designed for - as the administrative head office of Department of Lands.
Unfortunately, this will soon change.
I don't know whether all the original features which makes this building so wonderful will be retained, but I thought that I should attempt to paint it while it is still in its original state.
I managed to set up my easel in Macquarie Place Park, directly opposite the corner of Bridge and Gresham street.

U235'Statues of Explorers', Lands Department
2015 oil on canvas 31 x 31cm
Enquiries

James Barnet was the architect mostly responsible for the design of the Lands Department building, although Walter Liberty Vernon and William Edmund Kemp also made contributions.

U235'Statues of Explorers', Lands Department
2015 oil on canvas 31 x 31cm
Enquiries

The foundation stone was laid in 1876 by the Minister of Lands and it was completed in 1893. The Renaissance Revival Style facades are of dressed Pyrmont sandstone

The ground, first, and second floors have pilasters and entablatures of the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian orders respectively, each standing on appropriate pedestals.  

U235'Statues of Explorers', Lands Department
2015 oil on canvas 31 x 31cm
Enquiries

A large copper dome, 55' square at the base, but changing to an octagon at the top, rises above the Bridge Street facade.
The clock tower has a copper onion-shaped dome which was allegedly influenced by the shape of the water carafe of Sir Henry Parkes.

U235'Statues of Explorers', Lands Department
2015 oil on canvas 31 x 31cm
Enquiries

The best of Classical tradition was fused with the most cutting edge technology for the period. Heating, lighting, ventilation and a system of communication involving speaking through tubes and operating pneumatic bells was incorporated in the design.

Builder John Young introduced one of Sydney’s first reinforced-concrete floor slabs, with concrete vaults to improve fire resistance.

U235'Statues of Explorers', Lands Department
 2015 oil on canvas 31 x 31cm
Enquiries

There are 12 niches on each facade, which were all intended to be filled with sculptures of explorers or legislators who made a major contribution to the settlement of the nation.

Although 48 men were nominated by the architect as being suitable subjects, most were rejected and only 23 statues were commissioned, leaving 25 niches unfilled. 

In 2010-11 a new statue of colonial surveyor James Meehan (1774-1826) was created and placed in an empty niche on corner of Loftus/Bent Streets.

U235'Statues of Explorers', Lands Department
2015 oil on canvas 31 x 31cm
Enquiries

In my painting the statue of the botanist Sir Joseph Banks is on the left, and the statue of the explorer Sturt on the right.

U235'Statues of Explorers', Lands Department
2015 oil on canvas 31 x 31cm
Enquiries

In the late 1980s the building was earmarked by the NSW Governnment as one of the potential sites for conversion into a casino.
To protect the building from unsympathetic development, a Permanent Conservation Order was passed by the NSW Heritage Council. 
However, although it is one of the most beautiful and historic buildings in Australia, it still faces an uncertain future.
Both Sydney’s historic
The hotel will open in 2021 after the government employees finally leave in 2018.

Sydney sandstones to become luxury hotel

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In the shadows - Painting the Justice and Police Museum

Pyrmont Sandstone - The Lizards of Oz

Rookwood - Part 2 - Angel of Resurrection

In my previous post I showed my rough clay model of the Dixson monument which I created to try to grasp the complexity of the original before I tried to paint it.
This post shows the canvas I have been painting as homage to the Dixson Monument. I am one of seven artists who are participating in an exhibition inspired by the Rookwood Necropolis. The exhibition "Spirited" will be held in the Peacock Gallery, Auburn Botanic Gardens in conjunction with the sculpture exhibition "Hidden" in the grounds of Rookwood itself.
"Spirited" will open on Saturday 18th August 11am - 1pm, and will continue until 30th September. The Peacock Gallery is open from Wed- Sun 11 - 4pm.

My oil painting  of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood Necropolis
$11,000

Enquiries : janecooperbennett@gmail.com

Unfortunately I don't even know who the sculptor of the Dixson monument was.
Whoever they were, they deserve to be famous.

My painting of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood Necropolis
$11,000

Enquiries : janecooperbennett@gmail.com

 The sculpture "Apollo and Daphne" by Bernini in the Galleria Borghese. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A complex swirl of flowing drapery, links the angel to the soul yet separates them.  

 The arrangement of the 2 figures, entwined yet apart, reminds me of Bernini's   "Apollo and Daphne". I have seen this wonderful sculpture in the Borghese Gallery in 1997, but there were so many treasures in this gallery that it was hard to appreciate all of its qualities. I don't know whether the sculptor of the Dixson monument had any knowledge of Bernini or Baroque sculpture but I found strange resonances between the works .

 

My oil painting of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood Necropolis
$11,000

Enquiries : janecooperbennett@gmail.com

Both sculptors used line to force the viewer to move around the sculpture to determine its meaning, sort of like a puzzle. making any one viewpoint  incomplete. They both defy cohesion.

Flowing drapery creates large looping rhythms both linking the angel to the soul and separating them.

My oil painting of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood Necropolis

$11,000

Enquiries : janecooperbennett@gmail.com

In the "Apollo and Daphne" Flesh turns to bark; Stone into flesh.

In the Dixson monument Stone turns to Flesh; Flesh turns into spirit.The sculptor attempts to capture the sublime.

The Dixson monument is sacred rather than pagan so it is less overtly erotic. However the sheer drapery of the rising soul clings to the gentle curve of her torso with a palpably sensual flourish.

My oil painting of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood Necropolis

$11,000

Enquiries : janecooperbennett@gmail.com

 There are spaces between them - you would not be able to "roll this down the hill", which was reputedly Michelangelo's test for a good sculpture. I don't think Bernini's idea of a good sculpture involved any "hill-rolling" as the energy in his works was expressed in bravura touches such as flying wisps of hair, windswept drapery and flesh turning into bark.

My oil painting of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood Necropolis

$11,000

Enquiries : janecooperbennett@gmail.com

I am painting my view of the Dixon monument 'en plein air', but will keep the influence of Bernini in the back of my mind as I do so.

I kept noticing details of sculpture that were so very beautiful, where the feeling was concentrated in a gesture. The skyward pointing finger.

The angel gives a tender glance to the rising soul.

HOLY SONNET VII.

At the round earth's imagined corners blow

Your trumpets, angels, and arise, arise

From death, you numberless infinities

Of souls, and to your scattered bodies go ;

All whom the flood did, and fire shall o'erthrow,

All whom war, dea[r]th, age, agues, tyrannies,

Despair, law, chance hath slain, and you, whose eyes

Shall behold God, and never taste death's woe.

But let them sleep, Lord, and me mourn a space ;

For, if above all these my sins abound,

'Tis late to ask abundance of Thy grace,

When we are there. Here on this lowly ground,

Teach me how to repent, for that's as good

As if Thou hadst seal'd my pardon with Thy blood.

John Donne

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• Rookwood- Part 1 "Spirited"

Rookwood- Part 1 "Spirited"

I have been asked to create some paintings inspired by the Rookwood necropolis
for the exhibition "Spirited - Impressions of historic Rookwood" at the Peacock Gallery in the Auburn Botanic Gardens which will coincide with the "Hidden" exhibition at Rookwood.

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

At 700 acres, Rookwood is one of the largest burial grounds in the world and one of Australia's oldest cemeteries. Exploring its grounds can be overwhelming - a recipe for Stendhal's syndrome. 

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

 And if I do get Stendhal's syndrome  I could even get as  “'crook as Rookwood”. Old fashioned  Australian slang has almost completely  "gone to Gowings" - as now Gowings has well and truly gone to Gowings for good. The saying "Crook as Rookwood" in fact has very nearly died out.

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

And at first I was completely and utterly overwhelmed. Ideally, the best course would have been to join one of the tours, but I have had little time left over after a year with a brutal exhibition schedule - 5 solo exhibitions in 6 months and many group exhibitions and commissions. The tours have not coincided with the small amount of spare time I had left.

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

So many wandering paths, so many sections, row upon row of headstones, so much ground to cover. From crisp and glossy  to sagging and neglected; which to notice and which to ignore. All seemed to deserve attention but which to choose? 
Everything beckoned, but nothing compelled. 
Lost in the city of the dead with no destination. 
I wandered at random and let chance be my guide. 

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

And by chance I  discovered one of the most beautiful sculptures in Australia, the Dixson Monument. I also discovered a true reason for creating a painting as not only did this sculpture commemorate a great unsung hero of  philanthropy, but one to whom I owe a great debt of gratitude.

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

Apart from its beauty, I have personal reasons for being attracted to paint the Dixson Monument. Sir William Dixson, collector, philanthropist and connoisseur, is one of my heroes. Although he died many years before I was born, he was my benefactor.

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

Sir William Dixson had already funded numerous charities and educational institutions throughout NSW.  When he learned that the income from David Scott Mitchell's bequest to the Public Library of New South Wales was not able to be spent on pictures, he left a generous bequest to buy historical pictures.

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

I am a present day recipient of his generosity, as the Mitchell Library now has a collection of 21 of my paintings. Without Sir William Dixson's bequest , the Library may never have decided to collect paintings at all.

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

All the other sculptures look a bit lumpen and flatfooted in comparison to the Dixson sculpture. If any sculpture deserves the title "Spirited" it must be this.

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

It is exuberant, joyous and full of energy. The keynote is exultation rather than mourning. It conveys passion, emotion and the humanity of the moment. 

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

I know that the sculpture is not just dedicated to Sir William, but the entire Dixson family, however it is a flamboyant monument for such a shy and reserved gentleman.

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

My clay model of the Dixson Monument in Rookwood Necropolis

It is also an intricate and complex work. The figures are interlocked in a swirling vortex of drapery that seems to defy gravity.

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

I circled it slowly for hours, looking at it from every angle and started a few tentative sketches. Finally I decided that I would need to create a rough model in clay before even attempting to paint it.
My clay model is not intended to be a sculpture, but part of the process of understanding the complexity of the original so that I can do it justice in my painting.

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

This sculpture is so completely 3 dimensional. Every angle reveals another nuance.

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

My clay model of the Dixson Monument, Rookwood

The closest that I can think of to emotion and virtuosity of the Dixson monument is  the work of the Baroque sculptor Bernini and I have included below a copy of his "Apollo and Daphne" for comparison. The original marble sculpture is in the Borghese Gallery, Rome.

A statue of Apollo and Daphne after Bernini at Council Staircase in the Hermitage. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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• Rookwood - Part 2 - Angel of Resurrection

Pyrmont Sandstone - Rock On !

My painting of a partly demolished Pyrmont warehouse is a finalist in the 2012 NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize.

This Exhibition will be held:

Tue 1 May - Thu 31 May 2012

NSW Parliament, Macquarie Street Sydney 8.30 AM - 5.45 PM

 

'Industrial Cathedral, the Cooperage, C.S.R. Refinery'

oil on canvas 91 x 61cm

Enquiries about this painting:

FINALIST : Plein Air Painting Prize 2012

This canvas is of a sandstone escarpment seen through the screen of rotting timber beams that once were part of the Cooperage building in the CSR Refinery.

This painting focuses on the mysterious patterns of shadow made by the fall of light. The cavernous space and rows of columns reminded me of the interiors of cathedrals and ruined abbeys.

The wall at the back was the famous butter-yellow Pyrmont sandstone, which has been quarried to decorate the best loved historic Sydney buildings such as the Australian Museum, the Sydney GPO, the University of Sydney.

At sunset the sandstone rock face caught the last rays of light and the derelict warehouse was transformed.

This painting has come full circle. Out of Pyrmont into an Eastern suburbs gallery, back to Pyrmont as part of the 2011 Pyrmont Festival, then to Macquarie St as a finalist in the NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize.

Oddly enough the sandstone wall shown at the back of the painting has made a similar journey as the painting. Some of it has made a triumphant visit to Macquarie Street's heritage showcase of 19th century architecture.

After being sliced and diced like a huge block of cheese by LendLease during the excavation for the McCaffrey's apartments in Jacksons Landing, it then suffered a few years in ignominious limbo, in a stockpiled pyramid under the no-man's land under the Anzac Bridge .

Ironically it came from the former "Paradise Quarry" so it should have been spared limbo.

Now these blocks are having a glorious afterlife being lovingly reshaped by master stonemasons in the Alexandria yards, to adorn the classic façades of Sydney's most beautiful buildings.

Some appropriate graffiti from one of the onsite port-a-loos during the re-opening of the quarry - "Sandstone Rocks!"

Totally.

 

 

U230 'Gargoyle, University of Sydney' 2009

oil on board 25 x 20cm

Enquiries about this painting

This alarming little creature is one of the refurbished gargoyles hanging off one of the spires of the University of Sydney. He was carved from the sandstone extracted from the Jacksons Landing excavations, possibly even from the escarpment I painted in the background of "Industrial Cathedral".

The MacLaurin Hall is an important piece of heritage of the University Quadrangle Building. Designed by the Government Architect of the day Walter Liberty Vernon it was constructed in 1911 as the Fisher Library ,which was later relocated in 1963.

In October 2007, the University began conservation work on the façade of MacLaurin Hall. This included work on the sandstone walls, bosses, windows and gargoyles. They were treated with a poultice to remove salt; the poultice was left on for 10 days or until it fell off, and then re-applied to ensure the salt was removed.

Before this treatment, some of the gargoyles had shown signs of splitting and falling. As the original gargoyles crumbled they therefore had to be replaced or extensively refurbished so that they wouldn't fall on people's heads from a great height.

Imagine one of those landing on your head!

Must be one of those Legendary "drop bears".

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Wrong side of the tracks - Darling Island Bond and Free
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My Pyrmont page in this blog

A Tale of two hotels - the Terminus and the Point

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Pyrmont Paintings past and present

Pyrmont sandstone - The Lizards of Oz

I used to think that in Sydney, sandstone was as common as dirt.
Sydney is to me, not the emerald city or the Harbour city, but a golden city - the sandstone city. Sandstone seems to be everywhere -from sand and rocks on the beaches to the glorious escarpments revealed by cuttings for expressways. But most of this apparent abundance is commercially useless and the rest is fit only for fill or crazy paving at best.
The only sandstone of sufficient quality and durability to be used to restore or replace the exquisite carvings of Sydney's iconic 19th century architectural heritage such as the Queen Victoria building, the buildings on Macquarie St, or the University of Sydney is Pyrmont yellowblock.
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock consisting mostly of quartz or a mix of quartz and feldspar sands, in conjunction with materials such as calcite, clay, iron oxides, and silica which cement it together. It takes on the color of its components, most commonly tan to yellowish or tinted pink to dark red due to varying levels of iron oxide.
There are a lot of variations of texture and color, not many of which are suitable for commercial use. Common forms of sandstone include arkose which has a high feldspar content, graywacke which contains angular rock fragments, and conglomerate which contains rounded rock fragments. Other common stones included in this category are bluestone- a hard, dense feldspathic sandstone; brownstone- a reddish-brown stone taking its color from its high iron content;and flagstone- a sandstone or sandy slate that is easily split into large, thin slabs.
The spine of the Pyrmont peninsula is a sandstone ridge, still visible at Pyrmont Point despite reshaping by deforestation, quarrying, land reclamation and subsequent industrialization and de-industrialization. Pyrmont's topography was dramatically altered as the quarrymasters cut vast swathes through its famous yellowblock, stripping it bare to make the rest of Sydney beautiful.


" Ways Terrace, Pyrmont"
1994 oil on board 41 x 122cm
Enquiries
Often the demolition madness that engulfed the peninsula throughout the 1990s would have the unexpected bonus of revealing the hidden beauty beneath the surface.
In 1989 the gardens planted by local residents in the James Watkinson Reserve in front of Ways Terrace were demolished and left derelict. The 2 dead trees on the hill were a notorious landmark for over a decade. The hole became a pond with many waterfowl, so possibly it was the site of the original Pyrmont spring.
When LendLease started the demolition of the CSR Distillery for the Jackson's Landing development, McCaffery's stables were excavated and revived as a premium source of sandstone.
It was cut like giant blocks of cheese and stored under the newly built Anzac Bridge before being sculpted to restore heritage projects on historic buildings all over Sydney.

"Pyrmont - McCaffery's Hill -Demolition of CSR Distillery "
2000 oil on canvas 61 x 46 cm
Enquiries 

This painting shows the site of the old "Paradise Quarry" , renowned as the source of the best Pyrmont yellowblock sandstone during the 19th century.
The "paradise stone" was a warm honey-yellow to brown colour but was dense fine-grained and comparatively difficult to work compared to the stone from the other 2 quarries, "Purgatory" and "Hellhole".
After the quarries closed in the late 19th century, the McCaffrey's stables were built there by the CSR to stable the horses that transported the sugar and rum from the refinery and distillery. Later the stables were used to house the brilliant green sugar trucks which had replaced the horses and carts.


" Sandstone under the Anzac Bridge" 1998
oil on canvas 41 x 61cm
Enquiries 
After these blocks of sandstone had been quarried at McCaffrey's Stables, they were then sent to cool their heels for a while under the Anzac Bridge, where the dragon boats are now stored.
Later these blocks were sent to the stone masons trained by the master mason George Proudman under the Centenary Stoneworks Programme. Eventually this sandstone was used to restore heritage items such as the gargoyles of the University of Sydney.
Pyrmont’s sandstone has decorated the best loved historic Sydney buildings such as the Australian Museum, the Sydney Post Office, the Lands Department and the University of Sydney. These intricate swirls of foliage writhe around the top of the columns of the western entrance of Sydney Technical College in Ultimo.


P258 'Capital of Sydney Technical College'
2012 oil on canvas 20 x 20cm

Enquiries

The Sydney Technical College building, which is part of the main campus of Sydney Institute of TAFE (Technical and Further Education), is on Mary Ann Street at the southern end of Bulwara Road in Ultimo, although the street address is given as 651-731 Harris Street. Built in 1891, it was designed by William Kemp in the Federation Romanesque architectural style. I call it Glebe Gothic.


P259 'Capital of Sydney Technical College' 2012
oil on canvas 20 x 20cm
Enquiries 

The heavily ornate brick and terracocotta construction is adorned with bizarrely incongruous Australian ornamental plants and animals such as waratahs, kangaroos, wombats, echidnas, platypuses and lizards.
They were created by the master sculptor of the Lands Department building, William Priestly Macintosh.
There is a similar outburst of patriotism with the sculptors of the gargoyles and grotesques of the University of Sydney. Some Australian fauna can be adapted into truly frightening gargoyles and it's a pity that their forms were unknown to the master craftsmen of Cluny. One of the bug-eyed twitchy kangaroos with bared claws poised to hurtle off the roof of the Quadrangle is known fondly by the students as "Skippy on a 3 day meth binge".

'The Lizards of oz-

Sydney Technical College, Ultimo Tafe' 2012

oil on board 20 x 40cm
Enquiries 
Lizards do enjoy soaking up the warmth, and the golden sandstone attracts the few feeble rays of sun that have been available this wet summer.
These goannas have picked a precarious but attractive perch to catch up on their tans while stalking the hapless marsupials and monotremes that cling to the arches below. The platypus seems unaware but the possum looks very alarmed and turns to hiss in anger.
The sculptor has done a wonderful job of reproducing the scaliness of their skins, and even the slight greying discolouration of the sandstone on their backs helps add to the illusion of reptilian flesh.

Related posts

Terminus Redux

To the Point
Wrong side of the tracks - Darling Island Bond and Free
Pretty vacant 
My Pyrmont page in this blog

A Tale of two hotels - the Terminus and the Point

The bad twin of Pyrmont Street

Pyrmont Paintings past and present