d'Arcy Doyle Aussie Everyman Painter
I was watching a
documentary recently on the great American commercial painter Norman Rockwell.
A genius at portraying everyday people in common everyday scenes, sometimes
with a touch of humour but always with sense of warmth and affection. His
portraits of American scenes and situations have become the standard of what
people perceive as “everyday” American life from the 1930s to 60s. This whole
episode got me remising about my formative years mainly the mid 1970s and 1980s
and the artist d’Arcy W Doyle and his works had a similar effect the Rockwell
had on his country and why Doyle rates as one of my favourite local artists.
It is no surprise that
Doyle’s work would leave an impression on those from that era as Doyle was a
canny businessman and like Ken Done who followed him marketed his work into
countless prints and advertising paraphernalia such as biscuit tins, dinner
trays and calendars. At one time it was estimated that one in ten
Australian homes had one of his works in some form or another. This
was fortunate for me because at the time growing up surrounded by these images
though I had no real interest in art or illustration at that time, the
familiarity of it left its mark on my memory. When I was a young lad my
brothers and I were often packed up during school holidays and sent by bus up
to Yea, the township where my mum’s family originated and many still lived
along with our countless cousins. It wasn’t until later that looking closer at
some of these d’Arcy Doyle pictures and his depiction of country life that I
started to experience a major feeling of déjà vu. Though Doyle based
many of these paintings around his own home in South East Queensland, they
echoed my summers in Yea. The wide dusty dirt roads, playing cricket in the
late afternoon early evening in baggy shorts and shoeless. A mixed group of
both boys and girls of varying ages with nary a parent to be seen. Even the
houses resembled my Aunty and Uncles. Some sitting high with trestles and other
close to the street behind unkempt hedges. It was like a snapshot was taken of
our time on those holidays away from home while mum and dad worked.
d’Arcy Doyle was more than a
capturer of streetscapes. His deep infinity with the bush produced many
landscapes, once again predominantly Queensland and his portrait of Sir Donald
Bradman is considered a classic. He also became renowned as a mural painter
working receiving commissions to do similar types of work in many Sydney RSLs. An
organisation close to his heart as he served in the Australian Navy for seven years
including a stint in Korea. Doyle died of bone cancer, something he battled for
over a decade, in 2001 but his legacy continues with the d’Arcy Doyle Art
Awards now in their 16
th year
contributing
to the success of artists from across the country. The main landscape category
boasts a $10,000 first prize with further categories in Portraiture and Still
Life. .The awards and exhibition showcase the best of Australian art from
professionals and up and coming emerging artists with The d’Arcy Doyle Schools Challenge section dedicated to children attending
junior, middle and high schools.
So, while Doyle’s
prints and ephemera are not as prevalent as they once were, he still has a big
stake in the future of other artists and he has left his mark on my memories
even though it was only three or four works it’s probably influenced me more
than most artists in my life.
Originally printed in the BBCN Issue 297 March 2021 edition
