Australian Gum Blossom Report by Tinette Earley

Australian Gum Blossom Report by Tinette Earley

The Australian Gum Blossom portrait by Margaret Preston is a well-illustrated portrait of a beautiful pot of gum blossom flowers. This report is going to be giving some insight on my interpretation of the emotions and meaning on the painting. In this report basic information, the description of the painting, the interpretation of the emotion and my judgment will be included.

The Australian Gum Blossom was painted by Margaret Preston in 1928. The portrait is an oil on canvas painting with a 55.5x55.5cm stretcher and a 69x69.7cm frame. The artist was born in Port Adelaide soon moving to Sydney where she grew up. She also created the painting when she was 53 years of age.

The imagery of the oil on canvas painting is a beautiful representation of the time of year that the flowers bloomed. The orange, red, pink and white clustered flowers shown in the portrait and set in a dark blue pot. The pot had no design but despite that it gives an artistic contrast between the colors. Some of the flowers are hanging over the edge of the pot and some are resting on the white stool that the pot appears to be sitting on.  The oil pastels that were used to recreate the blossoms were not smudged together giving the flowers a crisp appearance.

As the painting is of gum blossoms, the particular flower might have been significant to Margaret Preston when she created the artwork. The colors of the flowers collected that she painted may have been a particular favorite for her or she found bunches that were available to her at the time. Never the less giving the artwork a beautiful contrast. The un-smudged pastels used in the flowers give it a rustic appeal and let them to stand out against the other blossoms.

Personally, I like how the artist uses the different colored pastels to create a simple but detailed piece of art. I think the artwork is a great example of a masterpiece being ‘simple but affective’. Margaret Preston put a great deal of depth into the details of the flowers and how they are placed. I wouldn’t necessarily consider the artwork as important as there is no clear message behind it. It may have sentimental value to the artist but I don’t think of the art piece as important. The artwork is definitely good enough for a museum and I would like to see it in one of the museums closest to me.

The artwork Australian Gum Blossom by Margaret Preston is a great example of a beautifully created piece of work. She clearly spent a lot of time and effort on the piece. It will be worth a lot of money in year to come. 

By Tinette Earley