This is a piece I completed a little while ago. The idea behind it, was to try and capture Australian identity. In achieving this, I depicted a well-known Australian geographical location. The place I chose to depict, was the Great Ocean Road. To accompany this, I chose to paint, two well-known, classic Australian cars. I chose to depict the Holden Monaro and the Chrysler Charger, because both of them have close ties to Australian identity.
In a lot of my pieces, I try to follow an Australian theme. Australia is quite famous for its summers, coastal towns and beaches. This is why I choice to depict a summer’s day on the Great Ocean Road. The Holden Monaro was conceived, during the heyday of Australian manufacturing, first appearing in 1968. The Monaro hit the ground running, by winning back-to-back Bathurst 500 races in 1968 and 1969. It went on to be very successful, ceasing production in 2006.
Meanwhile the Chrysler Charger, was developed in secret in Australia. Developed in the late 1960s, and debuting in the early 1970s, Chrysler HQ in America weren’t even aware of the Charger. There was one goal in mind, create a racer that could compete against Holden and Ford. This car too, has gone on to be considered a classic. It is for this reason why I have paired these cars, in this setting on a summer’s day.
Rob McGregor is a New Zealand based artist. McGregor’s pieces tend to centre around where he lives, encompassing coastal areas that have a personal significance to him. McGregor tries to convey Summery scenes of beaches and seascapes. I felt this was an integral part of Australian identity, so I painted my Australian version. The Great Ocean Road and the towns along it, hold a lot of personal significance for me. I use to go on family holidays to the town Lorne. As an adult, I frequently go there during summer. So, I took inspiration from Rob McGregor, in painting this piece.
You can read more from RagingBull (Callum Quirk) Here.
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