South Pacific: Paul Ryan

Ryan, in his heart, will always return to his perennial muse—the sea mist-clad Illawarra Escarpment. This is a place in the hands of Ryan’s swathing palette knife. The artist becomes the architect of an experience where the audience not only sees his view, but, feel it in their bones. It is a direct link to the Romantic tradition that was so influential to the erudite Joseph Banks. To feel the landscape, one needs to enter that world on a different plane of consciousness—is it God, or nature? Ryan really doesn’t care who or what your God is—he’s seen plenty of them.  But one thing is for sure; he is going to lead you into the experience of encountering awe in the landscape. 

The focused protagonist in this exhibition is Sir Joseph Banks. In Banks, matures one of Ryan's thematic tangents of the last decade—the 'Dandy'. A post-French Revolutionary, Baudelaire inspired ideal; a young handsome man, well dressed and somewhat self-absorbed, yet, thankfully, intelligent. Ryan draws on the aesthetics of Dandyism but points to the importance and enormity of Banks’ (self-funded) scientific achievements that were to make him one of the most recognized names in natural history. The most English of landed gentlemen, Banks collected over 10,000 specimens on the voyage. As he recounts in his journal every moment that was spent on dry land; 

"Myself in the woods botanising as usual" 1..

Ryan cannot help himself. Throughout this exhibition, the artist swoops in like a seagull targeting a crisp hot chip—picking moments from art history at will. That Time Margaret Preston Dropped Acid, a wickedly robust still life oil painting of banksia flowers is a beautiful challenge, taunting us to get the joke that traverses Australian art history. Elsewhere, Ryan summons the ghost of the great British portrait artist, Joshua Reynolds (who painted Joseph Banks in 1774). Reynolds would draw on the compositional power of the portrait in the context of a relevant landscape. In doing so, the artist would provide gravitas to the story of a portrait and a sense of historical reverence to the sitter.  Structurally, Ryan’s The Volcano. Banks is a direct nod to Reynolds.  The volcano locates the viewer in the Pacific rim of fire. The very essence of the sublime, the volcano is something that man can never control—the ultimate reminder of nature’s immense power to dictate all things to the mere mortal man.

This is an exhibition of many parts, yet, is at its core, powerful. It is prophetic in its timely reminder of the strength of the natural world. No matter how we thirst to know all, we will never conquer it—yet, must try to use all of our collective knowledge to survive a future in it.  

 1. The Endeavour Journal of Joseph Banks 1768-1771, Edited by J.C. Beaglehole, Volume 2, (Halstead Press Sydney, 1962), p.59.