Figure
Tapestry
1989 (made)
1989 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Established by the Government of Victoria in 1976, the Victorian Tapestry Workshop has an international reputation for its handwoven tapestries. The majority of its tapestries are large-scale corporate and public commissions, but there has also been a demand from individual clients keen to own small examples of work. In order to make its tapestries more widely available, the workshop put together a collection of specially designed small tapestries, to be woven in limited editions.
Stephen Benwell is one of Australia's most notable ceramicists. He studied at the Victorian College of the Arts and received his Diploma of Art in 1974. In 2005, Benwell was awarded his Masters of Fine Arts from the Monash University. Primarily a ceramicist, Benwell uses the medium as a canvas, the lively marks, imagery and graceful use of colour are central to any piece he creates. Figure demonstrates his lyrical painitng style, which often contains a narrative, and the quirky use of imagery in this tapestry is reminiscient of the undulating surfaces of his ceramics.
Stephen Benwell is one of Australia's most notable ceramicists. He studied at the Victorian College of the Arts and received his Diploma of Art in 1974. In 2005, Benwell was awarded his Masters of Fine Arts from the Monash University. Primarily a ceramicist, Benwell uses the medium as a canvas, the lively marks, imagery and graceful use of colour are central to any piece he creates. Figure demonstrates his lyrical painitng style, which often contains a narrative, and the quirky use of imagery in this tapestry is reminiscient of the undulating surfaces of his ceramics.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Figure (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Tapestry woven with cotton weft on cotton warp |
| Brief description | Tapestry woven with cotton weft on cotton warp, 'Figure', designed by Stephen Benwell for the Victorian Tapestry Workshop, Melbourne, 1989 |
| Physical description | Handwoven Gobelin tapestry. Composition in blue, brown, yellow and black on a white ground. The pattern is broadly split into three vertical bands. The central band shows a standing male figure formed from black lines outlined in white on a blue ground. The left and right hand sides both show fairly abstract black lines also outlined in white. There is a female head in the middle of the right hand side of the tapestry. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Unique |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Artist: Stephen Benwell/Title: Figure/Victorian Tapestry Workshop15/89' (Label; English; Paper tag glued by cotton thread to the top of the back of the board.) |
| Object history | Artist's statement: 'I make handbuilt ceramics with underglaze painting - The long history of ceramics provides a starting point after which my work incorporates these historical sources into ornaments, vases, sculpture and other ceramic objects.' Purchased. Registered File number 1994/1388. Historical significance: This series of miniature tapestries was created by the Victorian Tapestry Workshop as a way of widening access to and ownership of their work. A number of artists, such as Stephen Benwell, the ceramic artist, agreed to collaborate on the project. Several of them spent time at the Workshop as artists in residence. This project differed from the usual large scale long-term work of the Workshop and provided individual, short-term and intimate challenges for the weavers. |
| Historical context | The Victorian Tapestry Workshop, established by the Government of Victoria in 1976, has an international reputation for the freshness, vitality and technical excellence of its hand-woven tapestries. The majority of the Workshop's tapestries are large-scale commissions, for display in venues such as arts complexes, schools and universities, corporate foyers and boardrooms. Between 1983 and 1988 the Workshop collaborated with Australian artist Arthur Boyd to produce a monumental tapestry for permanent display in the new Parliament House n Canberra. There has always been a demand from individual clients eager to own small examples of work and, in order to make their tapestries more widely available, the Workshop put together a collection of specially designed small tapestries to be woven in limited editions. Designs were commissioned from a number of Australian artists, several of whom spent time with the weavers as artists in residence. |
| Production | Reason For Production: Exhibition |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Established by the Government of Victoria in 1976, the Victorian Tapestry Workshop has an international reputation for its handwoven tapestries. The majority of its tapestries are large-scale corporate and public commissions, but there has also been a demand from individual clients keen to own small examples of work. In order to make its tapestries more widely available, the workshop put together a collection of specially designed small tapestries, to be woven in limited editions. Stephen Benwell is one of Australia's most notable ceramicists. He studied at the Victorian College of the Arts and received his Diploma of Art in 1974. In 2005, Benwell was awarded his Masters of Fine Arts from the Monash University. Primarily a ceramicist, Benwell uses the medium as a canvas, the lively marks, imagery and graceful use of colour are central to any piece he creates. Figure demonstrates his lyrical painitng style, which often contains a narrative, and the quirky use of imagery in this tapestry is reminiscient of the undulating surfaces of his ceramics. |
| Bibliographic reference | The Woven Language of the Victorian Tapestry Workshop |
| Other number | 2 (Contemporary Australian Tapestry: Miniature panels from the Victorian Tapestry Workshop exhibition) - Exhibition number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.871-1994 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | February 24, 2000 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
