LAWHILL, unfinished sketch
Artist
Dennis Adams
(1914-2001)
Date1938-1939
Object number00032212
NamePainting
MediumOil on canvas on wood
DimensionsOverall: 256 × 331 mm
Image: 214 × 300 mm
Image: 214 × 300 mm
Copyright© Josephine Yeats
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionUnfinished sketch of a crew member onboard the LAWHILL in 1938. He is mending a sail, an activity that was often undertaken on the deck in good weather.HistoryIn 1935 Dennis Adams went to sea on the last windjammers; ships that had been saved from the scrap heap to sail in the grain trade between Europe and Australia in the interwar period.
Adams sailed as a passenger on the HERZOGIN CECILIE to attend art school in London in 1935, returning to Australia in 1938 on LAWHILL. On both voyages he enjoyed the company of the captain, and dined at his table, yet also worked with the crew. He often climbed the rigging with his paint supplies and sketched all aspects of shipboard life.SignificanceDennis Adams paintings were signficant in capturing the last voyages of the windjammers in Australian and international waters during the 20th century.
