Heroes of Colonial Encounters - William Bligh

Artist Helen S Tiernan (born 1952)

Date2017

Object number00055148

NamePainting

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsOverall: 305 × 305 × 40 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection.

Terms

DescriptionAn oil painting of William Bligh by artist Helen S Tiernan as part of a series of works titled 'Heroes of Colonial Encounters'. Bligh is depicted wearing his naval uniform and holding a compass in his right hand, a reference to his navigational skills that were tested after the mutiny experienced on HMS BOUNTY. HistoryThis painting of William Bligh by Helen S Tiernan is based on a 1776 portrait by John Webber. William Bligh, a contentious figure in both British and Australian history, was the fourth Governor of New South Wales. Bligh arrived in the colony in August 1806 but in January 1808 was arrested and overthrown by the military during what became known as the Rum Rebellion. Bligh fled to Hobart and although the military action would later be ruled illegal in London courts, Bligh never returned as Governor. As part of a series of portraits that make up 'Heroes of Colonial Encounters', this portrait of Ballodere is part of Helen Tiernan's exploration of the singular European view of colonial history and the way Indigenous peoples are depicted as the 'primitive' or 'other'. The portraits she paints of Bennelong, Bungaree, Colby, Bidgee Bidgee, Ballodere and Tommy sees them treated equally as their European contemporaries such as Cook, Joseph Banks, William Bligh, Arthur Philip and Matthew Flinders. All portraits are to hang together on the same wall, equally ornate, equal in style and equal in history. SignificanceThis work is significant in providing a dual perspective of histories and first encounters in Australia and through the Pacific. Most post-colonial art takes its subject from earlier colonial times, but this doesn’t mean their interests are purely historical. To the contrary, the point of post-colonialism is to show how many unresolved issues from colonial history are embedded in the present.