Surfboat launch, 1938
Photographer
Max Dupain
(1911 - 1992)
Date1938
Object number00001260
NameSilver gelatin print
MediumPaper
DimensionsOverall: 475 x 400 mm
Display dimensions (Frame): 895 x 660 x 45 mm
Mount / Matt size: 866 x 630 mm
Display dimensions (Frame): 895 x 660 x 45 mm
Mount / Matt size: 866 x 630 mm
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionBlack and white print, 'Surfboat launch 1938', by Australian photographer Max Dupain.HistoryDupain preferred black and white photography to capture the dazzling light and colour of the Australian seaside.
He was a leading figure of the modernist New Photography movement in the 1930s and pursued a life long fascination with extremes of light, perspective and its relationship to form.
Dupain was an enthusiastic beach goer and felt a strong affinity with Sydney beaches and those who also embraced them. Whether pleasure seekers or more invested groups such as lifesavers. Dupain saw lifesavers through the lens of heroism and peak physical fitness - ideals of masculinity are strong elements in his lifesaving images. These men were what an ideal Australian looked like and set in the ultimate Australian landscape of Sydney's beaches. Surf carnivals and boat races were the best scenario to display these elements.
SignificanceCelebrated photographer Max Dupain turned his camera on the beach to create some of Australia's most enduring images of sunbathers, surf lifesavers and swimmers.
