Migratory birds travel long distances, from one end of the earth to another. They are known as ‘birds of passage’; an expression that can also be applied to people. For artists Ian Fairweather and Paul Jacoulet, their journeys across Asia and the Pacific, in the first half of the twentieth century, influenced both the content of their work and their ways of making.
This display illustrates the influence of travel and cross-cultural experience on their respective works. Fairweather had a deep knowledge of Chinese art, while Jacoulet was committed to the craft of Japanese woodblock printmaking, and these qualities allowed both artists to act as a bridge between cultures.
Image: Paul Jacoulet, France 1896-1960 / Les perles, Mandchoukuo (The pearls, Manchukuo) 1950 / Colour woodblock print on PJ watermarked paper / 40 x 30cm / Purchased 2021 with funds from the Airey Family through the QAGOMA Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Paul Jacoulet/ADAGP/Copyright Agency
