The Collection of Marie Wright and the Estate of Allan H Jordan
Allan Jordan (1898–1982) contributed significantly to the study and practice of printmaking in Melbourne during the mid-20th Century.
Allan Jordan graduated from Swinburne Technical College, in 1919
He studied at Swinburne Technical College, graduating in 1919, and continued at the college in an academic capacity as teacher and art lecturer. In his senior years between 1957 and 59, Jordan was appointed Head of Swinburne Art. He remained dedicated to his art practice during his tenure at the college. His students and fellow artists remembered him as generous and inclusive, ‘Jordan was a genial character in a quiet, ingrained, good-natured way.’1
JOHN BRACK (1920-1999), Head of a Woman
Through his teaching, Jordan guided many emerging and established Melbourne artists in printmaking techniques. He encouraged his students ‘to view printmaking and book production as art forms and to experiment across media. His etching classes were open to all students; Robert Rooney remembers Erica McGilchrist and Norma Redpath experimenting in the early 1950s.’ 2
John Brack enrolled in the block making and etchings courses at Swinburne in 1954, studying under the tutelage of Allan Jordan. He chose to delve into the medium in response to collectors who admired his work yet were priced out of the market. ‘Whenever I had exhibitions - in the early fifties, that is - people would say, ‘I would love to have one of those paintings but I can’t afford it.’ That was the reason why I learnt etching.’ 3
His initial explorations with the medium included etching and drypoint on seven plates printed at the college facilities. Brack's first ‘tentative effort’ in this series was the haunting profile titled Head of a woman. ‘In the 1955 exhibition, six of these prints were shown, the finest of which are the four drypoints of his daughters… Printed in editions between eleven and fifteen, the drypoints retained their soft velvety texture, giving crispness and stark contrast to the line.’ 4
JOHN BRACK (1920-1999), Second Daughter 1954
Brack's early etchings from this period tell the tale of a lively and rambunctious household. ‘The house was theirs, not ours,’ noted Helen, referring to her four daughters, in a 2018 interview. 5
These intimate etchings bring into focus seemingly insignificant everyday moments of family life. We glimpse one daughter peering over the sink while brushing her teeth; While in the hallway, an angry and defiant girl faces us with clenched fists; followed by an infant with arms and legs akimbo, staring back with an arresting gaze of unguarded curiosity. The strength of these compositions, coupled with the tenderness of the subject matter, makes these images irresistibly endearing.
‘While the purpose in making these early drypoints may have resulted from his desire to produce work that would be more easily affordable, the resulting prints have a quality of tone and line quite different from that of his drawings.’ These prints are rare examples of the artist’s earliest explorations in printmaking. They carry the provenance of the artist's former teacher, Allan Jordan, and have been preserved in the collection of Marie Wright, Jordan’s only daughter, and are being offered on the market for the first time.
- Sarah Garrecht
View the Collection of Marie Wright and the Estate of Allan H Jordan
1, Robert Littlewood, The New Australian Bookplate Society, Newsletter ed. 35, 2014, p. 5
2, Roger Butler, Printed images by Australian artists:1942-2020, 2021, p. 138
3, James Gleeson interview with John Brack, 5 October & 29 November 1978
4, Sasha Grishin, The Art of John Brack, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1990, p. 47
5, https://www.portrait.gov.au/content/also-domesticitys-creative-maelstrom