The siren song: Identity, belonging and Australian artists abroad, 1890-1914

This thesis is concerned with the siren-call that lured Australian artists abroad between 1890 and 1914, and the considerations of both identity and belonging that this travel allowed, instigated and perhaps demanded. This moment in British-Australian historiography is especially significant in covering the years that were immediately pre- and post-federation, with this timespan inevitably informing the movement of artists between Australia and Europe and their understandings of their place in the world. Those artists who ventured abroad followed a general pattern, going first to Paris to complete their studies before moving to London seeking to establish a career. They formed communities based on a common connection to Australia whilst also interacting with the broader creative community, notably through participating in clubs and societies. Such intersections proved significant in my examination of the negotiation and fashioning of identity, with Australian artists assuming various guises, for instance: professional and bohemian, spouse and painter, local and traveller. The contribution of this thesis to current literature lies in my efforts to rethink and redefine the fixedness of the identity of Australians, revealing how through living in Paris – the centre of art – and London – the heart of the Empire – artists contemplated, manipulated and invented their very selves. It was not my intention to simply compile biographical data, though I have researched the lives of the artists who will be addressed, but rather to explore the connections between them as part of a broader juncture in British-Australian history. The thesis traverses the broad thematic concerns of bohemia, communities, Empire, imagination, place, and travel, focussing ultimately on the multifaceted conception of authenticity, belonging and identity for those artists who heeded the overwhelming urge to engage with and participate in the Old World