Stubbs painted a kangaroo from a skin supplied by Joseph Banks – the first known white artist to draw this animal. The painting was shown at the Society of Artists, London. In 1773 the first published account of Cook’s voyage to Australia included an impressive double-page engraving based on Stubb’s painting. Working only with an inflated kangaroo skin, Stubbs failed to adequately represent the strength of the creature. A live kangaroo did not appear in Britain until 1791. The image has been widely reproduced over the centuries. For Daniel Thomas and Ron Radford’s National Bicentennial Art Exhibition in 1988 the curators commissioned a painting from Imants Tillers , who came up with an 'absent’ version of Stubbs’ famous image.
This entry is a stub. You can help DAAO by submitting a biography.
- Writers:
- Staff Writer
- Date written:
- 1999
- Last updated:
- 2011
