On the Horizon

Explore horizon lines and play with perspective

Materials needed:

  • Two sheets of good-quality paper
  • A selection of coloured pencils
  • A pair of scissors
  • A glue stick

Start by looking at the works of art listed below. We have suggested some questions that will help facilitate a discussion, then follow the instructional video to create your own work of art.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this page contains names of deceased persons.

About the process

Discussion

Jeffrey Smart, Self portrait, Procida, 1950-51, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 2016, © The Estate of Jeffrey Smart.

Jeffrey Smart
1921-2013, Adelaide, SA, Kaurna Country
Self portrait, Procida
1950-51

About

Jeffrey Smart’s paintings are atmospheric and lend themselves to storytelling. They mix real-life observation with compositions based on geometry.

Discussion

  • Jeffrey Smart has painted a distinct line to indicate the horizon. What other lines can you see?
  • How has Jeffrey Smart used the placement of the two figures to draw our eye into the painting?
Discover more by Jeffrey Smart

Albert Namatjira, Western Arrarnta people, Waterhole, MacDonnell Ranges, c.1950, painting in watercolour over underdrawing in black pencil on paper, 26 h cm, 37.5 w cm, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, gift of Gordon and Marilyn Darling, celebrating the National Gallery of Australia's 25th Anniversary, 2009. Donated through the Australia Government's Cultural Gifts Program. © Namatjira Legacy Trust/ Copyright Agency

Albert Namatjira
1902-1959, Western Arrernte people
Waterhole, MacDonnell Ranges
c.1957

About

Albert Namatjira became famous in the 1950s for his watercolour landscapes of the Central Desert inspired by his cultural knowledge of these places. The landscapes contain ancestral stories inherited from both his mother and father.

Discussion

  • Take it in turns to name all the things you can see in this painting. Use the question ‘What can you see?’.
  • Discuss the pathway you would take to reach the horizon. Would you go up and over, or trvel around the mountains in the distance?
Discover more by Albert Namatjira
A painting of a sunset over an ocean. The sky is very dramatic with gashes of red on purples and blue.

Janet Dawson, Winter sunset, March 1972, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, Gift of the artist 2015. © Janet Dawson/Copyright Agency.

Janet Dawson
1927-1982, Melbourne, VIC, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong Boon Wurrung land
Winter Sunset
1972

About

Janet Dawson worked in drawing, printmaking, and painting. She made several works throughout her career that focused on the ephemeral effects of light in the sky.

“A good abstract work is a great joy… If you can empty your mind of chatter, and just live with the work for a few minutes, you find this enormous release into a mode of thought that is beyond speech.”

(Reference)

Discussion

  • How does this drawing conform to our understanding of a landscape?
  • How would you describe the time of day?
Discover more by Janet Dawson

Artmaking activity

The video can be watched before you begin artmaking, or it can be watched while you make with participants following along. We encourage you to pause or rewind as required.

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