John A. Gardner, Artist
John Andrew Gardner (1906–c.1990)
John Andrew Gardner, born in Camperdown, Victoria, in 1906, was a talented Australian artist celebrated in his lifetime for his evocative response to the rugged Australian landscape and his vibrant use of colour. His story is an important — and today little-known — part of the development of Australian art.
From an early age Gardner showed a talent for art, inspired by the natural beauty of the Australian countryside. He pursued formal education at the National Gallery Art School in Melbourne, developing a unique style characterised by bold brushwork and dynamic compositions. He worked as a commercial artist but his aspiration was to become a painter.
Hermannsburg — and the Namatjira Connection
Rex Battarbee, a friend from his time at the NGV school, became his painting companion. While many aspiring artists headed overseas, Gardner and Battarbee headed into the Australian interior. In 1932 they drove out in a battered Model-T Ford to the Hermannsburg Mission in Central Australia, where they encountered a local Aboriginal stockman with artistic talent: Albert Namatjira. He was already making and decorating small mulgawood items to sell to visitors. Watching John and Rex painting, Namatjira is quoted as saying: “You know, one day I’m going to take up painting. Just for a hobby, mind you.”
When the two painters returned in 1934 and put on a display of their work for the locals, Albert famously said he could do that too — which he went on to do, becoming the pioneering figure in the emergence of Australia’s indigenous artist identity. While Rex Battarbee is given the credit for teaching Namatjira, John Gardner was just as important — and according to local Geelong legend, probably gave Namatjira his first watercolour lessons.
The Accident — and Painting with His Left Hand
After his Central Australian period, Gardner settled on a farm in the Western District as a dairy farmer when not painting. In 1960 he suffered a catastrophic accident — hit by a car, losing the use of his dominant right hand. Against all odds, he recovered to the point where he trained his brain to divert his artistic talent to his left hand, continuing to produce work of remarkable quality.
