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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
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{{Use Australian English|date=June 2015}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2015}}
'''Eric Prentice Anchor Thake''' (8 June 1904, [[Auburn, Victoria|Auburn]]–3 November 1982, [[Geelong]]) was an Australian Graphic artist, designer, painter, printmaker and war artist.
'''Eric Thake''' (1904–1982), Eric Prentice Anchor Thanke, was an Australian artist, and veteran artist, born in Auburn, Vic, on 8 June 1908. Like his contemporaries [[Peter Purves Smith]] and [[Russell Drysdale]], Thake used elements of [[surrealism]] to capture the mood of the Australian landscape. His works are held in Australia's national and state galleries and in overseas collections.


His 1972 Christmas card ''An Opera House in Every Home,'' a humorous take on [[Jørn Utzon]]'s [[Sydney Opera House|World Heritage-listed building]] is a well-known work.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=McCulloch |first1=Alan |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/80568976 |title=The new McCulloch's encyclopedia of Australian art |last2=McCulloch |first2=Susan |last3=McCulloch Childs |first3=Emily |publisher=AUS Art Editions ; The Miegunyah Press |year=2006 |isbn=0-522-85317-X |edition=4th |location=Fitzroy |pages=ix |oclc=80568976}}</ref>
His 1942 oil painting ''Brownout'' sold in 2010 for $228,000.<ref>[http://www.deutscherandhackett.com/node/21000009/ Brownout, 1942 | Deutscher and Hackett] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330075713/http://www.deutscherandhackett.com/node/21000009/ |date=30 March 2012 }}, deutscherandhackett.com. Retrieved on 5 November 2010.</ref>


== Early life ==
Thake served as a Flying Officer in the [Royal Australian Air Force] (Service Number 145552) between 24 Nov 1943 and 28 Mar 1946.
Thake was born in [[Auburn, Victoria|Auburn]], Melbourne, on 8 June 1904 and at age fourteen at the end of [[World War I|WW1]] was apprenticed to a process engraving firm Patterson Shugg.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bunbury |first=Alisa |title=Windows, reflections and shadow play in the art of Eric Thake |url=https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/Alisa%20Bunbury%20-%20Windows%2C%20reflections%20and%20shadow%20play%20in%20the%20art%20of%20Eric%20Thake.pdf |access-date=19 December 2022 |website=State Library of Victoria}}</ref> He enrolled in 1921 at the [[National Gallery of Victoria Art School|Drawing School of the National Gallery of Victoria]], then went on to study painting and drawing part-time with the [[Modernism|modernist]] Melbourne artist [[George Bell (painter)|George Bell]] 1925–28.


==Notes==
== Career ==
Thake showed with the Contemporary Group, Melbourne, 1932-38 and with the [[Contemporary Art Society (Australia)|Contemporary Art Society]] from 1926-56 and concurrently, he worked in [[commercial art]] for the advertising firm Paton until 1956. Independently he produced linocuts which conveyed his laconic wit in clever visual puns; including [[Ex Libris (bookplate)|bookplates]] and many Christmas cards he produced for friends; numbers of which are held now in national collections.
He was a [[war artist]] enlisted as a [[Flying officer]] in the <nowiki>[[Royal Australian Air Force]]</nowiki> (Service Number 145552) between 24 Nov 1943 and 28 Mar 1946, the second such R.A.A.F combatant artist commissioned during [[World War II]] and his two tours of duty covered [[Port Moresby]], [[Numfor|Noemfoor Island]], [[Morotai]], [[Alice Springs]], [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]] and [[Kupang|Koepang]]. During that time he produced [[Surrealism|Surrealist]] works as one of the first working in that style in Australia,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pinson |first=Peter |title=The paintings of Flight Officer Eric Thake, official war artist, R.A.A.F. Historical Records Section, 1944-1946 |publisher=University of Wollongong |year=1987 |edition=Academic theses, PhD Dissertation |language=en |oclc=220997585}}</ref> alongside [[James Gleeson]] with whom he shared 1931 the Contemporary Art Society prize.<ref name=":0" /> His 1942 oil painting ''Brownout'' sold in 2010 for $228,000.<ref>[http://www.deutscherandhackett.com/node/21000009/ Brownout, 1942 | Deutscher and Hackett] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330075713/http://www.deutscherandhackett.com/node/21000009/|date=30 March 2012}}, deutscherandhackett.com. Retrieved on 5 November 2010.</ref>

His first solo exhibition was held after the war at Georges Gallery, Melbourne in 1947.

By 1960 his work included covers for the literary journal ''[[Meanjin]]'', designs for stamps, and concise medical diagrams he produced in the course of his employment from 1956 in the [[University of Melbourne]]’s Visual Aids Department where he remained until his retirement.

== Legacy ==
McCulloch notes that "his sensitivity towards the dispossession of Aboriginal people in his works in particular has been brought to light since his death, and there has been a growing interest in his wonderful Christmas card linocuts, produced from 1941 to 1975.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thake |first=Eric |title=The Christmas linocuts of Eric Thake, 1941-1975 |publisher=Croft Press |year=1978 |isbn=9780959599206 |location=South Yarra |oclc=27627925}}</ref>

The [[National Gallery of Victoria]] held a retrospective of his work in 1970.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bandman |first=Ken |date=5 June 1970 |title=Ken Bandman’s ART-WISE |pages=29 |work=The Australian Jewish News |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article262487075}}</ref>

== Exhibitions ==

* 1981: ''Pubs and Bars,'' Geelong Art Gallery
* 1981: Retrospective exhibition, Victorian Ministry for the Arts Gallery
* 2002: ''Christmas Greetings from Thake's Flat'', IPMA
* 2005: Retrospective. Geelong Gallery
* 1978: Survey of Australian Relief Prints 1900-1950, Deutscher Gallery,
* 1988-9: ''The Great Australian Art Exhibition,'' [[Art Gallery of South Australia]] travelling exhibition, Queensland Art Gallery [2]. (17 May 1988 – 17 July 1988); Art Gallery of Western Australia. (13 August 1988 – 25 September 1988); Art Gallery Of South Australia. (23 May 1989 – 16 July 1989)
* 1992: ''Classical Modernism: The George Bell Circle'', [[National Gallery of Victoria]]
* 2000-02: Federation: Australian Art and Society, [[National Gallery of Australia]] and touring
* 2003: Australian Surrealism: The Agapitos/Wilson Collection, [[Art Gallery of Western Australia]]
* 2005: Bookplates from the Corrigan Collection, [[Bendigo Art Gallery]]

== Awards ==

* 1931: Honorable Mention, [[Los Angeles]] Bookplate Exhibition, USA
* 1931: Contemporary Art Society prize (shared with James Gleeson),
* 1941: Geelong prize,
* 1947: Yorick Club prize,
* 1956; Cato Prize, VAS

== Collections ==
* [[National Gallery of Australia]]
* [[Art Gallery of New South Wales]]
* [[Art Gallery of South Australia]]
* [[Art Gallery of Western Australia]]
* [[National Gallery of Victoria]]
* [[Queensland Art Gallery]]
* [[Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery]]
* [[Australian War Memorial]]
* [[State Library Victoria|State Library of Victoria]]
* [[State Library of New South Wales]]
* [[Art Gallery of Ballarat]]
* [[Castlemaine Art Museum]]
* [[Geelong Art Gallery]]
* Mornington Peninsular Regional Art Gallery
* [[Newcastle Art Gallery]]
* [[Deakin University]]
* [[Flinders University]]
* [[La Trobe University]]
* [[University of Adelaide|University of Adelaide Library]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


Revision as of 02:41, 19 December 2022

Eric Prentice Anchor Thake (8 June 1904, Auburn–3 November 1982, Geelong) was an Australian Graphic artist, designer, painter, printmaker and war artist.

His 1972 Christmas card An Opera House in Every Home, a humorous take on Jørn Utzon's World Heritage-listed building is a well-known work.[1]

Early life

Thake was born in Auburn, Melbourne, on 8 June 1904 and at age fourteen at the end of WW1 was apprenticed to a process engraving firm Patterson Shugg.[2] He enrolled in 1921 at the Drawing School of the National Gallery of Victoria, then went on to study painting and drawing part-time with the modernist Melbourne artist George Bell 1925–28.

Career

Thake showed with the Contemporary Group, Melbourne, 1932-38 and with the Contemporary Art Society from 1926-56 and concurrently, he worked in commercial art for the advertising firm Paton until 1956. Independently he produced linocuts which conveyed his laconic wit in clever visual puns; including bookplates and many Christmas cards he produced for friends; numbers of which are held now in national collections. He was a war artist enlisted as a Flying officer in the [[Royal Australian Air Force]] (Service Number 145552) between 24 Nov 1943 and 28 Mar 1946, the second such R.A.A.F combatant artist commissioned during World War II and his two tours of duty covered Port Moresby, Noemfoor Island, Morotai, Alice Springs, Darwin and Koepang. During that time he produced Surrealist works as one of the first working in that style in Australia,[3] alongside James Gleeson with whom he shared 1931 the Contemporary Art Society prize.[1] His 1942 oil painting Brownout sold in 2010 for $228,000.[4]

His first solo exhibition was held after the war at Georges Gallery, Melbourne in 1947.

By 1960 his work included covers for the literary journal Meanjin, designs for stamps, and concise medical diagrams he produced in the course of his employment from 1956 in the University of Melbourne’s Visual Aids Department where he remained until his retirement.

Legacy

McCulloch notes that "his sensitivity towards the dispossession of Aboriginal people in his works in particular has been brought to light since his death, and there has been a growing interest in his wonderful Christmas card linocuts, produced from 1941 to 1975.[5]

The National Gallery of Victoria held a retrospective of his work in 1970.[6]

Exhibitions

  • 1981: Pubs and Bars, Geelong Art Gallery
  • 1981: Retrospective exhibition, Victorian Ministry for the Arts Gallery
  • 2002: Christmas Greetings from Thake's Flat, IPMA
  • 2005: Retrospective. Geelong Gallery
  • 1978: Survey of Australian Relief Prints 1900-1950, Deutscher Gallery,
  • 1988-9: The Great Australian Art Exhibition, Art Gallery of South Australia travelling exhibition, Queensland Art Gallery [2]. (17 May 1988 – 17 July 1988); Art Gallery of Western Australia. (13 August 1988 – 25 September 1988); Art Gallery Of South Australia. (23 May 1989 – 16 July 1989)
  • 1992: Classical Modernism: The George Bell Circle, National Gallery of Victoria
  • 2000-02: Federation: Australian Art and Society, National Gallery of Australia and touring
  • 2003: Australian Surrealism: The Agapitos/Wilson Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia
  • 2005: Bookplates from the Corrigan Collection, Bendigo Art Gallery

Awards

  • 1931: Honorable Mention, Los Angeles Bookplate Exhibition, USA
  • 1931: Contemporary Art Society prize (shared with James Gleeson),
  • 1941: Geelong prize,
  • 1947: Yorick Club prize,
  • 1956; Cato Prize, VAS

Collections

References

  1. ^ a b McCulloch, Alan; McCulloch, Susan; McCulloch Childs, Emily (2006). The new McCulloch's encyclopedia of Australian art (4th ed.). Fitzroy: AUS Art Editions ; The Miegunyah Press. pp. ix. ISBN 0-522-85317-X. OCLC 80568976.
  2. ^ Bunbury, Alisa. "Windows, reflections and shadow play in the art of Eric Thake" (PDF). State Library of Victoria. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  3. ^ Pinson, Peter (1987). The paintings of Flight Officer Eric Thake, official war artist, R.A.A.F. Historical Records Section, 1944-1946 (Academic theses, PhD Dissertation ed.). University of Wollongong. OCLC 220997585.
  4. ^ Brownout, 1942 | Deutscher and Hackett Archived 30 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, deutscherandhackett.com. Retrieved on 5 November 2010.
  5. ^ Thake, Eric (1978). The Christmas linocuts of Eric Thake, 1941-1975. South Yarra: Croft Press. ISBN 9780959599206. OCLC 27627925.
  6. ^ Bandman, Ken (5 June 1970). "Ken Bandman's ART-WISE". The Australian Jewish News. p. 29.

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