HMAS Armidale (l)
In this painting the lightly armed corvette is shown in the Timor Sea before the fatal attack upon the ship by Japanese aircraft. This work relates to the series of ten pastel drawings by Jan Senbergs depicting the sinking of HMAS Armidale on 1 December 1942.
Jan Senbergs’ series of ten drawings, acquired by the Australian War Memorial, evolved as a collaborative project between the artist and architect Col Madigan, one of the HMAS Armidale survivors. Madigan gradually revealed to his long-standing colleague and friend his memories of the sinking.
The idea of depicting the story of the Armidale as a series of large drawings in the manner of an imaginary narrative strip developed from Senbergs’ viewing of the Bayeux tapestry in Normandy in 1997. Beginning with the attack on the Armidale and ending with the rescue of the survivors, the works retain a sense of narrative commentary. Yet the drawings are, above all, a deeply personal interpretation of the event, rendered in Senbergs’ characteristic style, based on an expressionistic treatment of the subject.
- About Jan Senbergs
Jan Senbergs (1939 – 2024) was one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists. His practice included painting, drawing and printmaking. He has been the subject of a number of major institutional exhibitions, including Jan Senbergs: Observation-Imagination, a comprehensive retrospective of his work held at the National Gallery of Victoria in 2016.
Jan Senbergs’ first exhibition was held at Richman Galleries in Melbourne in 1960 and he exhibited extensively throughout his career. His work is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra and in all state galleries in Australia, as well as the National Gallery, Washington D.C; Wadsworth-Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut; Museum of Modern Art, New York; The British Museum, London; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas.
- About HMAS Armidale (l)
HMAS Armidale was a Bathurst Class, Australian Minesweeper (commonly known as a corvette). Armidale and her sister corvettes were routinely used for convoy escort work. That service ended for Armidale in October 1942 when she was ordered to join the 24th Minesweeping Flotilla at Darwin.
More reading
- Additional resources for Jan Senbergs
- Additional resources for HMAS Armidale (l)
