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1. An Essay on Life
and Aesthetic
ideas of Max
Dupain
April 29
2016
Student Name:
University Name:
Course Name:

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Maxwell Spencer Dupain- Introduction:
“Max Dupain” or “Maxwell Spencer Dupain, ” a renowned Australian photographer whose work
is placed in major art galleries and by the art collectors of Australia. His birthplace was Sydney
Australia where he lived all his life. Ena Dupain gave him birth in Ashfield, Sydney in 1911.
His father George sent him to Sydney Grammar School for studies where he worked hard,
observed keenly and learned both English literature and the English poetry eagerly.
He was considered as the Australia’s most respected and an influencing black and white
photographer of the twentieth century. He was interested in photographing the landscapes, and
the nudes, as well as still life shots. His famous work comprises of architecture, the Australian
beaches, and the still photographs that show creative imaging of sharp focuses, and graphic
compositions with the boldness and culture of Australian cities. He was remembered as the
champion of modernism.(Maxdupain.com.au, 2016)
His photographs defined beach culture; as beaches are his inspiration that led him to make
remarkable and fascinating images. “The Sunbaker,” “The Form At Bondi” and “Newport” all
capturing that beautiful moment. It was not just the beach, but the overall Sydney held his
attention and let him photograph the rare architectures and pleasant moments. He began working
in the mid-thirties and took pictures of the variety of types such as portraits, and nudes, etc.
Dupain expressed the qualities abstract art, emphasizing the simple design and shapes of a
structure. He was never retired but working continued until recent health issues that forced him
to decrease his workload and take fewer projects. Dupain work was exhibited mostly in Britain
in an 80th-birthday celebration at the gallery of The Photographers' in London. (Ride, 1992) He
died in the year 1992, his philosophy of work can be comprehended in two most refined
keywords, “straightforwardness” and the “directness.” (Australia.gov.au, 2016)

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Dupain and Work:
Dupain was fond of photography in black and white and felt that color was confined to its work,
and that was nothing left for many interpretations. He got his first camera when he turned 13 that
let him develop his keen interest in photography. The work conducted in “Use of Leisure Time”
attained him the Carter Memorial gift for the work in the year 1928. Afterward, he started
working at the NSW Picture shoot Society where he had a meeting with Australian a legendary
Australian pictorial photographer Harold Cazneaux. In the year 1930, he signed a three-year
contract with Sydney’s renowned photographer Cecil Bostock. Here he got acquainted with the
techniques related to studio picture shooting, meticulous working towards detail. Dupain worked
on weekends and conducted photo shoots of his family and friends and produced a state-of-the-
art picture “Weather of Tartarus” in the year 1932. Dupain integrated his modern thoughts in his
photography and created this fascinated picture “Weather of Tartarus”. (Maxdupain.com.au,
2016)
In 1934, he turned 23 years and began his studio in Sydney. His economic output was very vast,
including fashion photo shoots, illustrative, and portraits photo shoots for different clients.
At this point, he continued to absorb the 'new' ideas from America and Europe. The new
photographers like Laszlo Moholy, and Man Ray, along with Walker Evans all thoroughly
enjoyed his creativity. He created rayographs in the year 1938, and the montage imagery that is
an amalgamation of woman and trees collection in the year 1930. (Australia.gov.au, 2016)
His surreal photo shoot called the “Nude with pole” in the year 1936 are considered as best work
of photographic art where he showed his influence of the transcendent vital force that is present
in the living beings around us. (Crombie, 2004)

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Dupain appreciated the Norman Lindsay and DH Lawrence work and highly regarded photo
shoots by Laurence Le Guay. For himself, the beach picture was the apparent object to
portraying physical force. Well-known picture includes “Surf race” began (1940), and of course,
Sunbaker (1937). Between the years 1930 - 1960, he concentrated on work on portraits showing
professional individuals as well as personal work. Even prestigious work of Dupain included the
beautiful photo shoot like 'Hollywood lit'. Like the moody portraits in the year 1930 of the
Russian Ballet, which is a fashion illustration showcasing the woman with hat. In the year 1930,
he pictured Portrait of Tamara Tchinarova. And in 1938 the photograph of Paul Petroff showing
a bold composition. His further work included the photograph of Arthur A Calwell in the year
1945 and then the documentary-style picture of Sydney-siders from the late thirties as well the
Gypsies in the Domain from Sydney in late forties (1930s).
Dupain married in 1939 with his childhood friend photographer Olive Cotton. They separated a
year after their marriage. His wife at that time initiated the ‘Dupain's Clarence Street studio in
Sydney during his attendance in the war where he was busy shooting the army and soldiers. The
war provided him the experience toward documenting the military, the soldiers and the war itself
in photographic images. In the year 1946, he was inducted by the Australian Department of
Information to photo shoot how the life in this country is enriching and fulfilling as they wanted
to show Australia a land of joy and prosperity. This period photography of Dupain shows his
style inclining towards documentary that is also good records of Australia's society. He
photographed many pictures of Australians, out of these the most brilliant was the picture called
“Meat queue,” shot in the year 1946. Dupain went back to his studio in the year 1947 where he
established his documentary images called the “cosmetic lie of fashion photo shoots or
advertising illustration.” (Dupain, Moorhouse and White, 2003)

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His second marriage was with “Diana Illingworth”, who given birth to his son “Rex” and a
daughter “Danina”. In the year 1960, he began his specialization for his 'long suit' which is a
mixture of historical and modern architecture. He was contemplated as the first Australian
photographer who shown the construction of Australia in his photographs. He got good
commissions from the architects like John D Moore, and Samuel Lipson, who praised his work.
Then he also continued to collaborate with Ken Woolley and Arthur Baldwinson, and lastly Glen
Murcutt. Furthermore, he collaborated with the renowned Australian architect Harry Seidler to
do projects, like the Deakin in Canberra and then the Seidler's House at 11 North cote Crescent.
In the year 1961, he was rehired by the National Trust of Australia to photo shoot the Australian
building heritage via his fabulous photography.
His worked for three leading agencies of Australia. Between 1950-1960, he was working with
the Australian Broadcasting Commission. And in the year 1940, he was with the Australian
Department of Information. Between 1960-1970, he served with the Australian Department of
Trade. All these have huge photograph collections that are now kept in the Archives.
(Naa.gov.au, 2016)
Dupain and Recognitions:
In the year 1975, his photo shoots were the first time reviewed at the Australian Centre for
Photography. In the year 1980, on his tremendous photographic work, he was handed over with
honor from the Order of British Empire. And in the year 1983, he was granted a lifetime
membership with the eminent “The Institute of Royal Australian Architects”. Two books were
published in the year 1986 and 1988 respectively in recognition of Dupain's work in
photography. These books critically reviewed as well as admired his contribution towards this
specialized field of art called “photography”.

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The modernists photographers belonging to the USA or from the Berlin in Europe all liked his
work captured in his photographs related to the architecture and beauty of Australia. His work
contained adventure and reflected the history and knowledge of Australia. During the 1930s,
Dupain worked with double exposures and floral colorization technique. He studied echo system
machinery and the industrial buildings so that he can enhance the image quality similar to the
USA based photographer Margaret Bourke-White.
Dupain’s work against the abstract and other photography aesthetics was reviewed by many
critics such as the famous Lionel Lindsay critically analyzed his work and commented it to be a
fabulous combination of art and uniqueness in photography. Dupain also taught the students
about photography and analysis of visual artworks. His work depicts the objects of his
composition, the line work, the light and formation of historical photographs. The students can
get inspiration from his creative works as suggested by the Australian Ministerial Council on
Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs and the Cultural Ministers Council in late
2007. (The Arts Council, 2016)
Dupain and “Sunbaker”:
Dupain's working life spans details of artistic and commercial success, and photographic work.
His work depicted love that is coupled with his set up symmetries. Dupain lived his life as a
dedicated patriot who wanted to describe Australian life with its uniqueness and simplicity. His
1937 photograph "Sunbaker" is considered globally as his most celebrated work. (Nga.gov.au,
2016)
Sunbaker proved to be an iconic image of Australia as he vigorously photographed his country
along with his most beloved city Sydney and left a million photos in his legacy. The recognized

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and most talked about picture “Sunbaker” was photographed at the sandy beach side of Culburra,
that is located on the New South Wales South Coast, in the year 1937.
This photo depicts an utter satisfaction of an individual who is lying on the ground, looks relaxed
and calm. He lays on the sandy beach with his back towards the sun, where the seawater, as well
as the sweat, sparkles on his back side skin. Dupain showed the model’s satisfaction with his
low-angle imagination that can be observed in the simple shape of model’s oval head and the
body depicting a mountain like set in the stated area. This picture represents Dupain’s inspiration
from the European modernist photographers, who show high interest in exploring the images
form than creating detailed photographs. This picture Sunbaker then became a national icon for
Australia. (Crerar, 2012)
Dupain and “The Form At Bondi”:
"The Form At Bondi" is the second most famous artwork of Max Dupain that was captured in
1939 NSW Sydney, Australia at our famous favorite beach "Bondi." One of the greatest work
‘The Form At Bondi’ expressed his outstanding photography of the swimmers at Bondi beach
and the life-savers at this beachside. Dupain’s workplaces a profound impact on the viewers who
find this picture showing captured momentous moments of life at Australian beach that has a real
beauty of Australian seaside depicting both scenery and the landscapes. Beaches represent
Australia in a way as they are always visually appealing. They create a significant impact on
individuals, and hence a lot of people spend their time on beaches. This picture may remind
individuals how much fun they may have when they go to beaches. It also shares the society’s
influence and tells individuals who they are, where and in what kind of activities they usually
spend their time, what are their likings and dislikes and the atmosphere that surrounds them, as
shown in this beach picture.

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This image lets the viewer attention on the male model who is steadily standing in a dominant
position keeping his hands on his hips, with a widespread legs that are firmly placed on the
ground. The Female model standing along with him shows support to his masculinity. These
two individuals in their swimwear standing in the sun enjoying the summer day while in the
picture's background other individuals are looking smaller whereas these two as placed in the
middle of the photograph with sky gradually toning from dark to light as the photographer has
keenly created this photo to draw the attention of viewers swiftly. Both the black and white color
and the tonal attributes in this picture permits the viewer to feel this image in their perception.
(Crombie, 2004)
Dupain and Australian Architecture:
His architectural icon image of Sydney Opera House shows the symbolism of Australian
modernity. He spent many hours and took thousands of pictures throughout its construction. In
the year 1971, he shifted to a new studio located in the area of Artarmon, Sydney, where he
continued working for his last twenty years of life. In the year 1972, the publication Sydney
developed an Opera House with the help of his pictures. He photographed architecture
comprising of properties like, “The Historic Houses Trust”, and then the “Australian Embassy”
in the vicinity of Paris and then other buildings designed by well-renowned architect, Francis
Greenway. Numerous of these pictures were used in publications and exhibitions.
He contributed to the development of Australia’s architectural photography as his continuous
work span remained till six decades where he highly stimulated the awareness and the interest in
architectures of Australia. His work provided a profound understanding of the Australian culture
and heritage and helped to build a nation’s environment. Dupain became a dominant Australian
individual in his specified field of black and white photography as his work is a combination of

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both modernist approaches as well as documentary perspectives to the Australian architectural
photography. He was globally considered as an innovator in his photographic techniques and the
practice that he develops for photo shoots than the contemporary practice of that time.
Dupain and 2nd World War:
Throughout the 2nd world war, Dupain worked in the camouflage unit of the Royal Australian
Air Force. He recognized the need of photography during the war and worked enthusiastically
for Australia’s army. The Home Security Department utilized the ideas of cubism, surrealism,
and abstraction to help the army camouflage and country soldiers, military and aeroplanes
equipment. Dupain photographed in camouflage during the war. This work is comparable with
the USA based Arshile Gorky and the British-based artist Roland Penrose, who also shown in
their photos the way to confine and then work on the items and bodies for achieving advantages
for their respective army. (Naa.gov.au, 2016)
Dupain used a machine that comprises of an aerial-aided eye that was utilized for infrared
filming the war zone as it gives a clear and more visibility to see through the disguise. Dupain
was trained by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) where he learned to note the aerial
information and illustrate the signals from the below-camouflaged area. He developed on ground
camouflage installations and tested it that later on used in his images. In the year 1936, he used
wire mesh to create the pattern of wire mesh shadow on the model’s skin to develop a complete
confusion that is later on saved in his state-of-the-art photography. Dupain’s photography before
war was a mixture of lots of experimentation with optical effects. Such as the utilization of
double-exposures impact where he disintegrated the two different picture, bind them together
and produced an adorable effect. (Elias, 2013)

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There are many things between modernism and army camouflage that need the mixing of
doubles in the mind. In the year 1940, he showed abstractions with surrealism and cubic
fragmentations technique in his photograph “pattern prone.” Dupain published the book called,
“The Art of Camouflage” that illustrates the practicalities for the army along with the visual
examples about demolishing shading. This effect eliminates the difference between the ground
and the figure.
Conclusion:
Max Dupain is Australia’s most admired and recognized black and white photo capturing
photographer in Australian history. In his whole life, he did photograph and always kept himself
busy in this art world. He is famous due to his work towards illustrating Australian beach culture
and the influence of nature that inspired him to create the most memorialize images at that time.
His worked further contributed in areas like the Australian landscapes and surroundings, the
architecture and camouflage effects of war. His photography is well known for his crispy tonal
attributes, simplicity in shapes and design structures that show openness and sincerity in his
photographs. He at times intentionally faded away the picture background to highlight the key
thing in his pictures. He is indeed a well-regarded photographer of Australian history that will be
remembered for a long time for his state-of-the-art work in photography.

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References
Australia.gov.au. (2016). Max Dupain | australia.gov.au. [online] Available at:
http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/max-dupain [Accessed 25 Apr.
2016].
CRERAR, S. (2012). A national icon: Max Dupain's Sunbaker, Australia's most-famous
photograph. [online] HeraldSun. Available at:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/travel/australia/max-dupain-sunbaker/story-e6frfhbf-
1226436436906 [Accessed 25 Apr. 2016].
Crombie, I. (2004). Body culture. Victoria, Australia: Peleus Press in association with the
National Gallery of Victoria.
Dupain, M., Moorhouse, F. and White, J. (2003). Dupain's Australians. Neutral Bay, N.S.W.:
Chapter & Verse.
Elias, A. (2013). Hidden history: Max Dupain, modernism and war time camouflage. [online]
The Conversation. Available at: http://theconversation.com/hidden-history-max-dupain-
modernism-and-war-time-camouflage-16362 [Accessed 25 Apr. 2016].
Maxdupain.com.au. (2016). ABOUT MAX DUPAIN | Max Dupain Exhibition Photography.
[online] Available at: http://www.maxdupain.com.au/about-max-dupain/ [Accessed 25 Apr.
2016].
Naa.gov.au. (2016). National Archives of Australia. [online] Available at:
http://naa.gov.au/collection/snapshots/dupain/index.aspx [Accessed 25 Apr. 2016].
Nga.gov.au. (2016). Sunbaker. [online] Available at:
http://nga.gov.au/federation/Detail.cfm?WorkID=102513 [Accessed 25 Apr. 2016].

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RIDE, P. (1992). Obituary: Max Dupain. [online] The Independent. Available at:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-max-dupain-1537229.html [Accessed
25 Apr. 2016].
The Arts Council. (2016). Max Dupain - Photography: Artwork, Biography. [online] Available
at: http://www.theartscouncil.org/artists/max-dupain/ [Accessed 25 Apr. 2016].