Cooma Monuments and Public Art 2 - The Shearer

Shearer. Rix Wright c.1950

For the second episode of this series, although it is neither nearest in physical proximity nor date of installation to the Man from Snowy River sculpture, I am looking at Rix Wright's Shearer. The two have in common that they are both bronze statues, and are fairly close in date of creation. The Shearer although installed recently actually predates the Man by about ten years. 

This sculpture is located in the northeastern corner of Centennial Park, Cooma, close to the Sharp/ Bombala St roundabout. 

Accompanying plaque. Pertinent information: By grazier and sculptor Rix Wright 1930-2009, made c.1950.

Like the Man from Snowy River, Wright's Shearer was made by a very young sculptor. It is dated on the accompanying plaque as circa 1950, when Wright was about 20 years old. Wright was the son of artist Hilda Rix Nicholas, who had a distinguished career as a painter in the early years of the 20th century (see link below) and grazier Edgar Wright. A summary of Rix Wright's life is found here: http://knockalong.com/?page_id=696 and another interesting article about him here: https://www.edenmagnet.com.au/story/2677176/remembering-rix-wright-poem-photos/.

The installation of this sculpture, bought by a group of local donors, occurred quite recently, in 2019, a fact strangely not recorded on the plaque. It replaces a large tree, circa early 20th century, that became too old and doddery to be allowed to continue to exist. Frankly, I think I preferred the tree. There is nothing wrong with the sculpture, which is competently modelled, especially considering the extreme youth of the artist. However it is mounted on a wide and unattractive stone pediment somewhat resembling a king-sized bed made of crazy paving, placing the shearer's buttocks at the approximate eye level of the viewer. This is not ideal. An art dealer's photograph of the sculpture in a previous garden setting at ground level gives it a more sympathetic backdrop.

The donors "pay tribute to the proud heritage" of the wool industry, indeed a much celebrated aspect of the area, with what is described on as "this iconic sculpture".

The unattractive fake first storey frontage of the shops opposite do not show this artwork off to its best advantage. I don't think the mounting of this sculpture does anything for it.

Rix Wright remained in the district all his life, his artistic nature in parallel with the more prosaic (and no doubt time-consuming) career of grazier. I knew people who knew him, and from all accounts he was an interesting and creative individual who continued making art and connecting with other artists in a very lively manner until shortly before his death in 2009. As a postscript, I would like to add that it is not easy to be the artistic child of a celebrated artist parent, and I think Wright's dual grazier/artist career was a tightrope that he trod well.

Photo (c) https://www.shapiro.com.au/lot/rix-wright-australian-b-1930-2009/

This auction house photo of the sculpture in a previous setting shows how much the display can influence one's perception of the artwork. This ground-level location of the life-sized sculpture (and the leafy rural background) makes the shearer much more relatable and able to be "seen" as I think the artist saw it - a realistic portrait of a man working, rather than a shrine to a disappearing world in an out-of context setting. 

Below is an interesting article about Hilda Rix Nicholas:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilda_Rix_Nicholas#:~:text=Hilda%20Rix%20Nicholas%20(n%C3%A9e%20Rix,1961)%20was%20an%20Australian%20artist.