James Montgomery Cant b. 1911

  • Artist (Printmaker),
  • Artist (Painter)
Cant was a painter, printmaker, stage designer and textile designer who also worked as a display officer assisting with Aboriginal display at Australian Museum, Sydney, in the 1940s. He was a member of the camouflage group in the 1939-45 War. Designed fabrics for Silk and Textile Printers Limited and his fabrics were used on the "Orcades" passenger liner in 1949.
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Painter and printmaker, husband of Dora Chapman , worked as a display officer assisting with Aboriginal display at Australian Museum, Sydney, in the 1940s. Combined with meeting Charles P. Mountford, this provided a new direction in his art. He created paintings using flattened forms, reduced colours and Aboriginal designs, e.g. Aboriginal design c.1946, oil pastel, ink wash on paper (AGSA) and NGA monoprints of native figure with spear and mimiprints 1949. In 1948 he produced a folio of six signed artist’s prints in edition of 150, introduced by Clive Turnbull (item 4350 Antique Bookshop, 1998). He also experimented with the printmaking techniques of clichè verre (ground glass), e.g. The Reptile 1948 (NGA). In 1950 he collaborated with film maker Malcolm Otton and poet Roland Robinson on the short film Wirritt Wirritt about an Aboriginal legend, sold to Dept of the Interior.

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Writers:
Staff Writer
Date written:
1996
Last updated:
2007

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Related collections
  • National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC (collected in)
  • Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA (collected in)
  • Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, NSW (collected in)
  • National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC (collected in)
  • Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA (collected in)
  • National Library of Australia, Canberra, ACT (collected in)