Many of the first European artists in Australia were convicts-inspired primitives or skilled artists working under patronage. They had been transported to the antipodes for a variety of crimes, from petty theft to highway robbery, but the majority of the convict artists had been convicted of forgery.
The convict artists-their services in great demand by both the government and private individuals-depicted the flora, fauna and topography of the new land. Later they recorded the colonies' development by designing new bank notes, recording the appearance of recently constructed public edifices or simply by painting the numbers on houses. One of the most notable and active patrons was Governor Macquarie, who supported and encouraged a number of convict artists, including Eyre, Lycett and Read.
The convict artists were the only coherent group of artists to record the appearance, growth and progress of the two penal colonies- Van Diemen's Land and New South Wales-during the first half century of settlement. Their choice of subject matter, styles and level of accomplishment varies widely, and within each genre it is possible to trace a developing sophistication in approach.
Despite their unique and richly varied achievements, the full historic and artistic significance of the work of the convict artists is still not widely recognized. Jocelyn Hackforth-Jones discusses the lives and works of nineteen of these artists and many of the paintings appearing in this book have not been reproduced before.