Revel Cooper
Encyclopedia
Revel Ronald Cooper was an Indigenous Australian
artist
.
in the mid-1930s and as a ward
of the state was placed at Carrolup Native Settlement.
n capital Perth
and overseas in India
. Through the intervention of English woman Florence Rutter, the paintings were exhibited in New Zealand and in Europe. In 1952 his work appeared in Mary Durack's book Child Artists of the Australian Bush.
In 1952 Cooper was sentenced to four years jail for manslaughter
, the first of a string of jail terms.
In the mid 1950s he had a brief stint in Victoria
working for Bill Onus
' Aboriginal souvenir business and is considered to have influenced the artistic style of Bill's son, Lin Onus
.
During the 1960s with assistance from the Victorian Aborigines Advancement League Cooper was a frequent exhibitor in Victorian galleries. His use of landscapes had by this stage become his signature style.
During a stint in Fremantle Prison
in 1976 he was the illustrator of Mary Durack
's Yagan of the Bibbulmun, a work of juvenile fiction. While at Fremantle he also contributed a work depicting the Stations of the Cross
for a church in Mount Barker. He served as a teacher for a group of artists at Fremantle Prison including Goldie Kelly and Swag Taylor.
For a time he also worked as chauffeur
to the Director of Aboriginal Welfare in Melbourne
.
Works of Cooper are included in a number of collections, including the Holmes à Court Collection, the Fremantle Prison collection and the Berndt Museum of Anthropology collection.
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
.
Early life
Cooper was born in Katanning, Western AustraliaKatanning, Western Australia
Katanning is a town located 277 km south east of Perth, Western Australia on the Great Southern Highway. At the 2006 census, Katanning had a population of 3,808.-History:...
in the mid-1930s and as a ward
Ward (law)
In law, a ward is someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian. A court may take responsibility for the legal protection of an individual, usually either a child or incapacitated person, in which case the ward is known as a ward of the court, or a ward of the state, in the United States,...
of the state was placed at Carrolup Native Settlement.
Children of Carrolup
From the 1940s children at the Carrolup school were given specialised art training. Cooper was one of a number of children collectively referred to as the Children of Carrolup. During the late 1940s artwork created by the Carrolup children was exhibited in the Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
n capital Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and overseas in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Through the intervention of English woman Florence Rutter, the paintings were exhibited in New Zealand and in Europe. In 1952 his work appeared in Mary Durack's book Child Artists of the Australian Bush.
Later art
Unlike many of the child artists of Carrolup, Cooper continued painting into adulthood. After leaving school he was briefly engaged as a commercial artist in Perth before moving back to Carrolup to work as a farm worker.In 1952 Cooper was sentenced to four years jail for manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
, the first of a string of jail terms.
In the mid 1950s he had a brief stint in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
working for Bill Onus
Bill Onus
William Townsend Onus Jr , known as Bill Onus, was an Aboriginal Australian political activist.-Early life and education:...
' Aboriginal souvenir business and is considered to have influenced the artistic style of Bill's son, Lin Onus
Lin Onus
William McLintock Onus was a Scottish-Aboriginal Artist of Wiradjuri descent from Melbourne, Australia.-Early life:Born Lin Burralung McLintock Onus, his father was political activist and businessman, Bill Onus...
.
During a stint in Fremantle Prison
Fremantle Prison
Fremantle Prison is a former Australian prison located in The Terrace, Fremantle, in Western Australia. The site includes the prison, gatehouse, perimeter walls, cottages, tunnels, and prisoner art...
in 1976 he was the illustrator of Mary Durack
Mary Durack
Dame Mary Durack AC DBE was an Australian author and historian. She wrote Kings in Grass Castles and Keep Him My Country.-Childhood:...
's Yagan of the Bibbulmun, a work of juvenile fiction. While at Fremantle he also contributed a work depicting the Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
for a church in Mount Barker. He served as a teacher for a group of artists at Fremantle Prison including Goldie Kelly and Swag Taylor.
For a time he also worked as chauffeur
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
to the Director of Aboriginal Welfare in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
Death and legacy
He died early 1983 after being attacked with a blunt instrument. His body was discovered in December 1985 and he was buried in January 1987.Works of Cooper are included in a number of collections, including the Holmes à Court Collection, the Fremantle Prison collection and the Berndt Museum of Anthropology collection.