How does Sunbaker elucidate its Reception and legacy?
Sunbaker is more than just a young man on the beach sunbathing. It is iconic, it is a symbol of the body in contact with primal forces. These are elemental, regenerating forces, and the body on the beach gains sustenance from the earth, the sun and water.
The photograph has been described as "perhaps the most famous and admired photograph in Australia" and "probably the most widely recognised Australian photograph". The image has been regarded as inspired by European modernist photographers, with "more interest in abstract form than descriptive photographs." The image has "become part of the consciousness of Australians – symbolising health, vitality, a love of the outdoors and an appreciation of sport and relaxation."Isobel Crombie, senior curator of photography at the National Gallery of Victoria, has argued that this work, and much of Dupain's work in the 1930s, shows sign of being influenced by the concepts of eugenics, vitalism, and the "body culture" movement. Crombie states that "most of us think of Dupain as a strict, clear modernist ... But there is a whole series of works ... heavily influenced by the ideas of the regeneration of a race through the revitalisation of the body." Crombie considers Dupain's work of the period, including Sunbaker, to represent a "racial archetype" of ideal Australians.A copy of Sunbaker from the Dupain family's own collection sold for A$105,000 in June 2016.The Australian children's television programme Bluey references Sunbaker in the 2018 episode "The Beach", in which the title character's mother Chilli Heeler relaxes in a similar pose. This scene was recreated for the cover of the February 2023 issue of the Australian edition of InStyle magazine, which featured an article on the character.
vitalism eugenics The Beach Bluey modernist National Gallery of Victoria archetype InStyle