Damien Parer
Documentary Photography
1939
44.0 x 32.0 cm
National Portrait Gallery
maxwell spencer dupain ac obe (1911 – 1992)
Discover Maxwell Spencer Dupain’s modernist Australian photography – capturing life & culture from the 1930s to 1992. Explore his innovative style and enduring legacy.
National Portrait Gallery (Canberra, Australia)
Delve into Australian history and culture through captivating portraits at the National Portrait Gallery Canberra! Explore diverse artistic mediums & celebrate iconic Australians with free entry.
Damien Parer (1912–1944), photographer and filmmaker, became friends with Max Dupain in the 1930s, often taking photographs with him on excursions to the beach and bush. In 1933 Parer started working with the feature film director Charles Chauvel, for whom his projects included Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940). With the advent of war Parer became an official film cameraman for the Department of Information. He established a reputation as an outstanding operator in Tobruk, Greece and Syria, where he worked (sometimes with Frank Hurley) between 1940 and 1942. With the acceleration of the Japanese offensive he moved to document the conflict in New Guinea. Here he made Kokoda Front Line, for which he and the film’s producer, Ken Hall, won Australia’s first Academy Award in 1942. Two years later, Parer was killed in action while covering the landing of American forces at Peleliu in the Pacific.
About this artwork
- Title: Damien Parer
- Artist: maxwell spencer dupain ac obe
- Year: 1939
- Original dimensions: 44.0 x 32.0 cm
- Format: Portrait
- Copyright status: Under copyright
- Where to see it: National Portrait Gallery
- Movement: Documentary Photography
- Keywords: black and white photo, world war ii photos, mid 20th century art
- Color intensity: Monochromatic
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