ProvenanceArtist John Giles loved the Port. A local tailor, he was renowned as an excellent cutter and fitter. While his business thrived, he spent every spare moment capturing the colour and movement of the working harbour. Giles painted on the spot, recording the Port at work and play through Depression, war, and boom. His paintings are snapshots in time, evoking a port rowdy with industry and congested with steamers, ketches and sail boats. Where others saw smoke stacks and steam funnels, Giles glimpsed great beauty. Perched on the shoreline, Giles made detailed on-site studies and worked them up into finished paintings in his backyard studio. A member of the Port Adelaide Institute, Giles donated this work as a token of thanks on 20 October 1943.SignificanceSouth Australia’s ketch fleet was cherished as a romantic remnant of the Age of Sail. Sailors and captains sketched their ketches or commissioned professional artists to capture their lines and beauty. Artist John Giles painted the changing Port for over 30 years. A prolific artist, this painting is typical of his style and ability to capture the colour and movement of a bustling harbour. Painting such as Three Ketches reflected his deep attachment to the Port and its vessels.DescriptionThe Three Ketches, by John Giles. Three ketches moored opposite bank of Port River to Customs House. The ketches depicted are the ACTIVE, BRONZEWING and MALCOLM. A person in a small dinghy rows near Active. In the foreground is broken wharf fencing. A steamer is moored on the opposite bank in front of Harbors Board building. Gilded gesso frame.Creator (person)Mr John GilesCreator (organisation)AcknowledgementKeywordsArtworkspaintingsDate of Creation1937Date of UsageMaterialCanvas
|wood
|oil paint
|gilded gesso. DimensionType: Total
Height: 1320
Width: 985
Depth: 80
Unit (Lengths): mm Accession NumberHT 1987.0014On DisplaySouth Australian Maritime Museum
