Volume 26 Issue 25 25 Aug 2017 3 Elul 5777

Art success

Charge!

On 31 October 2017 we commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Light Horse Charge which took place at Beersheba in Israel.

The Harry Bell Memorial Art Competition was designed to encourage students to study this lesser-known part of WWI history and visually portray the ANZAC characteristics of mateship, courage, perseverance and sacrifice displayed by the Light Horsemen with special reference to the interaction of horses and riders. There were 32,000 Australian men and 40,000 horses in the Palestinian campaign and the casualties were 1,394 dead and 4,851 wounded. This competition sought to remember them as a special centenary tribute. Adena Sheps in Year 10 recently came 3rd in this Australia-wide Competition.

Artist statement

This painting, titled ‘Taking a Spell’, highlights the inter-dependency between the Light Horseman and his cherished horse. The bond forged between man and beast, under life threatening conditions is an enduring one. I have chosen to depict a moment of tranquil companionship emphasising their mutual trust and affection, as a counterpoint to the ravages of war. This relationship based on mateship, was crucial to the Horseman’s success, as each came to depend on the other for their very lives. 

I was awarded 3rd place in the competition, and won a signed limited edition print of choice from the Light Horse collection of Jennifer and Ron Marshall.

Adena Sheps, Year 10