200 years of Australian Landscape at the Royal Academy in London Reading Answers

Jul 24, 2025

200 years of Australian Landscape at the Royal Academy in London Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. 200 years of Australian Landscape at the Royal Academy in London Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the question set, you have to state whether the statement is yes, no or not given according to the passage. In the next question set, you have to choose the correct letter. In the last question set, you have to complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-F.

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Topic:

200 YEARS OF AUSTRALIAN LANDSCAPE AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY IN LONDON

This exhibition promises to chart the evolution of a nation through its art, but not everyone agrees with the reasons behind the choice of artwork. For the casual viewer, the exhibition of landscapes, Australia, selected by the Royal Academy of Art, will be a spectacular guide through Australian art history. Included in the exhibition are a range of artists and styles, dating from the earliest days of colonial art and progressing through expressionism and modernism to the artists of the 20th century, culminating with the current generation of Australian artists. It is hardly surprising, then, that this results in a flexible, wide-ranging notion of landscape.

But this landmark exhibition gives rise to some questions, and perhaps problems, regarding Britain's relationship with its former colony. By choosing a style of painting at which British artists excel, the Academy could be seen as inviting criticism that hints at a telling attitude towards art by comparison. But it is the very theme of landscape painting that makes this a controversial selection. To consider if condescending is perhaps too strong, but for Joanna Mendelssohn, Australian critic and Associate Professor at the University of NSW's College of Fine Arts (COFA), there is a suggestion that British artistic values have directed this exhibition, rather than allowing Australia the freedom to demonstrate its maturity.

What Mendelssohn found surprising about the exhibition was the underlying rules for the selection of works seemed to have been so conservative. Since the landscape is a very strong British artistic theme, it appeared to her that when the British looked to the art of a former colony, there was a tendency for them to think that those colonies would continue to be like the British themselves. In reviewing Australian art, the British insisted on looking at the genre of landscape painting.

Because of colonial ties, it was inevitable during Australian art's formative years that it would reflect Britain's devotion to the beloved landscape before its own character and idiosyncrasies took shape. And while Mendelssohn's concern over the exhibition's conventional selection is valid, the Academy is nevertheless embracing the peculiarities of Australian art from the mid-19th century onward, albeit within the boundaries of landscape. Australia is curated by Kathleen Soriano, director of exhibitions at the Royal Academy. 'Certainly the influence of English, French or German art is much more evident in the early periods, in the early 1800s to mid-1800s,' she says. 'What I wanted to show was how Australian art develops a real distinctiveness, associated with the landscape and the light.'

The fusion of 'tradition' of the European kind with something more specifically Australian, and often personal, is crucial to the exhibition and extends particularly to some of the more contemporary artists involved. Sydney-born video artist Shaun Gladwell is a good example of this. Gladwell's most famous piece, which is featured in the exhibition, is Storm Sequence (2000), a video of Gladwell skateboarding on the Bondi seafront as one of Sydney's signature brutal storms lingers offshore. It is his acknowledgement of landscape (or seascape) tradition, coloured by Gladwell's own individualism. 'To exhibit my work in this show might make some sense because I was interested in Turner and the idea of atmosphere affecting vision, something I was really interested in around the time of Storm Sequence. I was thinking about this tradition of Romantic landscape, but I wanted to make it personal,' says Gladwell. But he didn't want to just embark on borrowing imagery from elsewhere. He wanted to bring it to his experience and his world through skateboarding and beach culture. So while it may seem narrow for Britain to reduce Australian art to the genre of landscape, there can be little denying that British landscape painting is still relevant to a current generation of Australian practitioners, however indirectly.

Visitors to the exhibition encounter Australian Aboriginal art first, the idea being that these works warrant a prominent position because they were 'first'. Over the last couple of decades, London has hosted many successful exhibitions of Aboriginal art in smaller spaces, but for Soriano, Australia represents an opportunity to place such art within the context of new relationships to the art of the settlers and white Australia. 'One of the reasons landscape was seen as being the right theme was because Australian art started in and on the landscape,' she says. '[The exhibition] is a beautiful meshing of the two different kinds of art that allowed me to bring them together comfortably and honestly with this theme. It was important for me to present Indigenous art to audiences, and I felt it was most accurate to be seen as part of Australian art history, rather than a separate exhibition of its own.'

Meanwhile, Australian critic Mendelssohn also points out that London is increasingly less important to today's generation of artists, and this somewhat weakens the ceremony surrounding the exhibition in London. 'China is the most important art market in the world,' she says. 'If you've made it in Shanghai, you've made it. The world has changed. My students in Australia, who come from all over the world, really want to see the Venice Biennale and Art Basel, but they're less interested in going to London. When I was growing up, London was the destination, and then when I was at university, all the smart young things wanted to go to New York,' she added. 'Now they want to go everywhere. There's no such thing as the centre and the periphery like there used to be. It's much more complicated.'

Questions 27-31

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3? Write

YES if the statement agrees with the claims

NO if the statement contradicts the claims

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

27. As expected, the artworks chosen for the exhibition reflect a narrow interpretation

of landscape.

Answer: NO

Supporting statement: “It is hardly surprising, then, that this results in a flexible, wide-ranging notion of landscape.”

Keywords: flexible, wide-ranging, landscape

Keyword Location: Para 1, Line 7

Explanation: The passage clearly states that the exhibition features a “flexible, wide-ranging notion of landscape,” covering various artists, styles, and eras, from colonial to contemporary times. Therefore, the interpretation is not narrow

28. The Academy rejected Australian suggestions for the subject of the exhibition.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: Nowhere in the text is there mention of any suggestions from Australians being submitted or rejected regarding the exhibition's subject.

29. The colonial relationship meant that early Australian landscape painting followed the traditions of English landscape painting.

Answer: YES

Supporting statement: “Because of colonial ties, it was inevitable during Australian art’s formative years that it would reflect Britain’s devotion to the beloved landscape...”

Keywords: colonial ties, Britain’s devotion

Keyword Location: Para 4, Lines 1-2

Explanation: It is explicitly mentioned that due to colonial ties, early Australian art reflected “Britain's devotion to the beloved landscape” before developing its own identity.

30. The exhibition reflects the fact that Australian art developed its own particular qualities.

Answer: YES

Supporting statement: “What I wanted to show was how Australian art develops a real distinctiveness, associated with the landscape and the light.”

Keywords: distinctiveness, landscape, light

Keyword Location: Para 4, Line 9

Explanation: The curator, Kathleen Soriano, aims to show how Australian art developed “a real distinctiveness” related to landscape and light.

31. Contemporary Australian artists have generally rejected British landscape traditions.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: Although some contemporary artists like Shaun Gladwell reinterpret or personalise British landscape traditions, the passage does not generalise this as a full rejection by most modern artists.

Questions 32-36

Choose the correct letter.

32. What is the writer's main point in the second paragraph?

A. Australian landscape painting derives from the British tradition.

B. Australian landscape painting is more highly regarded than British.

C. Britain is still imposing its principles on Australian art.

D. British art cannot be compared to Australian art.

Answer: C

Supporting statement: “…there is a suggestion that British artistic values have directed this exhibition, rather than allowing Australia the freedom to demonstrate its maturity.”

Keywords: artistic values, exhibition, freedom

Keyword Location: Para 2, Lines 7-8

Explanation: The paragraph suggests that Britain’s influence over the exhibition may reflect a lingering colonial attitude, where British standards shape how Australian art is presented.

33. What does Joanna Mendelssohn find surprising?

A. Modern Australian landscape painting has great variety.

B. The guidelines for the choice of work were very traditional.

C. Landscape painting remains a popular subject for British artists.

D. The British find the Australian landscape unsuitable as a subject.

Answer: B

Supporting statement: “What Mendelssohn found surprising about the exhibition was the underlying rules for the selection of works seemed to have been so conservative.”

Keywords: surprising, conservative, rules

Keyword Location: Para 3, Lines 1-2

Explanation: Mendelssohn was surprised that the selection criteria for the artwork were so traditional and conservative.

34. Shaun Gladwell's work is included in the exhibition because

A. it adopts a subjective approach to depicting the landscape.

B. skateboarding is an inspiration to many Australian artists.

C. storms are a significant feature in the Australian landscape.

D. Bondi is an iconic Australian location.

Answer: A

Supporting statement: “… I was thinking about this tradition of Romantic landscape, but I wanted to make it personal…”

Keywords: personal, tradition, Romantic landscape

Keyword Location: Para 5, Lines 10

Explanation: Gladwell connects to the tradition of landscape painting but adds his personal, subjective interpretation through video and skate culture.

35. What was the reason for Soriano including Aboriginal art in the exhibition?

A. It is not well known in London art circles.

B. Aboriginal landscape painting influenced Australian settlers.

C. It is part of the Australian artistic tradition and not independent.

D. Aboriginal art has been displayed in London before.

Answer: C

Supporting statement: “… I felt it was most accurate to be seen as part of Australian art history, rather than a separate exhibition of its own.”

Keywords: Australian art history, not separate

Keyword Location: Para 6, Lines 9-10

Explanation: Soriano wanted Aboriginal art to be seen as integral to the national art story, not isolated or treated as a separate category.

36. By referring to China, Mendelssohn is making the point that

A. having an exhibition in London is not as important as it used to be.

B. young artists in Britain are not interested in Australian art.

C. art from Shanghai is more important than Australian art.

D. New York is still a preferred destination for young artists.

Answer: A

Supporting statement: “… London is increasingly less important to today's generation of artists…” and “… The world has changed… There's no such thing as the centre and the periphery like there used to be…”

Keywords: less important, the world has changed, no centre

Keyword Location: Para 7 , Lines 1-4

Explanation: Mendelssohn highlights that London is no longer the main hub of the art world, as new global centres like Shanghai have become more significant.

Questions 37-40

Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-F.

37. In spite of its conservatism, the Royal Academy exhibition….

Answer: F

Supporting statement: “the Academy is nevertheless embracing the peculiarities of Australian art from the mid-19th century onward, albeit within the boundaries of landscape”

Keywords: peculiarities, Australian art

Keyword Location: Para 4, Line 4

Explanation: Although the selection of works was conservative, the Royal Academy still aimed to reflect the distinctiveness and evolving nature of Australian art. This demonstrates a recognition and acceptance of its unique artistic characteristics.

38. Australian art of the early to mid-1800s…

Answer: E

Supporting statement: “'Certainly the influence of English, French or German art is much more evident in the early periods, in the early 1800s to mid-1800s,' she says.”

Keywords: influence, English, French, German art,

Keyword Location: Para 4, Lines 6-7

Explanation: During this period, Australian art reflected European artistic traditions due to colonial ties. The styles and themes were heavily influenced by European (especially British and continental) art, showing a strong European flavour in both technique and subject.

39. The modern work by Gladwell chosen for the exhibition…

Answer: A

Supporting statement: “Sequence (2000)… is his acknowledgement of landscape (or seascape) tradition… I was interested in Turner and the idea of atmosphere affecting vision…”

Keywords: affecting vision, seascape tradition

Keyword Location: Para 5, Lines 6-8

Explanation: Gladwell’s work conveys the emotional and visual effects of the natural environment, particularly the storm.

40. Including Aboriginal art in the exhibition...

Answer: C

Supporting statement: “It was important for me to present Indigenous art to audiences... I felt it was most accurate to be seen as part of Australian art history...”

“One of the reasons landscape was seen as being the right theme was because Australian art started in and on the landscape.”

Keywords: Australian, landscape

Keyword Location: Para 6, Lines 5-9

Explanation: Aboriginal art is included not separately but as part of the shared artistic history rooted in the land, acknowledging its deep cultural and historical relevance.

A. reflects the mood created by the natural environment.

B. demonstrates that the dominant art form in Australia is landscape painting.

C. demonstrates an understanding of the historical importance of the land.

D. showcases a very small number of artists.

E. demonstrates a strong European flavour.

F. shows an acceptance of the unique qualities of Australian art.

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