Artists statement

Artist's Statement: I spent time visiting the barracks, museums, libraries, gaining information, making special pencil drawings and colour notes, when and where possible.
Preparatory drawings for larger paintings were always on detail paper. The reason for this was I could use both sides, correfting mistakes on either side, until a satisfactory end. I use this procedure so that the surface of the painting paper was not effected by erasion. The final drawing was traced on having rubbed a stick of charcoal on the detail paper. I have used this procedure from my early days as a commercial artist.
In drawing each horseman fully and tracing each horseman fuly in his place in relation to the whole and rubbibg out the parts covered by the nearer objects. Such essential things as legs and shadows are sure to be in the right place.
Most of the pencil drawings of the palace gates, and other features I needed had to be made from a standing position. all these were filed for future reference.
Everything had to be in the right proportion to the palace gates.
The procedure for the Escort is as follows:
If the Life Guards mount the escort an officer of the Blues rides at the right of the coach by invitation. The Guards officer rides on the left. Then follows the Standard flanked by a commissioned officer on the right. The trumpeter on the left. The trumpeter rides on a white horse. He has a selection of twelve different uniforms.
After that follows the unit.
The stirrups used by the officers are squarish.
The troopers stirrups are a conventional form.
All personnel riding and on no account rise in the stirrups as normally they would at the trot.
This modifies the ragged impression of heads bobbing up haphazardly - their behinds become acclimatized in time."

Gift of the Artist, 1981.

Historical information

Allan BERNALDO (05 August 1898-25 June 1988)
Born Creswick, Victoria

Allan Bernaldo won a scholarship to the Ballarat School of Mines to study Architecture. He received a certificate of merit in 1917, and the Ballarat School of Mines President's medal for the most meritorious Art student. Allan Bernaldo was editor of the Ballarat School of Mines Magazine in 1918. He became known as a commercial artist, teacher and water-colourist who specialiesd in horses and flowers.
He died at St. Ronan’s Nursing Home in Armadale, Victoria and was buried at Springvale Botanical Cemetery, with his wife Florence Victoria May Elliott, who predeceased him in 1966.

This item is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 2000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.

Physical description

Framed watercolour painted from materila gathered while the artist was in London during 1952 showing the queen's guards on horseback.