Sidney Nolan: Ned Kelly (1946)
You may know him as the artist who painted Ned Kelly. You’re bound to recognise the painting of Ned Kelly on his horse, one of a series of many canvases Nolan did of the immortalised bushranger. Kelly’s simple, black square mask fills many canvases painted by Nolan and they tell the tale of the Kelly Gang’s exploits and eventual capture by police.
But if you see Sidney Nolan: A New Retrospective at the Queensland Art Gallery until 28 September, you’ll experience so much more of the diverse artist’s works.
Before this exhibition I had no idea that Nolan’s work encompassed so many subjects and places.
It was wonderful to see a series of paintings about South East Queensland’s own Fraser Island. They feature the island’s swamp country, one of its lakes and a disturbing picture of the tale of Eliza Fraser’s shipwreck and ultimate rescue from the island.
Our state also features in Nolan’s paintings of Western Queensland country towns and the graphic paintings of drought in the north, commissioned by The Courier-Mail in the 1940s.
Nolan captured the sweeping landscapes of Central Australia. He also painted a series of African animals, stunning blue landscapes of Antarctica and a number of self-portraits. Some of his last works were created with spray paint and capture China’s wild scenery. What an eye-opener this exhibition is!
One highlight is to stand in the centre of the Riverbend I & II series. These multi-panel paintings surround you with a vision of the Australian bush as Nolan remembers from his childhood in Victoria. The exhibition’s curator, Barry Pearce, described it as a “cinemascopic, enfolding experience. This is the way Nolan wanted it to be seen.”
The exhibition features more than 100 works, many of which have become icons of 20th century Australian art. They span from the late 1930s to the late 1980s, with each phase of Nolan’s career represented.
If you fall in love with Nolan’s works, then see more at the UQ Art Museum and the QUT Art Museum.
