Lot 10

Rudy Komon Art Gallery, Sydney 1981 (label verso, stock no. 4316)
Corporate collection, Sydney

We are grateful to Lyn Williams for her assistance with this catalogue entry.

RELATED WORKS:
Mountain Creek, Mount Kosciusko 1976, oil on canvas, 182.5 x 111.7cm, Sotheby's, Sydney, 27 August 2019, lot 11, sold for $1,708,000 IBP

Kosciusko 1976, oil on canvas, 91.4 x 106.7cm, Rudy Komon Art Gallery stock no. 4315, Deutscher~Menzies, Melbourne, 21 August 2000, lot 51

Mt Kosciusko 1975-76, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 185cm, The Collection of Rupert Murdoch, illustrated in P. McCaughey, Fred Williams, Bay Books, Sydney, 1980, pl.180, p.288

Mt Kosciusko 1975, gouache on paper, 56 x 77.4cm, The Collection of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Fred Williams pioneered a new artistic vision of the Australian landscape and is considered to be one of the most important Australian artists of the twentieth century. Whilst many of Williams' representations of the Australian landscape encapsulate its idyllic warmth; a pivotal moment occurred in the mid-1970s when Williams sighted the grandeur of Mount Kosciuszko resulting in a dramatic shift in his work.
During the winter of 1975 and again in 1976, Fred Williams made several photographs of Mount Kosciuszko (then spelled Mount Kosciusko, and hereafter in this essay for that reason) from multiple flights over the region. As such, his resultant series of gouaches and oils combined both aerial views together with his plein air perspective from below to transcend traditional perspectives. This series was the first 'view' paintings that Williams ever attempted.(1)

The traditional vision of the Australian landscape is perhaps centred on its heat and dryness, but occasionally an artist may take a different approach as seen by both Eugene Von Guerard and Fred Williams. In fact, Von Guerard's own depictions of Mount Kosciusko, notably Mt. Kosciusko housed in the National Gallery of Australia, greatly inspired Williams' own. Von Guerard's paintings served as an inspiring reference point within the realm of romantic art, motivating Williams to break away from his own customary reserve and embark on creating painting infused with expressive awe.
As Williams commented, "The shapes of the snow are fascinating & [in] some of the sketches I attempt to do "portraits" of certain areas - the snow areas!"(2). It was the patches of snow that allowed Williams to form inventive shapes less explored in his other landscapes.

Just as crucial as Wiliams' shift in form was that of his colour palette. Following the bright and lustrous palette of the Kew Billabong series which preceded it, the Kosciusko series by sharp contrast presented a dark and moody palette with shifting chiaroscuro.(3) This stark and somewhat austere atmosphere introduced a heightened sense of drama to the monumental mountain peak depicted. The immediate shift in colour palette also liberated Williams from his self-imposed constraints regarding the 'picturesque'. In essence, this transformation in Williams' art stemmed from a renewed commitment to bringing life to the landscape through his brush, even as he cast aside previous reservations about contrast and embraced a more intuitive and emotive connection with his subject.

Although Williams produced only a handful of paintings of Mount Kosciusko, this series is a testament to the profound and lasting impact this part of the Australian landscape had on Williams' artistic journey. After being in the possession of the respected Rudy Komon Gallery in Sydney, the present lot entered a prominent collection where it has remained ever since. The current auction presents only the second opportunity for the public to acquire this important painting and a rare opportunity to acquire a painting from this significant series which was such a pivotal turning point in Williams' ouevre. Fred Williams' exploration of Mount Kosciusko remains a testament to his ability to capture the diverse and captivating essence of the Australian terrain in his art.

Madeleine Norton
Head of Decorative Arts and Art, Sydney

(1) McCaughey, P., Fred Williams: 1927-1982, Bay Books, Sydney, 1980, p. 287
(2) Hart, D., Fred Williams - Infinite Horizons, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, 2011, p. 142
(3) Op. cit., McCaughey, p. 287

© Fred Williams/Copyright Agency, 2023