Lot 105

Work is in good condition overall. Upon very close inspection small areas of the oil paint have dried with minor wrinkling. The gilded frame displays scratches and pigment loss. Overall frame size: 114 x 146cm
(LEONARD JOEL DELIVERY SIZE: LARGE)


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Please note condition reports can be amended during the pre-sale period, so we strongly suggest any interested bidders check the published condition report available on the website before the auction commences. Leonard Joel makes no guarantee of the originality of mechanical or applied components. Absence of reference to such modifications does not imply that a lot is free from modifications.

Mr Andrew Ivanyi, Melbourne
Private collection, Melbourne
Deutscher~Menzies, Sydney, 16 March 2005, lot 83 (label verso)
Private collection, Melbourne

It is impossible not to be captivated by the provocative works of Arthur Boyd. His ability to capture passion on the canvas is what has commanded an enduring artistic legacy and timeless connection to his viewers past and present.

Following his social realist phase, Boyd returned his focus to the landscape, often dipping into the realms of the mystical and psychological. This approach progressed throughout several important bodies of work including the Nebuchadnezzar and Bride series, often involving complex themes of marriage, passion, forbidden love, nightmares and estrangement.

This work Landscape with Lovers presents an intense scene of two naked figures entangled in each other's arms. Isolated in a barren landscape with no apparent protection, the figures stand bare and vulnerable facing the landscape in front of them. The subjects protective embrace suggests apprehension, perhaps in anticipation of what has or is about to unfold.

This confronting landscape has been tenderised by Boyd's ability to portray unconditional love in such an unforgiving and harsh surrounding. Tension sits suspended in the petrified branches strewn across the foreground, with a sombre palette of greys and browns, further intensifying the concern for these two intimate lovers and their fate.

Love, death and nature were all key iconographic elements and central themes to Boyd's oeuvre. As one of Australia's most celebrated artists, he captured the intimacy and fragility of the landscape that he came to know so well over the course of his career, making him one of Australia's most celebrated and cherished artists of the 20th century.

Lucy Foster | Art Specialist

© Arthur Boyd / Copyright Agency 2021