Lot 31

Work is in very good condition. Surface dirt is apparent in the lighter coloured pigments (sky area). The work has been examined under UV light, and there is some brushwork that flouresces in the left hand side, approximately 10cm in from the left edge., in between the two tree trunks. It is unknown whether this was done for restoration purposes, or perhaps later paintwork by the artist. Overall framed size is 69 x 84cm.
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Rudy Komon Gallery, Sydney 1966
Private collection, Sydney
Estate of the above
Private collection, Melbourne

© Estate of Fred Williams

We gratefully acknowledge the kind assistance of Lyn Williams AM in cataloguing this work

Fred Williams dedicated his entire practice to the outdoors and the unique nature of the Australian landscape. Born in 1927, Williams began his artistic journey studying at the Gallery Art School in Melbourne while receiving private classes at the George Bell School. After completing his studies he set sail for Europe, like so many budding artists of this period.
Williams was captivated by the new ideas filling the art galleries in London and Paris. While studying at the Chelsea Art School and the Central School of Art and Crafts in London, he focused his practice on combining his formal training with new techniques he had come to witness during his travels.
After early experimentations in his paintings and etchings with the figurative form, Williams returned to Melbourne in 1957 to begin his new vision of re-creating the bushland in front of him. Although the Australian landscape was a well-mastered subject, Williams yearned to depict features of the land that had been previously dismissed, or deemed void of inspiration.
Fallen Tree 1959 represents a burst of inventiveness by Williams. He applies new techniques adopted from his time abroad, with influences ranging from Georges Braque to Paul Cezanne, yet with an unmistakably Australian colour palette. Thick impasto creams fill the sky with movement while flickers of burnt red and emerald green emulate the foliage and trees beneath. His overall surface and brushwork is so confidently executed, the texture almost suggests the medium of earth rather than actual paint.
Subtle abstraction entwined with his refined technical ability allows him to reduce the landscape to its essential elements. The tree trunks stand uniformly in balanced arrangement and limited spatial depth. Williams emphasises the mysteriousness of the terrain by distorting tree trunks and elongating branches. The boulder-like treetops act as a barrier from the sweeping strokes of the sky further highlighting the deep depths of the untouched plant life beneath. His use of re-occurring dark outline parallels his international influences, such as Cezanne, choosing form over subject in this painting.
Fred Williams' work is authentic in the sense that he provided a refreshed vision of the Australian landscape. He focused his whole attention on the monotony of the Australian bush, as though it was an inspiring quality and not a challenge. Williams is one of only a handful of Australian painters from the mid-20th Century whose work attracted international acclaim. He is represented in public and private collections throughout Australia and overseas, including The Tate in London, The Metropolitan Museum and MOMA in New York, where he was the first Australian to hold a solo exhibition in 1977.

Lucy Foster / Art Specialist