Lot 113

Work in very good condition with no faults to report. Evidence of paint splitting (top layer only), present in the lower right hand corner. Framed with overall size: 72 x 88cm


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The Collection of the Artist
The Collection of Shelton Lea, by exchange
(letter confirming change of title dated 25 Feburary 2000, signed by both parties)
Thence by descent, 2005
Private collection, Melbourne

John Perceval AO (1923-2000) was one of Australia's most renowned and recognised painters and ceramicists. He was famously part of the Angry Penguins artist group, who rebelled against the conservative art establishment, impacting on the course of Australian art history for decades.

As a child, Perceval grew up on his father's six-thousand acre wheat and sheep farm in Western Australia. Life on the farm influenced his childhood greatly, and continued to inspire Perceval even after he relocated to Melbourne. Throughout his painting career, Perceval repeatedly explores scenes of wheatfields and life on the land.

As a teenager, he met fellow artist Arnold Shore who notably introduced him to the art of Vincent Van Gogh. In Double Trouble 1990, one can see the inspiration of Van Gogh in Perceval's directional heavy brush strokes and bright primary colour palette, combining to create a sense of movement. Swirling lines emerge from the base of the canvas at the ground, right up past the womanly curves of the nude, in between the scarecrows, and right up through to the sky. At the centre is the magical blue moon, another repeated symbol in Perceval's art of this period and another pivotal link to the work of Van Gogh. Balancing left and right of the field are two scarecrows, somewhat comical in design. They are the watchdogs of the land with an ominous quality which Perceval highlights through his bold dark paintwork. The two scarecrows are flanking the central female nude - possibly a symbol for fertility and good harvest.

By 1990, Perceval had exited Larundel where he had been housed to manage his mental illness. He was now reaping the glory of a retrospective held at the National Gallery of Victoria, and about to receive the Order of Australia in 1991.

Shelton Lea (1946-2005) was an important Australian poet. After a particularly harrowing childhood involving adoption, juvenile detention, and later Pentridge Prison at 17 years of age, Shelton went on to have his poetry published numerous times and even developed his own publishing house, Eaglemont Press. Shelton also established a number of bookshops specialising in rare books, which closely associated him with the Heide artist's collective. His dear friend, and fellow poet, Barrett Reid was a major figure in his life alongside which Shelton befriended several renowned Australian artists, including John Perceval.

Olivia Fuller | Head of Art

© John Perceval/Copyright Agency 2022