Lot 123

Private collection, Sydney

Although Norman Lindsay's paintings often depict historical scenes, the artist's works are just as much a product of his fertile imagination and overarching neo-pagan philosophy, as they are a reflection of the historical or mythological period which they purport to represent.
This work, which depicts a race between two centaurs and their Amazonian jockeys, appears to date from the 1950s, a decade during which the artist continued to paint the multi-figured oils which first entered his oeuvre in the 1940s.
The depiction of rivals and rivalry appears often in Lindsay's work, with 'The Rival Goddesses' of 1928 being one of the better known examples. It is a subject which allows the artist to demonstrate the uninhibited vitality and athleticism of his figures, while imbuing them with a broad range of emotions, including aggression, excitement and anticipation.
The subject of rivalry also allows Lindsay to construct complex yet tightly composed works, which focus on the rivals, while introducing a rich and varied cast of supporting characters. This dynamic oil centres on the rival jockeys and their mounts, with the crowd of onlookers including a number of female centaurs or satyresses and a bright-eyed, epicene figure at centre right.
This striking tableau, with its lush, Arcadian setting admirably demonstrates Lindsay's dexterity with the brush, as well as his desire for a world liberated from the shackles of societal convention.

With grateful thanks to Helen Glad for her assistance in cataloguing this work.