Lot 32

This work is in good condition overall with no major issues to report. There is minor dust and foreign matter beneath the glass. The frame appears to be slightly bowed with some minor marks. The work has not been assessed out of its current frame. Overall size: 133 x 142.5 x 5cm


The opinions expressed in the condition reports are a guide only and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Prospective buyers are encouraged to inspect articles for sale at our pre-sale viewing where Leonard Joel staff are available for advice.
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.

John Olsen has travelled extensively throughout Australia, exploring regions few have had the opportunity to experience themselves. Through Olsen's artworks he takes us on a journey through these beautiful surroundings, whether it be a vast dry plain or a majestic ocean.

He redefined how the Australian landscape was depicted by shifting to aerial perspective. As the artist himself notes:

"The only way to see the landscape is from the air, look at the patterns on the earth, they are like a beautiful skin...it's incomprehensible to most people, but for me it's just as essential to observe the geological lay of the land from an aerial perspective as it is to crawl into the microscopic depths of a pond. The obsessive lyrical interpretations are just the same." (John Olsen)

Through aerial perspective, Olsen reveals the dynamism of the ocean. In Torres Strait, a deep blue tunnel bursts through the centre, intersecting with topographical-like lines dancing across the paper in perfect free-form. The soft bleed of the watercolour with the more defined shapes and lines of the pastel create a sense of movement and inspire further images of underwater life.

For John Olsen, the landscape has always been more than a purely external phenomenon and he approaches his landscape paintings with a poetic sensibility and spiritual understanding of the natural world. In this regard, Olsen's works are timeless and universal.

Olivia Fuller, Head of Art

© John Olsen/Copyright Agency, 2020