Arthur Boyd
(Australia, England 24 Jul 1920–24 Apr 1999)
- Title
- Judas kissing Christ
- Year
- 1952-1953
- Media categories
- Sculpture, Ceramic
- Materials used
- glazed and painted terracotta
- Dimensions
-
60.9 x 37.0 x 36.6cm
- Signature & date
- Signed near base.
- Credit
- Purchased 1978
- Accession number
- 134.1978
- Copyright
- © Reproduced with permission of Bundanon Trust
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
In 1954 Boyd exhibited sixteen terracotta sculptures at the Peter Bray Gallery in Melbourne. 'Judas kissing Christ' was one of four pieces which depicted themes from the New Testament, the remainder being genre subjects.
Working from the Arthur Merric Boyd Pottery in Murrumbeena, which he, John Perceval and Peter Herbst had established in 1944, Boyd also produced ceramic paintings on tiles, such as 'Christ walking on the water' 1950-52, extending the medium through extensive experimentation with firing methods and lead glazes, to create a 'stained glass' effect. His father Merric Boyd, one of Australia's first and most talented studio potters, instilled in his son a vision of pottery as a medium for serious artistic vision.
One of Boyd's fondest memories as a child was watching the firing of the kiln, an event which decades later still evoked feelings of excitement:
"I can remember a few occasions when I felt very pleased for a short time and one was when I first took some very big pieces of ceramic sculpture out of the kiln. I had built a kiln for firing ceramic sculpture in the backyard of the old house at Murrumbeena ... It was the first sculpture I had done of any size ... and then opening up the kiln and taking them out while they were still very hot ... this was very exciting."Arthur Boyd 1967
- Bibliography (10)
-
Artwise: visual arts 7-10 2004, 2004, 155, 156 (colour illus.).
'To great and absent friend' by Peter Gotting, pg. 14., The Sydney Morning Herald 01 Aug 2000, 01 Aug 2000, 14 (illus.).
Aspects of Australian art 2000, 2000, (illus.). card no. 9: Arthur Boyd 'The expulsion' 1947-48
'The legacy in Sydney Arthur Boyd' by Barry Pearce, pg. 18-20., Look Jul 1999, Jul 1999, 20.
Art Wise - Visual Arts years 7-10 1997, 1997, 21, 34, 52, 118, 122, 126, 129, 146, 148.
Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Arthur Boyd retrospective, Sydney, 1993, 168 (colour illus.). cat.no. 199
'Boyd's New Testament themes', Look Oct 1986, Oct 1986, 7.
Dr Ursula Hoff (England; Australia, b.1909, d.2005) (Author), The art of Arthur Boyd, London, 1986, (colour illus.). cat.no. 62; not paginated
Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874) (Author), Three years on: a selection of acquisitions 1978-1981, Sydney, 1981, 10 (illus.). cat.no. 5
Franz Philipp (Austria; England, b.1914, d.1970) (Author), Arthur Boyd, London, 1967, 76, (colour illus.), 253. cat.no. 7.3; plate nos. 64 and 65
- Exhibition history (4)
-
Arthur Boyd retrospective exhibition (1964), Art Gallery of South Australia, 07 Mar 1964–21 Mar 1964.
Three years on: Acquisitions 1978-81, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 15 Oct 1981–01 Dec 1981.
The Australian Dream: Design of the 1950's, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, 21 Dec 1992–31 Dec 1993.
Australian icons: twenty artists from the collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 04 Aug 2000–03 Dec 2000.
