Sidney Nolan
(Australia, England 22 Apr 1917–28 Nov 1992)
- Title
- Drought skeleton
- Other titles:
- Carcass
Drought - Year
- 1953
- Media category
- Painting
- Materials used
- oil on hardboard
- Dimensions
-
90.5 x 121.0cm board; 105.7 x 136.2 x 4.5cm frame
- Signature & date
- Signed and dated lower c., yellow/ochre oil "NOLAN/ 53/ .".
- Credit
- Purchased with funds provided by the Nelson Meers Foundation 2002
- Accession number
- 229.2002
- Copyright
- © The Trustees of the Sidney Nolan Trust
- Location
- 20th & 21st c Australian art
- Further information
In June 1952 Sidney Nolan travelled to the Northern Territory and Queensland, under commission from the Brisbane Courier-Mail, to record the effects of severe drought in the north of the continent. 'Drought skeleton', with its heat-seared bony remains, is one of a number of stark, uncompromising paintings created out of this harrowing experience.
Nolan’s approach was influenced by a recent visit to Italy where, during a visit to Pompeii, he had gained a similar sense of life suddenly suspended following the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. The contorted forms of animals and humans petrified in the ashes – of which he’d seen plaster casts in the Pompeii museum – bore strong similarities to the twisted, yet still life-like, limbs of carcasses that resulted from drought.
- Bibliography (28)
-
Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Frances Lindsay (Australia, b.1946) (Author), Lou Klepac (Australia; Croatia, b.1936) (Author), Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940) (Author), Sidney Nolan, Sydney, 2007, 158, 160 (colour illus.), 235. cat.no. 66
'Doing justice to Nolan' by Jill Skyes, pg. 8., Look Mar 2005, Mar 2005, 8 (illus.). NOTE: Nelson and Sam Meers and positioned infront of the painting.
'Mix 'n' match' by Peter Hill, pg. 18., The Sydney Morning Herald 15 Jan 2005-16 Jan 2005, 15 Jan 2005-16 Jan 2005, 18. NOTE: Spectrum supplement of Saturday's edition.
'AGNSW's new Nolan room', pg. 6., Age 22 Dec 2004, 22 Dec 2004, 6.
'Sydney [sic] Nolan at the Art Gallery of NSW', pg. 18., La Fiamma 22 Dec 2004, 22 Dec 2004, 18.
'Gallery makes room for foundation's gift of Nolans' by Sebastian Smee., The Australian 21 Dec 2004, 21 Dec 2004, (colour illus.).
'Gallery sells off the family silver and strikes gold' by Clare Morgan., The Sydney Morning Herald 21 Dec 2004, 21 Dec 2004, (colour illus.). NOTE: Image shows 'Drought skeleton' on display with Judith White, Nelson Meers, Sam Meers and Edmund Capon in front of work.
'Nolan the nation's "greatest painter"' by Krystyna Pollar., The Australian 19 Dec 2004, 19 Dec 2004. NOTE: This article also appeared in Melbourne's 'Herald Sun' and 'Daily telegraph', Adelaide's 'Advertiser' and Brisbane's 'Courier mail', on 19 December 2004.
'Nolan's Australia' by Jill Sykes, pg. 28-31., Look Oct 2004, Oct 2004, 30, 31 (colour illus.).
Art Gallery of New South Wales Annual Report 2004 2004, 2004, 19.
'Gift of three Nolans', by Barry Pearce, pg. 11-12., Look Jul 2003, Jul 2003, 12 (colour illus.).
'Sidney Nolan: Desert & Drought' by Geoffrey Smith, pg 5-7., gallery: ngv members magazine Jul 2003, Jul 2003, 5-7. NOTE: General reference. Article relates to Desert & Drought exhibition held at the NGV in 2003.
Foundation Newsletter #2 May 2003, May 2003, (colour illus.).
Geoffrey Smith (Author), Sidney Nolan: desert & drought, Melbourne, 2003, 115 (colour illus.), 153. cat.no. 65
Art Gallery of New South Wales Annual Report 2003 2003, 2003, 9, 14.
T.G. Rosenthal (Author), Sidney Nolan, London, 2002, 130-133. NOTE: General reference of Nolan's carcasses.
Agnew's, London (England, estab. 1817), 'You beaut country': a selection of Australian paintings 1940-2000, London, 2001, (colour illus.). cat.no. 8, titled 'Carcass', £28,000
Art and Australia (Vol. 35, No. 3) 1998, 1998, 320 (illus.). NOTE: Advertisement for AGNEW'S, London
Sotheby's Australia (Australia) (Compilator), Sotheby's: Fine Australian and European Paintings, Drawings, Prints, Photographs and Sculpture, including the Hugh Jamieson collection of contemporary art, Woollahra, Apr 1997, (colour illus.). lot no. 271; titled 'Carcass'
Christie's, Australia Pty. Ltd. (Australia) (Compilator), Christie's Australia: Books. Works on paper & Australian paintings, Sydney, Apr 1991, 73 (colour illus.). lot no. 233A; titled 'Carcase' [sic]
Jane Clark (Australia) (Author), Sidney Nolan - landscapes and legends: a retrospective exhibition 1937 - 1987, Sydney, 1987, 114. NOTE: General reference of Nolan's carcasses.
Brian Adams (Australia) (Author), Sidney Nolan: such is life, Melbourne, 1987, 121-122. NOTE: General reference.
Sidney Nolan (Australia; England, b.1917, d.1992) (Illustrator), Elwyn Lynn (Australia, b.1917, d.1997) (Author), Sidney Nolan - Australia, Sydney, 1979, 116. NOTE: Reference to another Nolan Carass painting.
'L'art contemporain en Australie' by Alan McCulloch, pg. 21-28., Prisme de arts (No. 2) 15 Apr 1956, 15 Apr 1956, 23 (illus.). NOTE: titled 'Carcasse', dated 1952
'Sydney shows' by Dora Sweetapple, pg. 36-37., Architecture and arts Feb 1954, Feb 1954, 36-37. NOTE: Review of Nolan David Jones' Art Gallery exhibition. Carass reproduced in another version.
'Dead stock isn't the dish for everyone' by Arnold Shore, pg. 37., Australasian post 16 Jul 1953, 16 Jul 1953, 37 (illus.). NOTE: titled 'Drought skeleton'
Peter Bray Gallery (Australia) (Author), Drought paintings by Sidney Nolan, Melbourne, 1953. cat.no. 28; priced 150 guineas
David Jones' Art Gallery, Sydney (Australia, estab. 1928) (Author), Sidney Nolan: Exhibition of Queensland outback paintings, Sydney, 1949. properly cat.no. 7; titled 'Drought'
- Exhibition history (8)
-
Drought paintings by Sidney Nolan (1953), Peter Bray Gallery, 23 Jun 1953 -.
Sidney Nolan: exhibition of paintings (1953), David Jones' Art Gallery, Sydney, 29 Jul 1953–15 Aug 1953.
Fifty years of The Macquarie Galleries: the third decade 1945-1955, Macquarie Galleries, 07 May 1975–26 May 1975.
'You beaut country': a selection of Australian art 1940-2000, Agnew's, London, 03 Oct 2001–26 Oct 2001.
Sidney Nolan: Desert and Drought, Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, 06 Jun 2003–17 Aug 2003.
Sidney Nolan (2007-2008), Art Gallery of New South Wales, 03 Nov 2007–03 Feb 2008.
Sidney Nolan (2007-2008), Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, 22 Feb 2008–18 May 2008.
Sidney Nolan (2007-2008), Queensland Art Gallery, 06 Jun 2008–31 Aug 2008.
