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Collection

An image of nature. insects plants flowers. shells fish corals. the microscopic creatures. dreams by Nick Mourtzakis

Nick Mourtzakis

(Australia, Greece 31 Aug 1951– )

Title
nature. insects plants flowers. shells fish corals. the microscopic creatures. dreams
Place of origin
Melbourne → Victoria → Australia
Year
2006
Media category
Drawing
Materials used
black wax crayon, lithographic crayon, pencil, paper tapes, white gouache, light brown wash, scraping out on paper
Dimensions

68.6 x 54.2cm image; 80.6 x 59.3cm sheet; 94.0 x 77.5 x 4.0cm frame

Signature & date
Signed and dated l.l., black wax crayon "NM", lithographic crayon "206"
Credit
Gift of the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation 2006
Accession number
325.2006
Copyright
© Nick Mourtzakis
Location
Not on display
Further information

An imposing image of the artist’s larger than life-sized face seen at close quarters, Nick Mourtzakis’s drawing impels our entry into a private inner realm. It is a self-portrait in which the artist sought to resolve his sense of physical separateness and identity as an individual, with his knowledge and awareness of our fluid connectedness to all nature at the fundamental level of organic matter. The title conveys this overarching awareness that everything has its
source in nature, which, for Mourtzakis, is a crucial part of his imaginative and emotional inner life.

The richly textured surface of the drawing attests to several concentrated sessions of re-working over a period of five years, revealing the extensive layers of drawing, erasure and re-drawing, characteristic of his approach. His geometric rendering of complex facial forms also reflects Mourtzakis’s longstanding interest in analytical cubism.

Bibliography (12)

Elizabeth Cross, Look Jul 2007, 'Nick Mourtzakis', pg. 18-23, Newtown, Jul 2007, 19 (colour illus.). Photograph of the artist standing in front of 'nature. insects plants flowers. shells fish corals. the microscopic creatures. dreams'.

Elizabeth Fortescue, The Daily Telegraph 29 Sep 2006, ‘Returning to nature’, pg. 92, Sydney, 29 Sep 2006, 92.

Peter Jonson (Editor), Henry Thornton 28 Sep 2012, '2006 Dobell Prize for Drawing', Melbourne, 28 Sep 2012, (colour illus.). viewed 28.09.2006, http://www.henrythornton.com/print-article.asp?article_id=4326

Hendrik Kolenberg, Look Nov 2011, 'A fine harvest of drawings: legacy of an exceptional draughtsman', pg. 28-31, Newtown, Nov 2011, 30, 31 (colour illus.).

Hendrik Kolenberg, Contemporary Australian Drawing: 20 years of the Dobell Prize for Drawing 2012, ‘Introduction’, pg. 6-14, Sydney, 2012, 7, 46, 47 (colour illus.), 61.

Steve Meacham, The Sydney Morning Herald 25 Dec 2011, ‘What makes a drawing? It’s often a fine line’, pg. 13, Sydney, 25 Dec 2011, 13 (colour illus.).

Clare Morgan, The Sydney Morning Herald 25 Sep 2006, ‘Artist’s blades cut his style to a winning edge’, pg. 3, Sydney, 25 Sep 2006, 3 (colour illus.). Mourtzakis is pictured standing in front of the work.

Alan Oakley (Editor), The Sydney Morning Herald 13 Oct 2006-19 Oct 2006, ‘Dobell Prize for Drawing’, Sydney, 13 Oct 2006-19 Oct 2006, 23 (colour illus., detail). metro art section

Alan Oakley (Editor), The Sydney Morning Herald 28 Sep 2006, 'Mourtzakis wins second Dobell', Sydney, 28 Sep 2006, (colour illus., detail). viewed 29.09.2006, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-09-28/mourtzakis-wins-second-dobell/1273470

Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop., The Sydney Morning Herald 28 Sep 2006, ‘Dobell win for Mourtzakis’, Sydney, 28 Sep 2006, (colour illus.). viewed 29.09.2006, http://www.abc.net.au/news/arts/articulate/200609/s1751127.htm

Udo Sellbach (Editor), Imprint Summer 2006, ‘Dobell Prize for Drawing 2006’, Melbourne, Summer 2006, 27 (colour illus.).

Ignacio Villarreal (Editor), artdaily.org 03 Oct 2006, 'Nick Mourtzakis wins 2006 Dobell Prize for Drawing', Mexico City, 03 Oct 2006, (colour illus.). viewed 04.10.2006, http://www.artdaily.com/section/news/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=17577

Exhibition history (2)

Dobell Prize for Drawing 2006, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 29 Sep 2006–03 Dec 2006

Contemporary Australian Drawing: 20 Years of the Dobell Drawing Prize: