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
- 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)
-
Hendrik Kolenberg (Netherlands; Australia) (Author), Anne Ryan (Australia) (Author), Helen Campbell (Australia) (Author), Contemporary Australian Drawing: 20 years of the Dobell Prize for Drawing, Sydney, 2012, 7, 46, 47 (colour illus.), 61.
'A fine harvest of drawings: legacy of an exceptional draughtsman' by Hendrik Kolenberg, pg. 28-31., Look Nov 2011, Nov 2011, 30, 31 (colour illus.).
‘What makes a drawing? It’s often a fine line’ by Steve Meacham, pg. 13., The Sydney Morning Herald 25 Dec 2011, 25 Dec 2011, 13 (colour illus.).
'Nick Mourtzakis' by Elizabeth Cross, pg. 18-23., Look Jul 2007, Jul 2007, 19 (colour illus.). Photograph of the artist standing in front of 'nature. insects plants flowers. shells fish corals. the microscopic creatures. dreams'.
‘Dobell Prize for Drawing 2006’., Imprint Summer 2006, Summer 2006, 27 (colour illus.).
'Mourtzakis wins second Dobell'., The Sydney Morning Herald 28 Sep 2006, 28 Sep 2006, (colour illus., detail). viewed 29.09.2006, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-09-28/mourtzakis-wins-second-dobell/1273470>
‘Dobell win for Mourtzakis’ by Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop., The Sydney Morning Herald 28 Sep 2006, 28 Sep 2006, (colour illus.). viewed 29.09.2006, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/arts/articulate/200609/s1751127.htm>
‘Dobell Prize for Drawing’., The Sydney Morning Herald 13 Oct 2006-19 Oct 2006, 13 Oct 2006-19 Oct 2006, 23 (colour illus., detail). metro art section
'Nick Mourtzakis wins 2006 Dobell Prize for Drawing'., artdaily.org 03 Oct 2006, 03 Oct 2006, (colour illus.). viewed 04.10.2006, <http://www.artdaily.com/section/news/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=17577>
‘Returning to nature’ by Elizabeth Fortescue, pg. 92., The Daily Telegraph 29 Sep 2006, 29 Sep 2006, 92.
'2006 Dobell Prize for Drawing'., Henry Thornton 28 Sep 2012, 28 Sep 2012, (colour illus.). viewed 28.09.2006, <http://www.henrythornton.com/print-article.asp?article_id=4326>
‘Artist’s blades cut his style to a winning edge’ by Clare Morgan, pg. 3., The Sydney Morning Herald 25 Sep 2006, 25 Sep 2006, 3 (colour illus.). Mourtzakis is pictured standing in front of the work.
- Exhibition history (2)
-
Dobell Prize for Drawing 2006, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 29 Sep 2006–03 Dec 2006.
Contemporary Australian Drawing: 20 Years of the Dobell Drawing Prize, Grafton Regional Gallery, 15 Feb 2013–24 Mar 2013.
