Title

Desert landscape

1963

Artist

Sidney Nolan

Australia, England

22 Apr 1917 – 28 Nov 1992

Artist profile

Details

Other Titles

Landscape
African landscape

Date

1963

Media category

Painting

Materials used

oil on hardboard

Dimensions

120.5 x 152.4 cm board; 143.5 x 174.5 x 6.0 cm frame

Signature & date

Signed l.r. corner, beige oil "N [in reverse]". Not dated.
Signed and dated u.r. verso on board [upside down], red chalk "…/ 22 / 2 / 63/ Nolan".
Signed and dated c.l. verso on board [vertically], black pencil "22 / 2 / 63/ Nolan".

Credit

Purchased with grateful acknowledgement to Cynthia Nolan 2005

Location

Not on display

Accession number

329.2005

Copyright

© The Trustees of the Sidney Nolan Trust/DACS. Copyright Agency
Reproduction requests

Artist information

Sidney Nolan
Artist profile

Works in the collection

140

Share
About

Winding, python-like river beds were shallow, dry ... lime-green areas, purple centred ... This was proper painter's country ... barren, patterned by zig-zagging straps, snakes wriggling off between different mountain ... Lake Rudolph became ineffably blue, breathlessly beautiful, as we approached over ground made up of every grey and brown hitherto unimagined. There were unsuspected varieties of pale orange, a new blue, strange whites. A volcano made a neat scoop beside pools, bays and spreading cut-off lagoons of verdigris and prune. Sidney was wrenched sideways, almost standing, concentrated, taut, his eyes like arrows shooting to nail this enchanted moment. Its communication, once crystallised, would be stored, held intact yet forgotten until unconsciously rather than by an act of will it would be called upon in some unpredictable future.

excerpt from Cynthia Nolan, 'One traveller's Africa', Methuen and Co., London, 1965
Exhibition history
Shown in 5 exhibitions
- Sidney Nolan: African journey, Marlborough Fine Art (London) Ltd, London, May 1963–Jun 1963
- Sidney Nolan retrospective exhibition. Paintings from 1937 to 1967, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 13 Sep 1967–29 Oct 1967
  
  Sidney Nolan retrospective exhibition. Paintings from 1937 to 1967, National Gallery of Victoria [Swanston Street], Melbourne, 22 Nov 1967–17 Dec 1967
  
  Sidney Nolan retrospective exhibition. Paintings from 1937 to 1967, Western Australian Art Gallery, Perth, 09 Jan 1968–04 Feb 1968
- Sidney Nolan (1989), Waddington Galleries, London, 01 Feb 1989–25 Feb 1989
- Sidney Nolan: Miners, myths, wildlife (2005), Savill Galleries [Sydney], Paddington, 25 Oct 2005–20 Nov 2005
  
  Sidney Nolan: Miners, myths, wildlife (2005), Savill Galleries [Melbourne], Victoria, 29 Jan 2006–26 Feb 2006
- Sidney Nolan (2007-2008), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 03 Nov 2007–03 Feb 2008
  
  Sidney Nolan (2007-2008), Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Melbourne, 22 Feb 2008–18 May 2008
  
  Sidney Nolan (2007-2008), Queensland Art Gallery, South Brisbane, 06 Jun 2008–31 Aug 2008
Bibliography
Referenced in 16 publications
- Brian Adams, Sidney Nolan: such is life, Melbourne, 1987, 160-167. NOTE: General reference.
- Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of New South Wales annual report 2006, 'Year in review: Australian art', pg. 20-22, Sydney, 2006, 20, 22 (colour illus.).
- Larry Boys, Bulletin, 'Nolan's African journey: a Bulletin portfolio', 'Roving reporter of art: Africa in vivid November from Larry Boys in London', pg. 32, Sydney, 24 Aug 1963, (colour illus.). titled 'Landscape'
- Edmund Capon AM, OBE, I blame Duchamp: my life's adventures in art, 'Sidney Nolan', pg. 58-65, Sydney, 2009, 64.
- Elwyn Lynn, Sidney Nolan: myth and imagery, London, 1967, 38-45. NOTE: General reference.
- Hal Missingham, Sidney Nolan. Retrospective exhibition. Paintings from 1937 to 1967, Sydney, 1967. cat.no. 120
- Cynthia Nolan, One traveller's Africa, London, 1965, opposite 29 (illus.). titled 'Landscape'
- Barry Pearce, Look, 'Sidney Nolan and the genius of painting', pg. 12-13, Sydney, Jul 2006, 12, 13 (colour illus.).
- Barry Pearce, Frances Lindsay, Lou Klepac and Edmund Capon AM, OBE, Sidney Nolan, 'The African paintings', pg. 41-45, Sydney, 2007, 14, 51, 54, 178, 188 (colour illus.), 237. cat.no. 91
- Savill Galleries [Sydney], Sidney Nolan: miners, myths, wildlife, Sydney, 2005, (colour illus.). cat.no. 12
- Jill Sykes (Editor), Look, 'Nolan's Africa', pg. 13, Sydney, Dec 2014-Jan 2015, 13 (colour illus.).
- Nicholas Usherwood., Nolan's Nolans: a reputation reassessed, 'Introduction', London, 1997. NOTE: General reference. Also see cat.no. 65: 'Rimbaud at Harar' 1963.
- Waddington Galleries (Compilator), Sidney Nolan (1989), London, 1989, (colour illus.). cat.no. 9
- G.S. Whittet (Editor) and David Pelham (Art Editor), The Studio, G.S. Whittet, 'May days for the Moderns: London commentary', pg. 10-11, London, Jul 1963.
- Nolan: Everyone feels they know Nolan, but that is far from the truth, East Melbourne, 2018. DVD documentary
- Australian and International Paintings, including Contemporary Australian art. Melbourne 1 & 2 May 2000, Melbourne, 2000, 226 (colour illus.). lot no. 263