Aida Tomescu

(Australia, Romania 30 Oct 1955– )

Title

Negru III (A candle in a dark room), from the series Negru

Place of origin

Sydney → New South Wales → Australia

Year

2002

Media categories

Print, Drawing

Materials used

white pastel, charcoal drawn on lift-ground aquatint, printed in black ink on paper

Dimensions

123.0 x 80.0cm sheet

Signature & date

Signed and dated bot.c., black pastel "ACT '02".

Credit

Gift of the Trustees of the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation 2003

Accession number

364.2003.2

Copyright

Location

Not on display

Further information

Tomescu’s drawings are characteristically gestural and layered, and occasionally include collage. She first began making pastel drawings on prints in 1986 while producing etchings with printer John Loane, as a way of maintaining her continuity of thought during the printmaking process. Later, however, they became an independent part of her practice for a time and she had etchings specially printed for drawing on, as she was attracted to their surface quality and the contrast this made with her drawing materials.

Tomescu’s drawings are an open-ended form of inquiry into the process of drawing itself, in which the interaction of marks and surface are poetic and allusive, rather than representing a narrative. Stemming partly from earlier works such as her ‘Negra’ series of lithographs, 'Negru IV' and 'Negru III' are from a group of works made concurrently in 2002 on the theme of blackness – ‘Negru’ is the Romanian word for ‘black’. Of these, four became the 'Negru' suite that includes this diptych (of the others, 'Negru II' was gifted to the Gallery in 2003, while 'Negru I' remains in a private collection).

The series was triggered by the memory of a powerful small painting by New Zealand artist Colin McCahon (1919–87), 'A candle in a dark room' 1947 – a work that was itself inspired by McCahon’s meeting with a poet. While the drawings complement each other and were dependent on each other in the drawing process, each ultimately can be seen as individual works of art.

Bibliography (13)

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, 8, 40, 41 (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.

Look Jul 2011, Jul 2011, 41 (colour illus.). reproduction only

'Drawing conclusions' by Hendrik Kolenberg, pg. 14-17., Look Sep 2006, Sep 2006, 17.

Hendrik Kolenberg (Netherlands; Australia) (Author), Anne Ryan (Australia), The Dobell Prize for Drawing: 1993-2004, Sydney, 2004, 37 (colour illus.), 50, 54.

‘The perennial power of the line’ by Susan McCulloch, pg. R13., The Weekend Australian 25 Oct 2003-26 Oct 2003, 25 Oct 2003-26 Oct 2003, R13.

Look Oct 2003, Oct 2003, 35 (colour illus.).

‘A thousand words’, pg. 10., The Weekend Australian Magazine 27 Sep 2003-28 Sep 2003, 27 Sep 2003-28 Sep 2003, 10 (colour illus.).

‘Battle lines drawn as some see the light on artwork’ by Elizabeth Fortescue, pg. 11., The Daily Telegraph 13 Sep 2003, 13 Sep 2003, 11 (illus.). Tomescu is pictured standing in front of the work.

'Child's play', pg. 6; 'Unappreciated doesn't mean unloved' by Elizabeth Fortesque, pg. 6., The Daily Telegraph 12 Sep 2003, 12 Sep 2003, 6.

'Archibald's little sister drawn out of the shadows' by Joyce Morgan, pg. 7., The Sydney Morning Herald 12 Sep 2003, 12 Sep 2003, 7.

'Dobell winning 'squiggles' draw criticism' by Cathy Pryor, pg. 14., The Australian 12 Sep 2003, 12 Sep 2003, 14.

Niagara Galleries (Australia), Aida Tomescu, Richmond, 2003, 25 (colour illus.). cat.no. 20

Exhibition history (2)

Aida Tomescu (2003), Niagara Galleries, 05 Aug 2003–30 Aug 2003.

Contemporary Australian Drawing: 20 Years of the Dobell Drawing Prize, Grafton Regional Gallery, 15 Feb 2013–24 Mar 2013.

Collection

Aida Tomescu