Donald Friend
(Australia 06 Feb 1915–16 Aug 1989)
- Title
- Tamarillo harvest
- Year
- (1987)
- Media category
- Watercolour
- Materials used
- watercolour on white wove paper
- Dimensions
-
56.5 x 75.5cm sheet
- Signature & date
- Signed l.r. corner, pen and black ink ".../ Donald Friend". Not dated.
- Credit
- Purchased 1987
- Accession number
- 552.1987
- Copyright
- © Reproduced with permission of the Estate of Donald Friend
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
In the last years of his life, deteriorating health prompted Friend to turn to the more immediate convenience of still life as a subject for painting. He produced some of his most beautiful watercolours during this period when, as he wrote poignantly in his book 'Art in a Classless Society' published in 1985:
"Did I retire or was I exiled from that garden of earthly joys? ... Farewell to youth then. And to the Nude ... In life as in art, much of what we accept is a barely adequate substitute for something we would rather have.
The greengrocer's shop is crammed with colourful models, attractive vegetable rivals to those warm blooded bipeds in blue jeans who lean provocatively against lamp posts playing pocket billiards or to the polychrome butterfly painted ladies clad in varieties of musical comedy drag ... For sheer loveliness the fruit and vegetables win hands down."
- Bibliography (5)
-
Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Parallel visions: works from the Australian collection, Domain, 2002, 132, 133 (colour illus.), 143, 147.
Hendrik Kolenberg (Netherlands; Australia) (Author), Australian watercolours 1880s to 1990s, Sydney, 1995, 93 (colour illus.), 123. cat.no. 83
Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Older Australian masters: an exhibition of works by major Australian artists executed in the later years of their careers, Domain, 1991, (colour illus.). not paginated, no catalogue numbers
Hendrik Kolenberg (Netherlands; Australia) (Author), Twentieth century Australian watercolours from the collection, Sydney, 1989. cat.no. 18
Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Donald Friend Retrospective 1915-1989, Sydney, 1990, 125 (colour illus.). cat.no. 105
- Exhibition history (8)
-
Older Australian masters: an exhibition of works by major Australian artists executed in the later years of their careers, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 16 Mar 1992–12 Apr 1992.
Australian watercolours 1880s to 1990s, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 18 Nov 1995–14 Jan 1996.
Australian watercolours 1880s to 1990s, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, 1996–1996.
Australian watercolours 1880s to 1990s, City of Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, 1996–1996.
Inside Out: Still Life and Interiors Post 1950, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 31 Jul 1999–31 Jan 2000.
Margaret Olley and Donald Friend (2006), Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, 09 Nov 2005–15 Jan 2006.
Margaret Olley and Donald Friend (2006), S.H. Ervin Gallery, 21 Jan 2006–19 Mar 2006.
Margaret Olley and Donald Friend (2006), Dell Gallery, 22 Apr 2006–28 May 2006.
