David Fairbairn
(Australia, England, Zambia 28 Dec 1949– )
- Title
- Portrait of Tao Triebels
- Other titles:
- White portrait, Tao Triebels
- Place of origin
-
Wedderburn →
New South Wales →
Australia
- Year
- 1998
- Media categories
- Drawing, Print
- Materials used
- charcoal, white chalk, brush and black ink drawn on four sheets of white wove paper
- Dimensions
-
142.7 x 110.5cm sheet, overall; 151.7 x 121.0 x 3.8cm frame
- Signature & date
- Signed and dated l.r.corner, pen and ink "David Fairbairn '98".
- Credit
- Gift of the Trustees of the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation 1999
- Accession number
- 71.1999
- Copyright
- © David Fairbairn
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
The subject of this drawing is an environmental engineer, Tao Triebels, who lives near the artist in the Macarthur region, south-west of Sydney. It is from a large ongoing series of monumental drawings of heads, all of local people and drawn from life, made by David Fairbairn over several years. In these he aims to present something of the subject’s personality, as well as appearance: ‘Ideas that are embodied in the works include contours, mapping and landscape – think of the head as something you walk across … ’ (David Fairbairn, 1999). 'Portrait of Tao Triebels' is drawn in charcoal, ink and chalk over four joined drypoint etchings. The latter were made using traditional intaglio tools as well as grinders, power tools and drills that resulted in deeply scored, printed black marks. A selection of related drawings, including other portraits of Tao Triebels, was exhibited in 'Headstrong: works by David Fairbairn' at the Casula Powerhouse in 2000.
- Bibliography (9)
-
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, 9, 32, 33 (colour illus.), 60.
Janet McKenzie (Australia) (Author), Contemporary Australian drawing #1, South Yarra, 2012, 76 (colour illus.), 77.
Renée Porter (Australia) (Curator), Lineage: David Gairbairn selected portraits 1998-2010, Campbelltown, 2010, 7, 64.
'David Fairbairn: using prints as the armature of painting' by Prue Gibson, pg. 36-40., Artist profile [issue 5] Jul 2008, Jul 2008, 38, 40 (colour illus.).
Hendrik Kolenberg (Netherlands; Australia) (Author), Anne Ryan (Australia), The Dobell Prize for Drawing: 1993-2004, Sydney, 2004, 8, 28, 29 (colour illlus.), 50, 52.
'Common ground: four Wedderburn painters' by Peter Pinson, pg. 270-277., Art and Australia (Vol. 40, No. 2) Dec 2002-Feb 2003, Dec 2002-Feb 2003, 276 (colour illus.).
'Drawing the spotlight' by Hendrik Kolenberg, pg. 18-19., Look Jun 2002, Jun 2002, 19 (colour illus.).
‘Drawing on a well of passion’ by Elizabeth Fortescue, pg. 42., The Daily Telegraph 09 Apr 1999, 09 Apr 1999, 42.
‘Lucky scratch’ by Sebastian Smee, pg. 15., The Sydney Morning Herald 23 Mar 1999, 23 Mar 1999, 15 (colour illus.).
- Exhibition history (6)
-
Dobell Prize for Drawing 1999, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 20 Mar 1999–09 May 1999.
Lineage: David Fairbairn selected portraits 1999-2010, Orange Regional Gallery, 11 Feb 2011–27 Mar 2011.
Lineage: David Fairbairn selected portraits 1999-2010, Goulburn Regional Art Gallery, 12 Apr 2011–07 May 2011.
Lineage: David Fairbairn selected portraits 1999-2010, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, 01 Jul 2011–21 Aug 2011.
Lineage: David Fairbairn selected portraits 1999-2010, Mosman Art Gallery, 03 Sep 2011–09 Oct 2011.
Contemporary Australian Drawing: 20 Years of the Dobell Drawing Prize, Grafton Regional Gallery, 15 Feb 2013–24 Mar 2013.
