Roy de Maistre
(Australia, England 27 Mar 1894–01 Mar 1968)
- Title
- Rhythmic composition in yellow green minor
- Other titles:
- Frozen Music, 1919
- Year
- (1919)
- Media category
- Painting
- Materials used
- oil on paperboard
- Dimensions
-
85.3 x 115.3cm board; 89.2 x 119.4 x 4.4cm frame
- Signature & date
- Not signed. Not dated.
- Credit
- Purchased 1960
- Accession number
- OA17.1960
- Copyright
- © Caroline de Mestre Walker
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
In late 1918, Roy de Maistre collaborated with fellow artist Roland Wakelin in exploring the relationship between art and music. Their experiments produced Australia's first abstract paintings, characterised by high-key colour, large areas of flat paint and simplified forms. The works received critical acclaim, but modernist developments were largely derided by the conservative establishment.
This painting exemplifies de Maistre's theory of colour harmonisation based on analogies between colours of the spectrum and notes of the musical scale. It is also aligned with de Maistre's search for spiritual meaning through abstraction, akin to other artists such as Kandinsky who were interested in the ideas of the theosophy and anthroposophy movements, spiritualism and the occult.
- Bibliography (31)
-
Jenny McFarlane (Australia) (Author), Concerning the Spiritual: The influence of the Theosophical Society on Australian Artists 1890-1934, North Melbourne, 2012, 82 (colour illus.), 137, 139-140. Note: colour plate pages in between pg. 82-83 are unnumbered.
Jaynie Anderson (Editor), The Cambridge companion to Australian Art, Port Melbourne, 2011, 111, 354. fig.no. 9.2 (colour illus.)
Grace Crowley's contribution to Australian modernism and geometric abstraction, Newcastle upon Tyne, 2010, 127.
Sue Cramer (Author), Lesley Harding (Australia) (Author), Cubism & Australian art, Carlton, 2009, 23, 24 (colour illus.).
'Men of colours: Australia's early abstract paintings are music to the eyes' by John MacDonald, pg. 16-17., The Sydney Morning Herald 13 Sep 2008-14 Sep 2008, 13 Sep 2008-14 Sep 2008, 16 (colour illus.), 17.
'Colour music: Composing paintings with colours as notes' by Laura Pia, pg. 34-37., Look Jul 2008, Jul 2008, 37 (colour illus.).
Ann Stephen (Australia) (Author), Andrew McNamara (Australia) (Author), Philip Goad (Australia) (Author), Modern times: the untold story of modernism in Australia, Sydney, 2008, 18 (colour illus.), 20.
Russell Storer (Australia) (Author), Video Logic, Sydney, 2008, 68, 69 (colour illus.).
Nick Waterlow (Australia) (Curator), Annabel Pegus (Australia) (Curator), Symposium papers: Colour in art - revisiting 1919 & R-Balson, Paddington, 2008, 6, 10, 20.
Annabel Pegus (Australia) (Author), Nick Waterlow (Australia), Colour in art: Revisiting 1919, Paddington, 2008, 5, 7, 20, 21 (colour illus.), 36 (colour illus.), 62.
'Visual music' by Maura McDonnell, pg. 2-20., Visual music marathon 2007, 2007, 4 (colour illus.).
Deborah Hart (South Africa; United Kingdom; Australia, b.1959) (Editor), Grace Cossington Smith, Canberra, 2005, 103.
'"Colour in art" and Alexander Hector's Electric Colour-Music Organ' by Jenny McFarlane, pg. 292-297., Art and Australia (Vol. 40, No. 2) Dec 2002-Feb 2003, Dec 2002-Feb 2003, 292-293 (colour illus.), 296.
'Resonance of colour and music: a parallel vision that reached out to another generation' by Annabel Pegus, pg. 12-13., Look May 2002, May 2002, 12 (colour illus.), 13.
'Milking works for a moment in the sun' by Bruce James, pg. 13., The Sydney Morning Herald 03 Apr 2002, 03 Apr 2002, 13. Review of 'Parallel Visions' exhibition
Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Parallel visions: works from the Australian collection, Domain, 2002, 4-5 (colour illus., detail), 48, 49 (colour illus.), 51, 142, 147.
Helen Verity Hewitt (Australia) (Author), Patrick White, painter, manqué: paintings, painters and their influence on his writing, Carlton, 2002, 7.
'Olympians of Australian art' by Judith White, pg. 16-18., Look Jul 2000, Jul 2000, 18 (colour illus.).
Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Australian art: in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Domain, 2000, 103 (colour illus.), 104, 108 (colour illus., detail), 109 (colour illus.), 301.
Bruce James (Australia) (Author), Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940) (Director), Art Gallery of New South Wales handbook, Domain, 1999, 136 (colour illus.).
Lynne Seear (Australia) (Editor), Julie Ewington (Australia) (Editor), Brought to light: Australian Art 1850-1965, South Brisbane, 1998, 218, 222, 223 (colour illus.).
‘New Australia’ by Wayne Tunnicliffe and Deborah Edwards, pg. 24-27., The Sydney Morning Herald 08 Dec 1997, 08 Dec 1997, 24.
Art & Design in Australia 1995, 1995.
Bernard Smith (Australia, b.1916, d.2011) (Author), Terry Smith (Author), Australian painting 1788-1990, South Melbourne, 1991, 191 (colour illus.). illus.no. 111
David Marr (Australia) (Author), Patrick White: A life by David Marr, Milsons Point, 1991, 147.
Mary Eagle (Australia, b.1944) (Author), Australian Modern Painting Between the Wars 1914-1939, Sydney, 1989, 44, 45 (colour illus.). plate no. 28
Heather Johnson (Author), Roy de Maistre; The Australian years 1894-1930, 1988, 35, 36 (colour illus.), 37-8, 97, 121. plate no. 8
'Painting's influence on literature' by Daniel Thomas., The Sydney Morning Herald 14 Sep 1976, 14 Sep 1976.
Daniel Thomas (Curator), Project 14: Roy de Maistre 1894-1968, Sydney, 1976. cat.no. 49; not paginated
'Roy de Maistre' by John Rothenstein, pg. 32-37., London magazine Aug 1963, Aug 1963, 34.
'Post Impressionism in Sydney: Some personal recollections' by Roland Wakelin, pg. 91-95., Art Gallery of New South Wales Quarterly Jan 1962, Jan 1962, 92, 93 (illus.).
- Exhibition history (4)
-
Project 14 - Roy de Maistre: 1894-1968 (1976), Art Gallery of New South Wales, 04 Sep 1976–04 Oct 1976.
Parallel Visions: Twenty-two artists from the Australian collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 22 Feb 2002–May 2003.
Colour in Art - revisiting 1919, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, 21 Aug 2008–27 Sep 2008.
Colour in Art - revisiting 1919, Heide Museum of Modern Art, 23 Mar 2009–12 Jul 2009.
