Collection
View More:
Title
Untitled
1973
About
'He shows the making of a painting with all the travail fully exposed, without prettification or pretence ... there is something almost shocking in the completeness of the exposure'. James Gleeson, April 1973
Tony Tuckson is admired as one of Australia's finest abstract expressionist painters. From the late 1950s, he used increasingly simplified forms and restricted colour to concentrate on the act of painting. While absorbing developments in European and American abstraction, and admiring the work of fellow Australian artist Ian Fairweather, Tuckson's approach may be most strongly allied to his lifelong interest in Aboriginal and Melanesian art.
Working as Deputy Director of this Gallery from the 1950s to 1973, Tuckson painted prodigiously in private. During his lifetime, his artistic career was almost completely overshadowed by his art museum profession. His belated first solo exhibition was held in 1970 at Watters Gallery, Sydney and his second in 1973 - a few months before his premature death at the age of 52.
Painted during this late period, this work presents a surface animated by broad, lyrical brushstrokes. Layers of paint in subdued hues have been built up on the hardboard surface. A long, narrow section of the composition is left unpainted, revealing the raw board beneath. This vertical strip, which is reminiscent of a Barnett Newman 'zip' - and which is echoed in the charcoal lines drawn upon the painted surface - brings a host of allusions into play with the painting.
Details
Other Titles
Pale yellow with charcoal lines
Untitled (Pale yellow with charcoal lines)
TP198a
Date
1973
Materials used
synthetic polymer paint and charcoal on hardboard
Dimensions
214.0 x 122.5 cm
Credit
Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation Purchase 2013
Accession number
213.2013

Shown in 6 exhibitions
Exhibition history
Tony Tuckson 1921-1973, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 10 Apr 1976–09 May 1976
Tony Tuckson 1921-1973: a retrospective exhibition, Pinacotheca Gallery, Australia, 13 Oct 1982–30 Oct 1982
Tony Tuckson, themes and variations:
- Heide Park and Art Gallery, Melbourne 02 May 1989–18 Jun 1989
- Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney 28 Jun 1989–27 Jul 1989
Reversals: Philip Guston and Tony Tuckson:
- Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Paddington 21 Apr 1994–21 May 1994
- Museum of Modern Art at Heide, Melbourne 31 May 1994–17 Jul 1994
Painting forever: The art of Tony Tuckson:
- National Gallery of Australia, Canberra 04 Nov 2000–04 Feb 2001
- Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 23 Mar 2001–20 May 2001
- Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre 07 Sep 2001–10 Feb 2002
- Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat 07 Sep 2001–21 Oct 2001
- Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne 23 Feb 2002–21 Apr 2002
Tony Tuckson: the abstract sublime, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 17 Nov 2018–17 Feb 2019
Referenced in 8 publications
Bibliography
Bruce James, The Sydney Morning Herald, 'Larrikin I and II equal personality plus', Sydney, 21 Jan 2001, 10, 11 (illus.). Spectrum supplement
Tony Tuckson, Sydney, 2006, 150 (colour illus.), 201. plate no. 166
Painting forever: Tony Tuckson, Canberra, 2000, 57 (colour illus.), 62. titled 'No title (Pale yellow with charcoal lines)'; cat.no. 55
Reversals: Philip Guston and Tony Tuckson, Sydney, 1994, n.pag. (colour illus.). titled and dated 'Pale yellow with charcoal lines' 1973; cat.no. 24
Tony Tuckson: themes and variations, Bulleen, 1989, 26. titled 'Untitled (Pale yellow with charcoal lines)'; cat.no. 37
Tony Tuckson 1921-1973, Melbourne, 1982, 32, 52 (illus.). cat.no. 96
Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation: Celebrating 30 years of art acquisitions, Sydney, 2015, 41 (colour illus.).
Tony Tuckson 1921-1973, Sydney, 1976, 16, 30, 49 (illus.). cat.no. 90