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George W Lambert's still life 'Tulips and other stimulants' presents the viewer with a complex composition and indicates his interest in formal design. The painting's title playfully alludes to the aromatic and intoxicating qualities of the objects it depicts: a jug of tulips and a single rose, a basin of ripe fruit, a decanter of red wine and a wine glass. The objects are artificially arranged in shallow representational space, upon a patterned tablecloth and mottled backdrop. A review published in the Sydney Morning Herald in 1927 noted, 'Except for a certain flatness in the treatment of the jug, the painting is subtle and strong, brilliant in tone and texture'. The flatness of the work reflects its modernist underpinnings: elements are simplified with a particular emphasis on pattern, texture and colour.
Details
Date
1927
Materials used
oil on canvas
Dimensions
52.1 x 60.6 cm stretcher; 72.3 x 82.3 x 6.5 cm frame :
0 - Whole; 49.4 x 59.5 cm; SIGHT DIMENSION
Signature & date
Signed and dated l.r. corner, blue oil "G.W. LAMBERT/ 1927".
Credit
Purchased 1927
Location
Not on display
Accession number
861
Shown in 5 exhibitions
Exhibition history
George Lambert (1927), Grosvenor Gallery, Sydney, Nov 1927 -
150 years of Australian art (1938), National Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 27 Jan 1938–25 Apr 1938
A retrospective exhibition of Australian painting, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 25 Sep 1953–25 Oct 1953
George Lambert retrospective: heroes & icons, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, 29 Jun 2007–16 Sep 2007
Still life, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 27 Jul 2013–23 Apr 2014
Referenced in 6 publications
Bibliography
Lionel Lindsay, 150 years of Australian art, Sydney, 1938. cat.no. 121 [Gallery No. 2]
Hal Missingham, A retrospective exhibition of Australian painting, Sydney, 1953. cat.no. 85
Jade Williamson, Look, 'Brought to light: still life from the Australian collection', pg. 22-23, Sydney, Sep 2013, 22.
George W. Lambert retrospective: heros and icons, Canberra, 2007, 189 (colour illus.), 190, 212. cat.no. 110
Unknown, George Lambert (1873-1930) catalogue raisonné: paintings and sculpture, drawings in public collections, Perth, 1996, 123-124, 237. cat.no. P433
Unknown (Editor), Art in Australia [series 3, no. 70], Sydney, Mar 1938, 51 (illus.).