Title

Still life with lute

(circa 1954-circa 1956)

Artist

Godfrey Miller

Australia

20 Aug 1893 – 10 May 1964

Artist profile

Alternate image of Still life with lute by Godfrey Miller

Details

Other Title

The lute

Date

(circa 1954-circa 1956)

Media category

Painting

Materials used

oil, pen and black ink on canvas on hardboard

Dimensions

64.5 x 82.5 cm board; 69.8 x 87.2 x 4.3 cm frame

Signature & date

Signed l.r. corner, pen and black ink "Godfrey Miller/ O". Not dated.

Credit

Purchased 1956

Location

None

Accession number

9286

Copyright

© Estate of Godfrey Miller
Reproduction requests

Artist information

Godfrey Miller
Artist profile

Works in the collection

56

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About

Godfrey Miller believed that painting and music were the richest sources for the communication of metaphysical ideas. Seeking to demonstrate the structural equivalence between these two forms of expression, in 1935 he wrote:

Music is not now merely a flowing past – as it were horizontal rhythmic measure. It appears also of a vertical nature ... By that I mean that the structure is expressed as the modern painters are expressing their structure ... I can see the same mentality ... rhythm binds together so finely but it has the shortcomings of not raising itself high vertically. The geometrical line of thought, with its ability of thinking of things towering and mounting has great power. I can see the value of Cézanne’s notes of pure colour. I can see also Picasso’s piling up of things – bits of paper, pamphlets, books and playing cards ... A structure must raise itself.
Exhibition history
Shown in 7 exhibitions
- The Arts Festival of the Olympic Games (1956), National Gallery of Victoria [Swanston Street], Melbourne, 18 Nov 1956–15 Dec 1956
- Australian Artists of Note, David Jones' Art Gallery, Sydney, Sydney, 21 Nov 1956–05 Dec 1956
- Contemporary Australian Painters (1957):
  - Winnipeg Art Gallery, Canada Jul 1957–Sep 1957
  - London Public Library and Art Museum, Canada Sep 1957–Oct 1957
  - Art Gallery of Hamilton, Ontario Oct 1957–Nov 1957
  - The Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Canada Nov 1957–Dec 1957
  - National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ottawa Dec 1957–Jan 1958
  - Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Canada Feb 1958–Mar 1958
  - The Art Gallery of Toronto, Toronto Apr 1958 -
  - The Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina College, Canada May 1958 -
- Australian Painting: Colonial, Impressionist, Contemporary (1962-63):
  - National Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 17 Mar 1962–31 Mar 1962
  - Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth 23 Sep 1962–24 Oct 1962
  - Tate Britain, England 24 Jan 1963–03 Mar 1963
- Godfrey Miller:
  - Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney 15 Mar 1996–05 May 1996
  - National Gallery of Victoria [St Kilda Road], Melbourne 15 May 1996–17 Jun 1996
- Parallel Visions: Twenty-two artists from the Australian collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 22 Feb 2002–May 2003
- Australian modern masterpieces from the Art Gallery of New South Wales:
  - Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat 05 Oct 2011–27 Nov 2011
  - Newcastle Art Gallery, Newcastle 10 Dec 2011–04 Mar 2012
Bibliography
Referenced in 21 publications
- Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of New South Wales picturebook, Sydney, 1972, 121 (colour illus.).
- Sue Cramer, Cubism & Australian art, 'This Spiritual Adventure: Postwar Cubism 1950-1979', pg. 154-197, Melbourne, 2009, 158 (colour illus.). NOTE: two related paintings reproduced.'Still life with lute', 1960-63, collection of the Newcastle Region Art Gallery, NSW and 'Still life with muscial instruments' circa 1958, collection of the National Gallery of Victoria.
- David Jones' Art Gallery, Sydney, Australian artists of note exhibition, Sydney, 1956. cat.no. 31; titled 'Still Life with Lute'; priced 200 guineas
- Deborah Edwards, Godfrey Miller, Sydney, 1996, 44, 47 (colour illus.), 123. plate no. 34
- Deborah Edwards, Australian art: in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, 'Mosaic and figure', pg. 213-214, Sydney, 2000, 216 (colour illus.), 301.
- Deborah Edwards, Brought to Light: Australian Art 1850–1965 from the Queensland Art Gallery collection, 'Art and Mysticism. Godfrey Miller Trees in moonlight', pg. 244-249, Brisbane, 1998, 248, 249 (colour illus.).
- Sasha Grishin, Parallel visions: works from the Australian collection, 'Roger Kemp / Godfrey Miller', pg. 104-115, Sydney, 2002, front cover and inside front flap (colour illus., detail), 112 (colour illus.), 113, 145, 147.
- Paul Haefliger, The Sydney Morning Herald, 'New Exhibition by Surrealist Gleeson', pg. 2, Sydney, 21 Nov 1956, 2.
- Bruce James, Art Gallery of New South Wales handbook, 'Australian Collection: Painting and Sculpture', pg. 102-181, Sydney, 1999, 159 (colour illus.).
- Kay Keavney, The Australian women's weekly, 'Godfrey Miller:The man who became a legend', pg. 11, Sydney, 16 Nov 1966, 11 (colour illus.). NOTE: Caption reads "'The Lute' bought for a mere 200 gns by the N.S.W. Art Gallery, Sydney, in 1956. Present value is much more."
- Ewen McDonald, AGNSW Collections, Sydney, 1994, 63 (colour illus.).
- Hal Missingham, The studio, 'Recent Australian Painting', pg. 33-41, 63, London, Feb 1957, 41 (colour illus.). Collection: The artist; Titled: 'The Lute'
- National Art Gallery of New South Wales, Purchases and Acquisitions for 1956 National Art Gallery of N.S.W., Sydney, 1956, 8. cat.no. 11
- Olympic Civic Committee of Melbourne City Council, The arts festival of the Olympic Games, Melbourne: a guide to the exhibitions with introductory commentaries on the arts in Australia, Melbourne, 1956, 142. cat.no. 92; titled 'The lute'; Collection National Art Gallery of New South Wales
- Peter Pinson, Australian painters of the twentieth century, 'Godfrey Miller', pg. 52-63, Sydney, 2000, 57 (colour illus.).
- Lisa Slade and Rachael Kirsten, Enter Art, Sydney, 2000, sheet number 11 (colour illus.). Education kit produced by the NSW Dept of Education and Training as teaching resource for primary school teachers.
- Laurence Thomas., Contemporary Australian painters, 'Foreword', Ottawa, 1957, (illus.). cat.no. 41, illus.no. 3
- Clive Turnbull, Jean Campbell and Daniel Thomas AM, Australian painting: colonial, impressionist, contemporary, Adelaide, 1962, 45. cat.no. 146
- Editor Unknown (Editor), The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 17 Feb 1965, 13.
- The Adelaide Festival of Arts 1962: Special exhibitions at the National Gallery of South Australia, 'Australian Painting: Colonial, Impressionist, Contemporary', Adelaide, 1962. cat.no. 154; titled 'Still life with Lute'; Collection of Art Gallery of New South Wales; not paginated
- Author Unknown, The Art Gallery of New South Wales Picture Book, Sydney, 1972, 121.