eljeiffel: January 2012

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Splendid isolation - Sebastian Smee - Weekend Australian, 8-9 Jan 2005

Splendid isolation - Sebastian Smee - Weekend Australian, 8-9 Jan 2005, R14

Splendid isolation - Sebastian Smee - Weekend Australian, 8-9 Jan 2005, R15
From the text of the article above Splendid Isolation - Sebastian Smee - Weekend Australian, 8-9 Jan 2005, R15. (*) ..

All these paintings, like the geology that so fascinated both artists, were fastidiously composed. In Willimas case, the compositions were partly inspired by the Chinese landscapes he had seen on a trip to China in 1976.

"Dynamic symmetery" was his underlying principle. Rather than constructing a simple, balanced form around a central point. Williams tried to achieve a dynamic relationship between various elements in his work, often around an empty core.

He had learned some of the principles of dynamic symmetery from George Bell at Bell's private art school in Melbourne. But his sensitivity to them was enhanced by his exposure to Asian art. Many of Australia's greatest landscape artists have been similarly influenced by Asian principles of composition - John Olsen, Ian Fairweather, Rosalie Cascoigne and Joe Furlonger, to name just a few - no doubt because the idea shifting elements relating to each other around an empty core seems tailor-made fro the Australian landscape, with its absence of obvious focal points.

"One of the few thoughts I have ever had about Australia is that it is the oldest continent, in the sense that it is flat," Williams said "and I have always been fascinated to think that the water leaves the Snowy Mountains, leaves Kosciuszko. If you tip a bucket of water up in Kosciuszko, seven months later it comes out in Adelaide - seven months, because the landscape is horizontal."

Recently found a copy of this in an old folder. I had thought of it many times over the years and really enjoy the paintings of Fred Williams (follow label below). I remember reading this while we were staying at Boonoona Ski Lodge in January 2005. I had my large format camera with me and the article helped me find some transparencies from the time in the mountains during that summer visit.