Murray Bail

National Gallery of Australia

Andrew Sayers

Sidney Nolan

Sidney Nolan (1917 1992) wove a compelling narrative around the figure of Ned Kelly as the 'wronged' anti-hero who forged his own homemade armour and was pursued by police through the often featureless Australian bush. Though the Kelly myth didn't start with Nolan's paintings, his images remain the most enduring and instantly recognisable evocations of the legend. Kelly's stark black silhouette gave Nolan his most powerful poetic metaphor for Australians' relationship with their land. The text is by Andrew Sayers, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, and Murray Bail, whose novels include the prize-winning Eucalyptus.

The Ned Kelly Paintings in the National Gallery of Australia

Sidney Nolan's Ned Kelly

This comprehensive survey uniquely covers both Aboriginal art and that of European Australians, providing a revealing examination of the interaction between the two. Painting, bark art, photography, rock art, sculpture, and the decorative arts are all fully explored to present the rich texture of Australian art traditions. Well-known artists such as Margaret Preston, Rover Thomas, and Sidney Nolan are all discussed, as are the natural history illustrators, Aboriginal draughtsmen, and pastellists, whose work is only now being brought to light by new research. Taking the European colonization of the continent in 1788 as his starting point, Sayers highlights important issues concerning colonial art and women artists in this fascinating new story of Australian art.

Andrew Sayers

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