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John Olsen
Born 1928. Lives and works in NSW.
Olsen's vision and passion for life and the landscape is a compelling trademark in his work.
John Olsen has a deserved place as the elder statesman of
Australian art. His vision and passion for life and the landscape
is a compelling trademark in his work. He possesses a great wit
that manifests in his imagery - this is a trait that sets him apart
from his contemporaries and has made him one of Australia's
most popular artists, without compromising his artistic
vision.
Olsen has spent a lot of time in the Northern Territory and is
absolutely fascinated by the torrential weather; the way everything
can be so dry and then there's a storm, and then suddenly life
bursts out. Frogs appear from under the ground, and fish start
to swim. A whole landscape of rivers and estuaries comes to
life.
Five Bells, the large Olsen work which hangs in the foyer of the
Art Gallery of NSW, is about Sydney Harbour being the centre of
life. The Northern Territory works are of similar compositions, the
paintings representing the mood of the river and the animals, fish
and plant life it contains. Recurring throughout his oeuvre is one
of Olsen's most financially successful themes, the frog.
Indeed, his son Tim comments, "He often jokes that frogs used to
pay my school fees!"
Olsen acknowledges the contribution "people like [Russell]
Drysdale, Nolan and Fred Williams, of course" have made to
Australian landscape painting, but argues "the Australian landscape
hasn't been artistically defined." The reason he gives is: "We are
a very young civilisation ... in a very, very old landscape."
Barry Pearce, head curator of Australian art at the Art Gallery of
NSW, describes Olsen as "the king, the one who has defined the
continent of his generation better than anyone else." Olsen is "the
poet of the brush. He's been brave enough to go out into the
interior of Australia and embrace it with love, absorb himself in
it like a true poet." In an Olsen you can recognise "the
topography" despite "the felicity of his brush". What's more, says
Pearce, "He's been getting better. His last few shows have proved
he's a real genius."
John Olsen's work is represented in all Australian state gallery
collections, the National Gallery of Australia and in regional
galleries Australia-wide. He is also represented in institutional,
corporate and private collections in Australia, Asia, the United
Kingdom, Europe and the United States of America.
