ARTHUR BOYD

Private collection, Melbourne
Fine Australian, Aboriginal and International Paintings, Sotheby's, Melbourne, 22-23 November 1999, lot 72
Private collection, Sydney
Fine Australian and International Art, Sotheby's, Melbourne, 29 November, 2004, lot 47
Private collection, Sydney; purchased from the above

Sandra McGrath, The Artist and The River, Bay Books, Sydney, 1982, p. 273 (illus.)
Janet McKenzie, Arthur Boyd at Bundanon, Academy Editions, London, 1994, p. 49 (illus.)

This work is framed in a painted gold timber frame. There are ares of drying cracks across the sky and a vertical fine crack upper right. The work is otherwose in stable condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

As Arthur Boyd explains of his powerful iconography used in Shoalhaven River with Rose, Burning Book and Aeroplane: 'The rose represents the desperate attempts of the Europeans to impose their civilisation and culture on an essentially primitive landscape. It always floats because it cannot take root. If it does, it destroys, like lantana.

'The burning book represents Aboriginal wisdom, which has also suffered from the encroachment of white civilisation.

'If the white settlers had taken a page out of the Aboriginal "book" they might not have ruined the landscape. The aeroplane is a reminder of the harshness of the land - they were used that year to rescue people when the Shoalhaven flooded. They actually used helicopters but I felt a biplane had closer natural connections - grasshoppers and dragonflies, for instance.'¹

1. Arthur Boyd, quoted in Sandra McGrath, The Artist and The River, Bay Books, Sydney, 1982, p. 273