SIDNEY NOLAN

The Brian and Marjorie Johnston Collection, Queensland
Private collection, Sydney
Fine Australian Paintings, Sotheby's, Sydney, 25 August 2003, lot 111
Private collection, Sydney; purchased from the above

Philip Bacon Galleries, Brisbane, 1997

This work has had a light surface clean and is in excellent original 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."

Nolan first visited remote northern areas around Injune, north of Roma, at the end of 1947; and travelled 'back of Bourke' and further west with his family the following year. There, as he wrote to Albert Tucker, he found a large part of Australia's 'energy'- a product of the clash between memories of pioneering settlers and explorers and a more modern Australia.¹

Here the remnants of a modest outback settlement seem almost consumed by the earthy ochre of the foreground. Stunted trees reach up towards a pale sky and the distant horizon is just green enough to signify that this, though apparently dry and deserted, is a living landscape. 

1.  Sidney Nolan, to Albert Tucker, 6 November 1947 and 19 January 1948, quoted in Haese, R., Rebels and Precursors: the revolutionary years of Australian art, Allen Lane, Melbourne, 1981, p.290