Children in Art

Eva Breuer Art Dealer is proud to present a curated exhibition of works by a vast range of artists all based around the experience of youth childhood in part inspired by the exhibition Les Enfants modèles (Child Models) at the Musée national de l’Orangerie in Paris.

Many of the artworks depict images of children themselves. Among others, Ena Joyce depicts a young woman in a plaid skirt pushing a pram under a grey sky along the banks of the Thames, John Olsen shows a girl playing with a seemingly uncomfortable cat, Sam Wade paints a group of school children waiting on a train platform and Zai Kuang captures a moment of quiet contemplation as a seated young girl stares down at a toy penguin perched on a table. In some paintings, such as Stephen Nothling’s Only Pinnochio Knows and Meg Williams’s Still Life with Pink Pig the presence of a child is only implied through the inclusion of children’s toys.


The selection of works showing children and elements of children’s worlds are complemented by paintings that appeal to children through elements such as bright colours, in the case of Philippa Blair, or through their whimsical subject matter, in the case of Geoffrey Proud and Rosemary Valadon.


Children in Art will be on view starting April 6th at Eva Breuer Art Dealer.

Staff Picks - Gallery Associate Laura Ryan

Christopher Beaumont (b.1961)
Still life with Blossom 2009
Oil on fine linen
25 x 30 cm
no. 10472

The space in these works is a virtual or abstract space while the rendering of objects wholly representational. I had a great interest in astronomy as a child. The heavens are an abstract emptiness with objects moving on principles of geometry. The world of atoms & molecules are often pictured as coloured spheres in this same black space. Atoms and molecules don’t actually look like this at all but this helps us to understand them conceptually. It is the same space of 3D computer modelling. I have grown up in a time when these images are commonplace and this is definitely an influence on the way I conceive of paintings. -Christopher Beaumont, 2007

Mike Parr (b.1945)
Zastruga Self Portrait 1986
Oil crayon & charcoal on paper
69.5 x 100cm
no.2772

Zhong Chen (b.1969)
Concubine Concubine
Oil on linen
122 x 122cm
no.10983

The pixel paintings incorporate images of Chinese portraits, animals and landscape, each of which is central to the genre of traditional Chinese ink brush painting. Zhong has painted Chinese beauties, Peking opera characters, Door gods and Imperial dogs in his recent body of paintings. By using traditional Chinese inspired images Zhong conveys a sense of his cultural identity. The choice of images are pop, as the folk art of China are an important part of the everyday and popular culture. Woodblock prints and paper cut outs are placed on windows and doors in China. Door god images are placed on doors to protect from the evil spirits. The ‘Romeo and Juliet’ paintings show images of traditional inspired Chinese lovers relating to Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy. David Thomas writes, “Paradoxes abound, not the least of them being the telling of a highly romantic tale through the calculated images of a computer. But these paintings are undeniably contemporary images, sophisticated in their marriage of ancient Eastern customs with new Western technology. The elegant faces may be based on age-old concepts of Chinese beauty, but they materialise as pixelated images of the computer age.” (1)

(1) David Thomas, “Zhong Chen : The Unity of the past and the present”, Zhong Chen Catalogue, Melbourne, 2002.

Stephen Nothling (b.1962)
A Rough Guide to all the Wrens 2007
Oil on canvas
100 x 150cm
no.9237

Samuel Wade (b.1979)
Orchard
oil on canvas
76 x 51cm
no.10036

By portraying these everyday visions using a traditional art training, the artist constructs a dialogue between commonplace existence and artistry, where subtle ironies along with a reverence for the art of the past are explored. The iconic figures of mother and child or a figure exuding pre-Raphaelite beauty may appear on a station platform, for instance. Special care in the portrayal of atmosphere and time of day acknowledges the legacy of the impressionts, while the introspective possibilities offered by the tradition of portraiture are explored. -Sam Wade 2009

Geoffrey Proud (b. 1946)
Emma – Twilight 2008
oil on canvas
100 x 88cm
no.9841

Often quirky and verging on the surreal, Geoffrey Proud's paintings in oil and pastel are like fractured fairytales. Depicting a world of innocence with a sometimes ominous edge, Proud's paintings are fantastic and bizarre. His choice of subjects is broad, including children and childhood narratives, flowers, still lifes and nudes. Alternating between expressionist impastoed brushwork and sensitive detail, he experiments freely with vibrant colour and varying textures. The highly glazed surfaces of his recent oils give his scenes an ethereal and otherworldly quality. Proud has won numerous awards including the Sulman Prize in 1976 for a painting on perspex, and the Archibald prize in 1990 for his portrait of writer Dorothy Hewett. He has exhibited consistently in all state capitals since 1966 and is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; many State and regional gallery collections; Parliament House collections in Canberra and Sydney; Artbank; IBM collection; and the Elton John collection, London.

Garry Shead (b.1942)
The Rocking Horse 1986
Oil on board
90 x 120 cm
no.11133

As Sasha Grishin describes the series: “Throughout the series the constant recurring motif is that of the fully clad male dancer, usually shown in an evening suit and occasionally appearing slightly awkward and uncertain of himself, accompanied by a nude, or an almost nude female dancer. On one very basic level there is the aspect of voyeuristic erotic wish-fullfillment, drawing on the surrealist strategy of undressing the woman with the male gaze that had been so effectively employed by Renne Magrite. Shead’s female dancers are of great sensuous beauty and lyrical charm. There is a hint of a more metaphysical dimension of this dance, relating it to the dance of life as interpreted by artists like Edvard Munch. The Dance is performed on an allegorical stage like the arena of life, sometimes with an awareness of an audience and sometimes under the harsh glow of the spotlights. In most of the ‘Dance Sequence’ paintings there is an indication of an open door in the background, at times shown as the source of light, but in all instances the door way is a path for esacpe. Shead achieves in this series of paintings a great lryicism in the paint surface, a warm sensuousness through which the female flesh glows in a rich radiance. Increasingly these intimate interior settings allude to ambiguous and seductive dream-like reality where ideas and interpretations float free from gravity and verbal associations."

Reference: Grishin S, Garry Shead and The Erotic Muse, Craftsman House, 2001 p.166.

Jean Sutherland (1902 - 1978)
Asters in a White Vase c.1927
Oil on canvas
56 x 41cm
no.3146

Jean Sutherland is represented in the National Gallery of Victoria as well as many important collections throughout Australia. Sutherland was the recipient of many awards including the 1923 National Gallery of Victoria Travelling Art Scholarship.

Asters in a White Vase c.1927 is a luminous, delicately painted still life.

Sir Sidney Nolan (1917-1992)
Untitled (Bird) 1959
Ripolin enamel on paper
30.3 x 25.3 cm
Verso: Nolan / 10th April 1959 / New York
no.96003

Provenance: The artist
Private collection Sydney

Nolan is arguably Australia’s most significant and internationally acclaimed artist. Kenneth Clark refers to him as one of the major artists of the 20th century. He is well known for dramatic shifts between dark, moody themes and bright, uplifting creations. Always fresh and spontaneous, he never relied upon one style or technique but rather experimented throughout his lifetime with many different methods of application, and also devised some of his own.

He commenced formal training twice through the National Gallery of Victoria School of Art but felt compelled to educate himself instead. One of his greatest influences was the French Romantic poet Arthur Rimbaud whose image has been interpreted frequently in many of Nolan’s paintings. A love of music and literature is evident in many of his works both thematically and visually.

Several themes are captured in separate periods and series of works such as Gallipoli, The St Kilda period, Dimboola, Leda and the Swan and the Sonnets. But perhaps the most powerful and recurrent imagery is his iconic depictions of Ned Kelly, the idealistic bushranger and murderer well known in Australian folklore. This series began in 1945 and continued to surface in different techniques throughout Nolan’s lifetime.

Song Ling (b.1961)
Moonlight 2 2008
acrylic on canvas
71 x 56 cm
no.10235

I like to use symbolic imagery from traditional culture in my work as there are many layers of meaning for me. But with these new paintings I am not just looking for symbolism and meaning, but also concentrating on the aesthetic to create paintings of beauty.

With this current series of works I am seeking to represent the Childhood images, Chinese Zen style traditional ink and brush paintings and Asian comic characters in a new way; to give an ancient and pop image a contemporary look, to bring the symbol into a new technological context.

The modern printing process and digital technologies use the dot to produces images. I use a hand-painted dot to create my works.

The colours I use are often found in Chinese folk art and embroidery; I choose colours which have the strongest contrast to create tension in the work. Old technique versus new technique, traditional versus modern; color versus color. But still, I want to create paintings of beauty. Song Ling 2009

James Stephenson (b.1970)
View of Chetsingh Ghat 2009
Oil on board
29 x 19cm
no.10441

The works in this series take their inspiration from Hinduisms most holy site, the ancient north Indian city of Varanasi, situated on the Ganges River. Painted in situ on the city’s ghats (stone steps which descend the rivers bank), these works focus on the everyday ritual bathing performed by locals and pilgrims from all over India, and explore the beauty of one of the worlds great cultural centres.

James Stephenson trained at the Julian Ashton School and has won numerous awards including The Henry Gibbons Prize for Drawing in 1999.

Collection: Australiana Paintings

Garry Shead (b.1942)
The Sacrifice
Multi plate etching 24/65
60 x 90cm (plate size)
79 x 108cm (paper size)
no.10860

David Lever
Coat of Arms Cuisine 2007
Oil on canvas
100 x 100cm

"Australia is a country that eats components of its Coat of Arms"

David Lever
Sunday Roast 2007
Oil on canvas
100 x 100cm

"Once a great Australian tradition, the Sunday roast was cooked by thousands in an Early Kooka stove"

David Lever

Culinary Peak 2007
Oil on canvas
100 x 100cm

"Lamingtons, Pavlova and Peach Melba are Australian. However unlike older countries culture forming food these treats came from upper class and not from the need to survive."

Clifton Pugh (1924 - 1990)
Maternal Play
Etching 6/75
12 x 12 cm (image size)
32.5 x 25 cm (paper size)
no.11073

Clifton Pugh (1924 - 1990)
Play Acting
Etching 25/75
12 x 12 cm (image size)
32.5 x 25 cm (paper size)
no.11074

Garry Shead (b.1942)
Monarchy at Sunset 1995
Oil on canvas
122 x 155 cm
Signed 'Garry Shead 95' lower left
no.1606

Illustrated: Grishin., S, Garry Shead, Encounters with Royalty,
Craftsman House 1998, plate 3, page 37.

Exhibited: Lyall Burton Gallery, Melbourne
Touring Exhibition, Brisbane City Gallery, 1998

Provenance: Lyall Burton Gallery, Melbourne
Eva Breuer Art Dealer, Sydney

Monarchy at Sunset 1995 is one of the largest major paintings from the early period of the important 'Royal Suite' series.

The painting is illustrated in the definitive text on the series and is one of the largest paintings from the beginning of the series in 1995. The composition is a complex one involving multiple large figures including both the Queen and the Consort. The painting also includes the other essential images of the best paintings of the series; the harbour bridge, the silhouetted kangaroo, the Koala and the sprig of golden wattle.

Zai Kuang (b.1962)
Colin Street
Oil on canvas
100 x 100cm

Staff Picks - Gallery Associate Megan Fizell

Clifton Pugh (1924 - 1990)
Hand & Orchid
Etching 25/75
22 x 15cm (image size)
33 x 25cm (paper size)
no.11067

Born in 1924 in Richmond, Victoria, Clifton Pugh made a name for himself for his portraiture and landscape paintings, after serving in the Australian Imperial Forces in New Guinea in his early years. Pugh attended the National Gallery of Victoria Art School from 1947 to 1949, and then spent much of his life in his bush property 'Dunmoochin' outside of Melbourne. Greatly inspired by the natural environment, Pugh was joined in his love of the land by other artists, who together with him became the Dunmoochin Artists Society in 1953. In the year before his death in 1990, Pugh set up the Dunmoochin Foundation to preserve the bushland and enable other artists to use the studios in future.

Brett Whiteley (1939-1992)
The Luxembourg Gardens (glimpse) (detail)
Pen and Ink on Paper
55.5 x 75 cm
Initialed 'BW' lower right
Illustrated: Brett Whiteley: Paris Regarde de Côté, Australian Galleries, 1990, Plate 41.
Provenance: Australian Galleries
Private collection Melbourne since 1992
no.11042

The Luxembourg Gardens (glimpse) is part of a series of works on paper which Whiteley produced in Paris between June and July of 1989. Whiteley had rented an apartment on the Rue de Tournon and produced one work a day for 60 days. These are regarde de cote (sidelong glances), which Whiteley saw as the answer to creating images of the city which were not cliché. "millions of pictures have been painted – how to find a new vision is the challenge. What one is after is a high-octane visual poetic journalism, brief, essential and above all fresh. This can best be achieved by drawing, and not the heavy métier of oil paint." Offered for the first time since it was acquired from the Paris Regarde de Coté exhibition this is a superb example of Whiteley's masterful draughtsmanship.

Reference: Brett Whiteley's introduction to: Brett Whiteley: Paris Regarde De Côté, Australian Galleries, 1990.

Adriane Strampp (b.1960)
Stags 2009
Oil on linen
101.5 x 101.5 cm
no.10650

Strampp’s new work takes another look at the horse and the landscape, in a quieter and more contemplative manner, together with the use of a limited palette. Her work continues to explore the intangible and evocative, that communicates before it is understood, and the importance of and relationship between scale, surface and the poetic image through a method of layering and reduction that reflects the experience of connection, through history on either a personal or broader level. Subject and shadow are indeterminate, and the viewer is drawn into the work to decide between what is ‘real’ and what is not. More importantly, it is hoped that the viewer will experience a connection of experience through the work. This new body of work will be exhibited later in the year as part of her Master’s degree submission.

Christopher Beaumont (b.1961)
Still Life with Quince, Artichoke and Ivy 2006
Oil on linen
76 x 84cm

The space in these works is a virtual or abstract space while the rendering of objects wholly representational. I had a great interest in astronomy as a child. The heavens are an abstract emptiness with objects moving on principles of geometry. The world of atoms & molecules are often pictured as coloured spheres in this same black space. Atoms and molecules don’t actually look like this at all but this helps us to understand them conceptually. It is the same space of 3D computer modelling. I have grown up in a time when these images are commonplace and this is definitely an influence on the way I conceive of paintings. -Christopher Beaumont, 2007

Kerry Lester
Aridne auf Naxos
Woodcut print 42/60
76.5 x 56.5cm
Commissioned by the Australian Opera for its
Australian Opera's 40th Anniversity Print Portfolio
(to be sold individually)
no.7733

Geoffrey Proud (b. 1946)
Near the Orchard – a Study in Black 2008
oil on canvas
89 x 120cm
no.9843

Often quirky and verging on the surreal, Geoffrey Proud's paintings in oil and pastel are like fractured fairytales. Depicting a world of innocence with a sometimes ominous edge, Proud's paintings are fantastic and bizarre. His choice of subjects is broad, including children and childhood narratives, flowers, still lifes and nudes. Alternating between expressionist impastoed brushwork and sensitive detail, he experiments freely with vibrant colour and varying textures. The highly glazed surfaces of his recent oils give his scenes an ethereal and otherworldly quality. Proud has won numerous awards including the Sulman Prize in 1976 for a painting on perspex, and the Archibald prize in 1990 for his portrait of writer Dorothy Hewett. He has exhibited consistently in all state capitals since 1966 and is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; many State and regional gallery collections; Parliament House collections in Canberra and Sydney; Artbank; IBM collection; and the Elton John collection, London.

Tomasz Talaj (b. 1964)
Epic Flight 2007
Oil on plywood
10.5 x 15.3cm
no. 9432

Sarah Edmondson
Untitled (Lemons on a Pink Plate) 2003
Oil on canvas
30 x 30cm
Signed 'sarah edmondson '03' lower right
no.8091

Stephen Nothling (b.1962)
Swimming Bird II
Oil on canvas
10 x 10 cm

Known for his paintings of paradise–evoking roses, this exhibition of paradise landscapes was born out of Nothling’s monumental 2008 self portrait entitled Self Portrait out the front, exhibited in the Salon de Refusés last year. The work was in homage to Nothling’s own paradise – his home on the outskirts of Brisbane – and from it emerged this larger series loosely based on local Brisbane landscapes.

Immersed within the idea of paradise and perfection, Nothling created the fictional, ‘Nowhereland,’ an imaginary destination which acts as a backdrop for his pictorial theatrics. In Nowhereland Nothling’s parachuted navigator, (perhaps the pilot from the biplane in Joyflight) descends gently to the middle of nowhere.

Victor Rubin (b.1950)
Still Life II, Jan 1975
oil on masonite
15.2 x 20.3 cm
Signed and dated lower right 'Jan 75 VR.'
no.10731

Painted when Rubin was in his early to late 20’s the boards have been archived in Victor’s studio since they were painted. The period covers 1974-1976 with the majority of paintings from 1974-75 when he was living in Raine Street Bondi Junction in Sydney. This period of his work follows on from his involvement with the famous Yellow House in Macleay Street, Potts Point where he exhibited in 1971 at which point the Yellow House attracted the most cutting edge contemporary artists of the time including Brett Whiteley and others. The period is also marked by a strong influence from John Olsen who was Rubin’s teacher at the Bakery Art School and who remains a close friend.

Staff Picks - Gallery Administrator Ciara Derkenne

Victor Rubin (b.1950)
Physcoreal Head II
acrylic on canvas on board
19 x 23.5cm
no. 11158

Victor Rubin is represented in all major public collections in Australia including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Queensland Art Gallery. His work has been collected by some of the most important private and corporate collections of Australian art including the Patrick White collection and the ICI collection.

Arthur Boyd (1920-1999)
Portrait of Alannah Coleman III c.1971
Oil on canvas
76 x 63 cm
no.3168

Arthur Boyd’s paintings of art world personalities such as this portrait of the art dealer Alannah Coleman, are masterfully executed expressions of the sitter. Boyd translates the nuances of his subject in vigorous strokes of yellow, blue and red, which animate the painterly surface.

Ena Joyce (b.1926)
London Child With Perambulator 1949
Oil on wood
36 x 48.5cm
no.7299

Whilst in London after winning the 1946 NSW Travelling Art Scholarship Ena Joyce painted some of her most highly regarded paintings. London Child with Perambulator 1949 is an evocative work executed with great economy and brisk brush work.

"The small girl stands by the Thames with a mud island behind her. This was at Chiswick Reach, painted several times by Victor Passmore." Ena Joyce

Ena Joyce is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, most state galleries, many regional galleries as well as many other public collections throughout Australia including the Parliament House collection. She has won numerous coveted awards including the 1977 Portia Geach Memorila Prize.

Brenda Humble (b.1933)
Bogan Man 1996
Mild steel 1/4
50 x 18 x 9cm
Signed 'Humble 96', editioned and titled on base
no.9190

Humble's body of jewel-like still life's, abstracted in varying degrees are painterly, boldly colourful and beautifully simple. Her continuing motif; the silhouette of vase and flowers against an open window, is distinct and distilled to essential elements and colour blocks. Her palette is high keyed like Mattisse and in some of the still lives, the flatness and bold outline of shapes is somewhat reminiscent of Picasso. Her sculptures share a similar simplification of form; Humble pares back the image to its most elemental lines, creating crisp linea images of quirky teachers, laughing horses, squinting love hearts and little Alice figures.

Jamie Boyd (b.1948)
Sonata
Lithograph 44/275
74 x 102cm
no.0516

Jamie Boyd continues the tradition of the great Boyd family who have collectively made a profound contribution to Australian art though he has established a firm reputation as a painter in his own right. Jamie currently lives in London though he regularly returns to Australia and visits the Boyd property at Shoalhaven where he is reunited with the surrounding landscape and it’s beauty and strength. His works reflects this broad international sensibility and the enduring influence of the Australian landscape. A proficient painter, he has achieved success through many solo and group exhibitions both in Australia and Europe.

James Gleeson (1915-2008)
The Activist 1976
Mixed media on paper
26.7 x 23.9cm
no.2352

James Gleeson was Australia's best known and most important Surrealist. He had been painting and exhibiting consistently from the 1930s until 2008. He played a significant role in the Australian art scene, not only as a painter and poet, but as a critic, writer and curator. Gleeson combined skillful draughtsmanship with a great facility in handling paint. Delving into the subconscious, Gleeson used literary, mythological or religious subject matter to allow the viewer glimpses of extraordinary beauty. Regardless of their scale, the resulting paintings convey a sumptuous monumentality.

Mark Howson (b.1961)
Untitled (Abstract) 1985
Oil on paper
77 x 52.4cm
no.6564

In 1982 Mark Howson was one of the founding members of Roar Studios. Together with about twenty young artists, among whom included David Larwill, Mark Schaller, Wayne Eager and Mike Nicholls, Howson started an artist run gallery in Fitzroy, Melbourne – the purpose of which was to challenge the art establishment. Characterised by strong, expressionistic figurative works, ironically, the Roar artists quickly became noticed by the mainstream art world. Howson’s work is represented in the Australian National Gallery, Canberra; National Gallery of Victoria; New Parliament House, Canberra; Art Bank; numerous Regional and University collections and private collections in Australia, Europe and the USA.

Zai Kuang (b.1962)
Girl 21, 2008
Oil on canvas
30 x 30cm
no.10047

Most of my paintings are about children, toys and their surroundings. The reason I choose children as my subject is that: simplicity, purity and harmony, they are my attentions during the process of making painting. I think children match the thought perfectly.

I paint children in the interior and exterior. In the interior, I want to explore the relationships between children and toys. The space often dominates the works, there is a tranquil atmosphere around the children, the toys and the room. In the exterior, I look for the relationships between children and the environment, usually the space is more open. - Zai Kuang 2009

Sir Sidney Nolan (1917-1992)
Halycon
oil on canvas on board
30 x 37 cm
signed lower right
no.9720

“This enchanting work dating from Nolan's early career in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda makes reference, through its title Halcyon, to an ancient Greek myth associated with the kingfisher, depicted here at rest on its floating nest. According to legend the father of the young Halcyon ordered the winds to stay calm during the brooding period so that the floating nest of the kingfisher would not be disturbed. Hence the term "halcyon days".

For Sidney Nolan his early days in St Kilda might indeed be called halcyon. During the mid 1940s the artist painted an extensive body of works recording life around Luna Park and at the St Kilda sea baths, including reminiscences from his childhood. In addition Nolan also painted numerous images relating to the Greek myth of Icarus, transposed into the environs of St Kilda.
Halcyon‚ was a work of particular personal attachment for Nolan, to the extent that he loaned the painting with the Art Gallery of New South Wales for an extended number of years. Nolan was especially attached to his early work as it provided him with immense stimulus for later projects. As Halcyon‚ is depiction of two of his favourite subjects birds and mythology, it is understandable why this painting was so treasured by the artist.”

Text by curator and art writer: Damian Smith

Stan Rapotec (1913-1997)
Untitled, 1960
Oil on board
75 x 100cm
no.5876

Stanislaus Rapotec was one of the leading exponents of Abstract Expressionism in Australia. He is represented in the Australian National Gallery, all state galleries, many regional galleries as well as many other important public collections both in Australia and overseas including the Australian Embassy, Paris, Vatican Gallery of Modern Religious Art, Musée d'Art Moderne, Paris. Rapotec has been the recipient of many awards including the 1961 Blake Prize.

In Untitled 1960 the bold and energetic brushstrokes swirl and explode across the board, masterfully capturing the artists physical and emotional gestures.

Collection: Birds

Artists include: Brett Whiteley, Sidney Nolan, John Olsen, Song Ling, Stephen Nothling, Tomasz Talaj, and Marika Borlase