An exhibition of Paintings and Gouaches from the estate of the the late Australian artist Fred Williams opens today At Olsen Irwin. 'Landscape Themes of the Seventies' exhibits the remarkable talents of an artist who revolutionised the way we look at the Australian landscape. His touch, his originality and most importantly his vision for a new vocabulary of landscape painting can all be seen in the works on the walls.
The gouaches and paintings in this exhibition demonstrate Williams' strength as a painter, pairing his knowledge of abstraction with a strong affinity for the places he depicted. Hot, cold, dry or wet, Williams' brush would record with both accuracy and innovation. Murray, Mildura II painted in 1978, faithfully documents the roots of trees along the river bank, in a year in which the water level was so low the roots of the great river gums were exposed. Kosciusko 1 (1976) chronicles the icy atmosphere and blustery sky while You Yangs outlook I (1975) captures the heat of the midday sun. These paintings not only reveal the significance of paint to Williams' vision of Australia, but also the act of painting itself. Fred Williams: Landscape Themes of the Seventies 22 October - 16 November Olsen Irwin 63 Jersey Road, Woollahra, NSW, 2025 [caption id="attachment_3482" align="aligncenter" width="650"]
Fred Williams, You Yangs Outlook I, Gouache on Arches paper, 1975, 59.5 x 79cm[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3483" align="aligncenter" width="650"]
Fred Williams, The Murray, Mildura II, 1978, Gouache on Arches paper, 57 x 76cm[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3484" align="aligncenter" width="650"]
Fred Williams, Kosciusko 1, 1976, oil on canvas, 96.5 x 198.2cm[/caption]
