Laying down the lines: Isaac Walter Jenner’s underdrawing

The oil paintings of Isaac Walter Jenner (1836-1902) are executed in a fine and detailed manner which invite close and careful viewing. Like many artists, Jenner used sketching or ‘underdrawing’ to develop subjects beneath oil paint layers. Here, we highlight the artist’s style and detail some of the discoveries found when we look at Jenner’s…

Chance is a key element of weather paintings

In ‘weather paintings’, Australian artist Lindy Lee looks beyond figuration to embody the forces of nature. Lee creates abstract, constellation-like images that speak to the power of fire, wind and water. To make these works, Lee meditatively flings Chinese ink across sheets of paper and burns holes in the surfaces with a soldering iron. Afterwards,…

Fairy Tales: ‘The Nightingale & the Rose’ reimagined

Youthful transgressions and immaturity play out in many fairy tales, but few are as heartbreaking as Oscar Wilde’s original tale, ‘The Nightingale and the Rose’, one of five stories in The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888), his collection written for children. This affecting tale exploring themes of unrequited love, sacrifice and superficiality is captured…

Fairy Tale intrigue abounds in snow globes

The ‘Fairy Tales’ exhibition at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) until 28 April 2024 brings together a selection of 15 works from contemporary American and Spanish artists Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz’s ongoing ‘Travelers’ series of snow globes, acquired for the Collection with the generous support of Tim Fairfax AC, each of which presents…

Horseman of the apocalypse

Sitting astride a black horse decorated with beading, crochet, skulls and flea-market finds, a red-turbaned figure stands at a crossroad of histories, cultures and materials. Ambassador 2 (illustrated), acquired with funds from Tim Fairfax AC, comes to the Gallery from celebrated British artist Hew Locke’s series of equestrian statues adorned with symbols of regality and…