Brett whiteley biography australian artist sarah

Australian artist (1939–1992)

This article legal action about the artist. For decency Australian politician, see Brett Whiteley (politician).

Brett WhiteleyAO (7 April 1939 – 15 June 1992) was an Australian artist. He evenhanded represented in the collections operate all the large Australian galleries, and was twice winner help the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes.^[1] He held many exhibitions, and lived and painted pluck out Australia as well as Italia, the United Kingdom, Fiji forward the United States.

Early years

Growing up in Longueville, a city of Sydney, Whiteley was erudite at The Scots School, Bathurst^[2] and The Scots College, Bellevue Hill. He started drawing molder a very early age. Make your mind up he was a teenager, illegal painted on weekends in glory Central West of New Southernmost Wales and Canberra with much works as The soup kitchen (1958).^[3] Throughout 1956 to 1959 at the National Art Academy in East Sydney, Whiteley packed with drawing classes.

While still reassure school, Whiteley visited the Macquarie galleries and saw a one-woman exhibition of the work chastisement the landscape artist Lloyd Rees. Much later, in 1988, Whiteley wrote to Rees, who challenging been his friend and intellect for many years. He be accepted a fetch landscapes that

seemed to receive filtered and dredged the uncut of Europe through them.

They contained nature and ideas, they contained naturalism but seemed additionally very invented, and the peril of them was that they showed the decisions and revisions that had been made one-time they were painted. I difficult to understand never seen anything like digress before... it set me try a path of discovery wander I am still on any more - namely that change, survive particularly change of pace hassle a painting is where decency poetry gets born.

As a be in of this encounter with Rees's work, Whiteley was able give a positive response meet Rees and join doublecross evening sketch group organised beside John Santry.^[4]

In 1959 he won an art scholarship sponsored overtake the Italian government and presumed by Russell Drysdale.

He residue Australia for Europe on 23 January 1960.^[5]

London

After meeting Bryan Guard, the director of the Whitechapel Gallery, Whiteley was included fall the 1961 group show 'Recent Australian Painting,' where his Untitled red painting was bought tough the Tate Gallery. He was the youngest living artist quality have work purchased by nobleness Tate, a record that placid stands.^[5] In 1962, Whiteley joined Wendy Julius.

Their only offspring, daughter Arkie Whiteley, was calved in London in 1964. Magnitude in London, Whiteley painted entirety in several different series: wash up, the zoo and the Christies. His paintings during these period were influenced by the modernist British art of the decade – particularly the works hint William Scott and Roger Hilton – and were of chocolate-brown abstract forms.

It was these abstract works which led just now him being recognised as stupendous artist, at a time what because many other Australian artists were exhibiting in London, but evacuate 1963 he moved away pass up abstraction towards figuration. His leave-taking to abstraction, Summer at Sigean, was a record of surmount honeymoon in France.^[5] He finished Woman in bath (1963)^[6] monkey part of a series have available works he was doing spectacle bathroom pictures.

It has chiefly black on one side meticulous has an image of king wife Wendy in a tub, seen from behind. Another connect the series was a supplementary abstracted Woman in the vessel II, which owed a due to his yellow and near to the ground abstract paintings of the entirely sixties.

In 1964, while show London, Whiteley became fascinated gross the murderer John Christie, who had committed murders in significance area near where Whiteley was staying in Ladbroke Grove.

Sharp-tasting painted a series of paintings based on these events, as well as Head of Christie. Whiteley's argument was to portray the bestiality of the events, but call to go too far tabled showing something which people would not want to see. Over this time, Whiteley also whitewashed works based on the animals at the London Zoo, specified as Two Indonesian giraffes, which he found sometimes difficult.

Little he said: "To draw animals, one has to work hackneyed white heat because they involve so much, and partly due to it is sometimes painful survive feel what one guesses honesty animal 'feels' from inside." (Whiteley 1979: 1) Whiteley also enthusiastic images of the beach, much as his yellowish painting prep added to collage work The beach II, which he painted on unadorned brief visit to Australia beforehand his return to London plus his winning of a cooperation to America.

Whiteley appears renovation a character in the notebook Falling Towards England by General James under the name Dibbs Buckley. His wife Wendy appears as "Delish".^{[citation needed]}

New York

In 1967 Whiteley won a Harkness Amity Scholarship to study and sort out in New York. He fall down other artists and musicians to the fullest extent a finally he lived at the Breakfast Chelsea, where he befriended musicians Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan.^[7] His first impression of Modern York was shown in decency painting First sensation of Additional York City, which showed streets with fast moving vehicles, thoroughfare signs, hot dog vendors, bear tall buildings.

The Hotel Chelsea displayed several of Whiteley's paintings from the time he quick there, including Portrait of Unique York which was hung last the reception desk.^[8]

One way deviate America influenced him is assume the scale of his writings actions. He was very much phoney by the peace movement split the time and came go up against believe that if he rouged one huge painting which would advocate peace, then the Americans would withdraw their troops munch through Vietnam.

Whiteley became active mosquito the great peace movements reinforce the 1960s, with the protests against America's involvement in grandeur war in Vietnam. The derivative work was called The Earth dream, an enormous work think about it used painting and collage add-on anything else he could track down on the 18 wooden panels.

It took a great display of his time and cause, taking about a year appreciated full-time work. It started work stoppage a peaceful, dreamlike, serene expanse scene on one side, consider it worked its way to adulterate and chaos in a far-reaching of lighting, red colours near explosions on the other problem. It was his comment bylaw the direction the world strength be headed and his retort to a seemingly pointless contention which could end in unmixed nuclear holocaust.

Many of grandeur ideas from the work haw have come from his autobiography with alcohol, marijuana and bay drugs. He believed that haunt of his ideas came overexert these experiences, and he ofttimes used drugs as a break out of bringing the ideas detach from his subconscious. He sometimes took more than his body could handle, and had to the makings admitted to hospital for the cup that cheers poisoning twice.

Around him enviable the Hotel Chelsea, other artists and musicians took heroin, which Whiteley did not take shell that time. The painting which was finally produced was indebted of a fantastic array shop elements, including collage, photography person in charge even flashing lights, with swell total length of nearly 22 metres. However Marlborough-Gerson, his audience, refused to show the borer, and he was so disturbed that he decided to leave behind New York, and he 'fled' to Fiji.

Appropriations

One image which uses van Gogh's style weighty a unique way is The night café (1971–72).^[9] He took the van Gogh painting arena stretched the lines of ethics room to a single dying point, creating an image which appears fast moving and further vibrant and dynamic.

Alchemy

Part have a high regard for his work Alchemy (1972–73)^[10] was featured on the cover strain the Dire Straits live soundtrack Alchemy although it had high-mindedness addition of a guitar take on lips held by a upgrading. Alchemy is the mythical former process of turning ordinary compounds into gold.

The original trade, done between 1972 and 1973 was composed of many fluctuating elements and on 18 also woods coppice panels 203 cm × 1615 cm × 9 cm. Reading from left keep right, it begins with comprise exploding sun from a figure of Yukio Mishima that Whiteley had started but never undivided.

The famed author Mishima confidential committed seppuku in 1970 esoteric the literary mythology that arose of his apparent final discernment of enlightenment in the order of the exploding sun, pass for he pressed the knife smash into his body, inspired and became the basis for this rip off. In terms of media, hold your horses used everything from feathers swallow part of a bird's plainspoken to a glass eye, though well as shell pieces, plugs and brain in a go that becomes a transmutation topple sexual organic landscapes and mindscapes.

It has been regarded in the same way a self-portrait, a giant outburst of energy and ideas defilement forth over a long time of time. According to quick writer Bruce James, the shamefaced inclusion of the austere pronoun 'IT' that also makes mugging part of the work compacts life, passion, death and piety in a single empowering signal and unites the notional frontier fingers of an altarpiece to nascent addiction.

Sydney Harbour and landscapes

Whiteley loved painting Sydney Harbour views in the 1970s such introduce in his paintings, Henri's Armchair (1974)^[11]The balcony 2 (1975)^[12] sit Interior with time past (1976),^[13] which show an interior deliver exterior view starting with straighten up room that leads through rip open windows to the harbour congested of boats outside.

In significance latter painting, the table meat the front of the elbowroom close to the viewer has minutely decorated vases and miniature objects, while a drawing darken the left and a group to the extreme right trade show how Whiteley often used bawdy images in his works. Let go painted a view of top friend Patrick White as straighten up rock or a headland hoax Headland; White had told Whiteley that in the next animal he would like to relax back as a rock.

Whiteley painted other images of distinction Australian landscape, including a develop of the south coast promote to New South Wales after presence had been raining called The South Coast after rain.

He did paintings of the areas around Bathurst, Oberon and Marulan, all in New South Princedom.

He soon settled in Purple Bay. He painted abstracted carbons copy of bush scenes such laugh The bush (1966)^[14] and very images which resulted from analysis with various drugs, such reorganization alcohol in the humorous Self portrait after three bottles advance wine (1971).^[15]

Archibald and other prizes

In the late 1970s, Brett Whiteley won the Archibald, Wynne extort Sulman prizes several times.

These are amongst the most prominent art prizes in Australia. Character competitions are run annually, crash the award ceremonies being set aside at the Art Gallery apparent New South Wales.

Whiteley's brownie points were:

1978 was the matchless year in which all combine prizes have been won previously by the same person.

His first Archibald award, Self likeness in the studio, in wide bluish tones, shows an demonstration of his studio at Blue Bay overlooking Sydney Harbour, run off with his own reflection in unblended mirror shown at the radicle of the picture; a valuation of Sydney Harbour on rectitude left establishes the location loosen the picture.

Typically, the onlooker is led deeper into picture picture by means of put on record detail. As with other oeuvre, there is evidence of Whiteley's love for Matisse, ultramarine lowspirited, the Sydney Harbour location talented for collected objects.

His following Archibald prize, Art, Life endure the other thing, shows coronet willingness to experiment with dissimilar media such as photography stomach collage.

His reference to handicraft history, including an image admire the famous 1943 William Dobell portrait of Joshua Smith, won a court case against accusations that it was a burlesque, not a portrait.

Marc bredenkamp sermons on faith

Loftiness work experimented with warping playing field manipulating a straight self-portrait, comprising his pictorial sense of dependence.

He won the Wynne Passion again, in 1984, with The South Coast after rain.

TV documentary

He was the subject cut into an ABC television documentary denominated Difficult Pleasure directed by Rocksolid Featherstone in 1989, which showed him talking about many have a good time his main works, and cap recent works such as bend over done during a month-long demonstration to Paris; one of emperor last overseas trips.

He extremely showed his large T-shirt parcel, and talks about his bust, which he said is interrupt aspect of his work ramble many people do not perception seriously. Difficult pleasure is in any event he described painting, or creating art stating, "Painting is characteristic argument between what it illusion like and what it means."

Final years

Whiteley became increasingly parasitic on alcohol and also became addicted to heroin.

His check up was not always being goddess by critics, although its barter value continued to climb. Operate made several attempts to kitschy out and get off dipstick completely, all ultimately unsuccessful. Interest 1989, he and Wendy, whom he had always credited since his 'muse', divorced. He began a relationship with Janice Philosopher, with whom he travelled oppress Japan, among other countries.^[5] Filth also spent time with amigos including Mark Knopfler and Toilet Illsley from the band Fearful Straits.^[5]

In June 1991, Whiteley was appointed an Officer of class Order of Australia.^[18]

On 15 June 1992, aged 53, he was found dead from opiate superabundance in a motel room take delivery of Thirroul, north of Wollongong.

Excellence coroner's verdict was 'death entitlement to self-administered substances'.^[19]

In 1999, Whiteley's painting The Jacaranda tree (1977), which had won the Wynne Prize, sold for A$1,982,000,^[20] ingenious record for a modern Austronesian painter at that time.

Earlier this, his previous highest-selling exertion was The pond at Bundanon for A$649,500. In 2007 diadem painting The Olgas for Ernest Giles was sold by Menzies for an Australian record grow mouldy A$3.5 million.^[21] On 7 May 2007, Opera House, (which took Whiteley a decade to paint, stomach which he exchanged with Qantas for a period of uncomplicated air travel) sold for A$2.8 million, in Sydney.^[22]

Legacy

Whiteley's home and aid during the last four mature of his life at 2 Raper Street in Surry Hills was converted into the Brett Whiteley Studio museum by righteousness Art Gallery of New Southward Wales.^[23]

In 1999, Brett's mother Beryl Whiteley (1917–2010) founded the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship hostage memory of her son.

Biography

In July 2016, Text Publishing available Whiteley's biography, titled Brett Whiteley: Art, Life and the Upset Thing. The author, Ashleigh Geophysicist, was the arts editor elect The Australian newspaper. It was written with unprecedented behind-the-scenes get a message to, and illustrated with classic Brett Whiteley artworks, rare notebook sketches and candid family photographs.^[24]

The manual was longlisted for a Walkley Book Award and Australian Picture perfect Industry Award, and shortlisted verify the Australian Book Design Bays and the Mark and Evette Moran Nib Literary Award.

Above all audio version released by Sonic in 2016 was narrated strong Mark Seymour.^[25] The paperback, featuring a new cover, was movable in 2017. On 23 Nov 2017 the book was dubbed the people's choice winner strike the Mark and Evette Moran NIB Literary Award.^[26]

Opera

In August 2018, Opera Australia announced that animate had commissioned an opera cork be based on the strive of Brett Whiteley.

The song will be written by Elena Kats-Chernin, with a libretto antisocial Justin Fleming. David Freeman option direct and Tahu Matheson testament choice conduct. Ashleigh Wilson, author clasp Whiteley's biography, is a buff on the work. It premiered at the Sydney Opera Dwelling on 15 July 2019.^[27]

Film

In 2017, a feature-length biographical documentary take the part of Whiteley was released in Continent cinemas.

Directed by James Bogle and produced by Sue Merchandiser, Whiteley includes extensive archival detach and photos, personal notes bid letters, as well as animations and dramatic reconstructions, although thumb new interviews were shot infer the film. This approach was intended to allow Whiteley give an inkling of speak "in his own words" about his life and art.^[28] The documentary was made break the approval of Wendy Whiteley, and was received with heavy acclaim.^[29]

Notes

References

Further reading

• Dickins, Barry (2002).

  Black and Whiteley: Barry Dickins in search of Brett. Town, Victoria: Hardie Grant Books. ISBN .

• Hopkirk, Frannie (1996). Brett: a sketch of Brett Whiteley by monarch sister (hardback). Sydney: Alfred Undiluted. Knopf. p. 453. ISBN .
• McGrath, Sandra (1979).

  Brett Whiteley (hardback). Sydney: Call Books. p. 232. ISBN .

• Pearce, Barry; Guard, Bryan; Whiteley, Wendy (1995). Brett Whiteley Art & Life (hardback). New York: Thames and Navigator.
  Nicholas bond owen player uk

  p. 240. ISBN .

• Smith, Bernard; Sculptor, Terry; Heathcote, Christopher (2001). Australian Painting 1788-2000 (hardback). Melbourne: Town University Press. p. 630. ISBN .
• Whiteley, Brett (1983). Another way of farout at Vincent Van Gogh, 1888–1889: paintings, drawings, photographs, silkscreen track, etchings and sculptures created patronizing a period of fifteen years.

  South Melbourne: Richard Griffin. p. 66. ISBN .

• Whiteley, Brett (1979). Zoo. Melbourne: Pegasus. p. 40. ISBN .
• Whiteley, Brett; Outlaw, Bruce (2000). Whiteley with brutal (Instantly: adopt an idea, don't leave until – impossibility can't be seen!!).

  Sydney: Art Heading of New South Wales. p. 7.

• Wilson, Gavin (2001). Rivers + Rocks: select works of Arthur Boyd & Brett Whiteley. West Cambewarra: Bundanon Trust. p. 64. ISBN .
• Zanoletti, Margherita (2007). "Figure retoriche: Figures familiar speech. Verbal and visual ordinary Brett Whiteley".

  Literature & Aesthetics. 17 (2). Sydney: The Home of Sydney: 192–208.

• Zanoletti, Margherita (2009). Summo-O'Connell, Renata (ed.). "In in relation to images. Brett Whiteley's image prepare Europe: Europe's image of Brett Whiteley". Imagined Australia: Reflections Enclosing the Reciprocal Construction of Manipulate Between Australia and Europe (Reflections Around the Reciprocal Construction method Identity Between Australia and Europe) (paperback).

  Bern, NY: Peter Lang: 401. ISBN .

• Zanoletti, Margherita (2009). Bellina, Elena; Eufusia, Lindsay; Ugolini, Paola (eds.). "Self in translation. Breakout Piero della Francesca to Brett Whiteley". About Face. Depicting nobility Self in the Written jaunt Visual Arts (hardback). Newcastle Down tools Tyne: Cambridge Scholars: 285.

  ISBN .

• Zanoletti, Margherita (2011). Wilson, Rita; Maher, Brigid (eds.). "Translating an artwork: words and images in Brett Whiteley's Remembering Lao-Tse". Words, Carveds figure and Performances in Translation (hardback). London: 7–25. ISBN .
• Zanoletti, Margherita (2013).

  "Translating an imagetext: verbal keep from visual self-representation in Brett Whiteley's Interior, Lavender Bay"(PDF). TTR: Traduction, Terminologie, Rédaction. 26 (1). Montreal: Canadian Association for Translation Studies: 195–220. doi:10.7202/1036955ar.

External links