Provenance:
Private collection Queensland

‘Central Australia’ is an open and indefinite term that involves an extraordinarily diverse area of the Australian outback. The geography ranges from jagged red sandstone peaks, rugged gorges, dusty flat planes to luscious and fertile rock pools and waterfalls. As the environment continuously shifts, so does the distinct Australian light. A spectacular array of sunburnt orange, maroon and purple hues blankets and highlights every element. Nolan’s 1981 landscapes vividly and strikingly display this diaphanous range of colours found in what could be any region of Central or Western Australia. Although Nolan was living abroad during the 1980s, his comprehensive and authentic interpretation illustrates that every groove and ridge, the texture and colours of the Australian landscape were perpetually imprinted in his mind. Perhaps even a sense of tenderness and fondness can be detected in these three magnificent works, as the rigidity and harshness of the original 1940-50s Central Australia series has evolved three decades later into a serene, majestic yet commanding representation of the Australian desert.
CH