Elwyn Lynn (1917 - 1997)

Elwyn Lynn was a seminal force in Australian art, respected as an artist, author, critic, and curator. Greatly influenced by the Spanish ‘matter painters’ he encountered at the Venice Biennale in 1958, Lynn developed a highly textured form of abstract painting. His strong geometric compositions have an emblematic quality that is evocative of the Australian landscape. Depicting the effects of the harsh and alienating Australian climate, his paintings and collages explore the formation and erosion of the land. He was experimental with his choice of media, often using the earth itself to describe a dry and eroding ground. He used oil, plaster, PVA, sand, dirt, stones, timber and found objects to create a granular surface, depicting parched deserts, weathered timber and scarred country. His surfaces often appear to be wrinkled and melting as he baked the outer layers of his paintings like a skin, then let them droop and remould themselves.

Lynn was honoured with a retrospective exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 1991, and was recipient of numerous awards including the Wynne Prize in 1988 and an Australia Council Emeritus Award in 1994. His work is represented in collections of the National Gallery of Australia; all state and many regional galleries; numerous university collections throughout Australia; the Power Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; BHP Collection; Commonwealth Bank of Australia; Auckland City Art Gallery, New Zealand; National Gallery of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.

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