Podcast appearances and mentions of margaret olley

My conversation with two remarkable Australian artists, Robert Malherbe and Keith Burt was in front of a fabulous audience at the Tweed Regional Gallery. Robert and Keith completed residencies at the gallery's Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence Studio, drawing inspiration from objects in Margaret Olley's recreated home studio at the gallery. The result of their residencies is A Dictionary for Painting, a stunning exhibition on display until March 2, 2025. In this episode, Robert and Keith share their creative highs and lows, offering an intimate glimpse into the making of their works. Special thanks to Tweed Regional Gallery for recording this event and sound engineer Dan Harcombe for his expertise. A video version of this interview will be online soon - and don't miss my earlier interview with Robert from 2021, linked below. Links Podcast listeners click here to see images of the works Robert Malherbe Keith Burt Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre Ep 162 - Ingrid Hedgcock  Ep 161 - Sophie Perez and Sarah McDonald  Ep 120 - Robert Malherbe Robert Malherbe on the YouTube channel John Honeywill  Sarah MacDonald Instagram reel - what to take on a residency Sign up to my monthly Newsletter TWP Instagram TWP Facebook My LinkedIn Selection of work by Robert Malherbe Selection of work by Keith Burt Robert Malherbe (b.1965)Olley's table 09 2024oil on linen81 x 66 cmCourtesy of the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery© The artist Keith Burt (b.1969)Bird 2024oil on canvas30 x 25cmCourtesy of the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery© The artist Keith Burt (b.1969)Floral jug 2024oil on canvas40 x 40cmCourtesy of the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery© The artist Robert Malherbe (b.1965)Olley's table 06 2024oil on linen81 x 66 cmCourtesy of the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery© The artist Margaret Olley (1923–2011)Still life with cornflowers 1995oil on board66.9 x 90.1 cmOn loan from University Art Collection, Chau Chak Wing Museum, The University of SydneyDonated through The Hon R P Meagher bequest 2011© Margaret Olley Art Trust Keith BurtUrban ArtistsOil on canvasWinner 2020 Brisbane Portrait Prize84 x 66cm Robert MalherbeThe Stoic, 2011oil on linen76 x 61cm(Portrait of Nicholas Harding) Keith Burt (b.1969)Jar 2024oil on canvas40 x 40cmCourtesy of the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery© The artist Keith Burt (b.1969)Vase 2024oil on canvas40 x 40cmCourtesy of the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery© The artist Robert Malherbe (b.1965)Olley's table 12 2024oil on polyester51 x 41 cmCourtesy of the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery© The artist  

Ingrid Hedgcock, director of the Tweed Regional Gallery, shows me around the amazing Margaret Olley Art Centre which is the relocation of Margaret Olley's home studio from Paddington in Sydney. Famous for being like an Aladdin's cave of eclectic objects, the recreated home studio contains the sources of many inspirational items which appear in Margaret Olley's paintings.  Over an astonishing 21,000 items were relocated from Sydney to the gallery. Ingrid, having been involved in the project almost from its inception, is the ideal person to share insights into the creation of this extraordinary tribute to Olley. This is the second of three episodes recorded at Tweed Regional Gallery. The previous episode is my conversation with Sophie Perez and Sarah McDonald undertaking a residency at the gallery and the following episode will be my conversation with Robert Malherbe and Keith Burt at the gallery about the exhibition 'A Dictionary for Painting'. Photo of Ingrid Hedgcock supplied by Tweed Regional Gallery Podcast listeners click here to see images of the Margaret Olley Art Centre Margaret Olley Art Centre 'A Dictionary for Painting', exhibition with Robert Malherbe and Keith Burt at the Tweed Regional Gallery until 2 March 2025 Scott Bevan on William Dobell Ben Quilty (ep 80) 'The Hat Factory', Margaret Olley Art Centre 'The Yellow Room', Margaret Olley Art Centre

See an edited version of this episode (5 mins) on the talking with Painters YouTube channel An artist's residency provides more than just uninterrupted time to work; it's also a valuable space for risk-taking, experimentation, and self-reflection. That's what I learned when I caught up with Sophie Perez and Sarah McDonald during my recent visit to the Tweed Regional Gallery. They were there for a residency in the Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence studio. Both are accomplished landscape painters working in oils, have exhibited in solo and group shows across the country and both made the trek across Australia to immerse themselves in this experience - Sophie from Victoria and Sarah from South Australia. It was wonderful to hear their thoughts on the value of the residency and what has come from it.  This is the first of three podcast episodes which I recorded on my visit to the Tweed Regional Gallery a couple of weeks ago. I was invited to facilitate a conversation in front of an audience with Robert Malherbe and Keith Burt, two leading painters who recently completed funded residencies at the gallery. Their new works, now hanging in the exhibition A Dictionary for Painting, are inspired by objects from Australian art royalty Margaret Olley's glorious home studio, which has been relocated within the gallery. The gallery recorded the conversation and it will be coming soon to the podcast. I was also lucky enough to have an impromptu chat with gallery director Ingrid Hedgcock, an expert on Margaret Olley, who will be joining me on the next episode. Links Podcast listeners click here for website page and images of works  Sign up to the Talking with Painters newsletter Sophie Perez website Sarah McDonald website Sophie Perez Instagram Sarah McDonald Instagram  https://youtu.be/jxJybTWc81s?si=8neVQgRZyTP1x7y6 Wall of Sophie Perez' work Wall of Sarah McDonald's work Work mentioned by Sarah at about 9min 40s Work mentioned by Sophie at about 18min 30s Work mentioned by Sophie at about 21 min          

In this clip of The Court of Public Opinion, hosted by Jeremy Cordeaux with guest Jim Elder and Les Eleces at the dining room table, the conversation centres around Jim Elder's work in fine art and his upcoming art auction. They discuss the significance of various paintings, the challenges and excitement of auctioneering, and the changing landscape of the art world. Jim shares insights into the history and value of certain pieces, including works by well-known artists such as Norman Lindsay, Pro Hart, and Margaret Olley. The episode also touches on the challenges of curating art and the unique experience of running an auction house in today's market. Key Topics Discussed: Upcoming Art Auction: A preview of Jim Elder's next auction, including standout pieces. Art Valuation and Sales: Insights into the valuation process, including stories behind the sale of iconic paintings. Market Trends in Art: Discussion on changing tastes and how trends affect the value of artwork. Artist Success Stories: Reflections on the careers of famous Australian artists like Norman Lindsay, Pro Hart, and David Bromley. Behind the Scenes of an Auction House: The logistical and financial aspects of running a fine art auction house. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Podcast listeners click here to see images of the works Over the years, podcast guests have shared some fascinating back stories to paintings they have made, stories which you could never have guessed on merely viewing the work. Sometimes that back story has made me look at the work in a totally different way and I'm bringing you a few of those to you in this episode. See images of the works we talk about below. Links Tickets for talk with Caroline Zilinsky at the Art Gallery of NSW (Artists in Conversation) YouTube video - Anthony White Vincent Fantauzzo podcast episode Prudence Flint podcast episode Ben Quilty podcast episode Scott Bevan podcast episode on William Dobell 2:40    ‘Heath', 2008, oil on canvas, 106 x 140cm (Collection of the Art Gallery of NSW, highly commended and winner of the Archibald Prize People's Choice award 2008. Portrait of Heath Ledger) 10:40    ‘Baby', 2015, oil on linen, 105 x 90.5cm (Finalist in Archibald Portrait Prize 2015) 15:45.  ‘Kandahar' 2011, oil on linen, 140 x 190cmPhoto: Australian War Memorial 18:00   ‘Captain S. after Afghanistan' 2012, oil on linen, 210 x 230cmFinalist Archibald Prize 2012Photo: AGNSW/ Mim Stirling 20:30    ‘Margaret Olley', 1948, oil on hardboard, 114.3 x 85.7 cm boardCollection: Art Gallery of NSWWinner Archibald Prize 1948 23:45.    ‘Storm Approaching, Wangi', 1948, oil on cardboard on composition board, 32.9 x 56cmWinner Wynne Prize 1948

A 2009 interview with the artist Margaret Olley, two years before her death. Part of our series featuring interviews with women artists from the ABC archives.

A 2009 interview with the artist Margaret Olley, two years before her death.Part of our series featuring interviews with women artists from the ABC archives.

A 2009 interview with the artist Margaret Olley, two years before her death. Part of our series featuring interviews with women artists from the ABC archives.

A 2009 interview with the artist Margaret Olley, two years before her death. Part of our series featuring interviews with women artists from the ABC archives.

While some of us have watched helplessly at those harrowing images from Afghanistan, award winning artist and social commentator Ben Quilty has stepped up to help the plight of the Afghan people. Once Australia's official war artist in Kabul, in this episode Ben offers a unique perspective on the plight of the Afghan people in the face of the Taliban. Also in discussion is his time at the Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley for World Vision. In the second half of this episode Ben talks about his wonderful relationship with Margaret Olley, including a story involving a hospital, all the flowers, cigarettes and Margaret being very inappropriate, and later Ben reflects on his relationship with Myuran Sukumaran who at the time of his death described Ben as the "second best artist in Australia."  Episode notes -  Ben Quilty has kicked off a fundraising campaign for UNHCR - the United Nations High Commission for Refugees - to try and help the people he lived with, worked alongside and shared in their remarkable stories of survival. Search Ben Quilty Afghanistan Raisely or click on this link -  www.crisis-in-afghanistan.raisely.com/ben-quilty You can find Stellar magazine in print every Sunday, pick up the latest copy inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), the Sunday Herald Sun (Victoria), The Sunday Mail (Queensland), Sunday Mail (SA) and Sunday Tasmanian (Tasmania).    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The voices of Australian history come to life in an oral history exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery featuring the extensive audio archive of Hazel de Berg.

The voices of Australian history come to life in an oral history exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery featuring the extensive audio archive of Hazel de Berg.

This weeks guest is the fine artists Wanda Comrie. She is from Western Australia and is self described as an emerging creative who's practise encompasses observational realistically rendered compositions. Responding to shadow play in domestic scenes and locally found botanicals, she reflects the beauty and complexity that everyday living can provide. Wanda sells very well via Instagram all over the world and was kind to share with us some of her ideas and processes. Check out he work on the following links. You can find Wanda on her instagram https://www.instagram.com/wandacomrie/or her website is https://wandacomrie.comWanda mentioned the artist Ashley Longshore https://www.instagram.com/ashleylongshoreart/?hl=enWanda was the 2019 Frankie magazine Good Stuff awards winner https://www.frankie.com.auWanda has won several art prizes check out her website for details. Wanda's favourite artist tool is a light with a day light globe. Wanda would love to meet the artist Margaret Olley https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=margaret+olley&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Reading Scott Bevan’s biography of 20th century artist William Dobell is like viewing one of Dobell’s portraits; Scott takes us behind the exterior of the subject and into their inner life. He just uses words instead of paint. Scott is a journalist, TV and radio presenter, musician and biographer. In this podcast interview, I talk with him about the life of Dobell in the context of the changing art world of the 20th century.  In particular, we go back seventy seven years to when William Dobell famously won the Archibald Prize with a portrait of his friend Joshua Smith. With less than flattering facial features and elongated arms and neck , the painting was a clear and challenging departure from the more traditional portraits of the previous years. Almost every Australian held a view on that painting. Some were excited, some were shocked - others were even angry. In an unprecedented turn of events, two entrants who missed out on the prize started a court action to try to stop Dobell from receiving the prize money. Those events in 1943 would not only change the course of art in Australia but would traumatise Dobell and Smith for years to come. In ‘Bill: The Life of William Dobell’, Scott takes us into Dobell’s life through the people who knew him, both in Sydney and in the town of Wangi Wangi where he ultimately found peace from the scrutiny surrounding the events of 1943. Most of all he brings to life the complex artist that was William Dobell with enthusiasm and empathy. To hear the podcast episode, click play beneath the feature photo above. To purchase a copy of the book click on the book's title in the show notes below. Photo: Scott Bevan stands in front of a painting by Susan O'Doherty Show Notes Scott Bevan'Bill: The Life of William Dobell'Sir William DobellJulian AshtonGeorge LambertHenry TonksWilliam OrpenJoshua SmithMargaret Olley 'Bill: The Life of William Dobell' by Scott Bevan 'Portrait of an Artist (Joshua Smith)' before it was destroyed by fireWinner of Archibald Prize 1943 'The Duchess Disrobes', 1936, oil on plywood, 35.5 x 27cmCollection: Art Gallery of NSW Mrs South Kensington, 1937, oil on wood panel, 38.2 x 33.2cm Collection: Art Gallery of NSW 'Margaret Olley', 1948, oil on hardboard, 114.3 x 85.7 cm boardCollection: Art Gallery of NSWWinner Archibald Prize 1948 'Storm Approaching, Wangi', 1948, oil on cardboard on composition board, 32.9 x 56cmWinner Wynne Prize 1948

This is not the first time curator Lisa Slade has brought the paintings of Ben Quilty to viewers in Australia, but of those previous exhibitions none has had the depth and breadth of the survey show ‘Quilty’ which has arrived at the Art Gallery of NSW. Distilling fifteen years of creative energy, Slade has brought together an exhibition which not only presents these works to the viewer in a compelling way, but evokes curiosity and creates meaning. The exhibition originated in the Art Gallery of South Australia and travelled to Queensland Art gallery before ending with a Sydney showing. As the Assistant Director, Artistic Programs of the Art Gallery of South Australia, Lisa Slade has also curated exhibitions of many other artists. She has known Ben Quilty for over 20 years forming a strong friendship over that time. This interview therefore not only covers how the show came together and what a curator does but you'll hear about Ben Quilty's life and work from the perspective of someone who knows him well. To hear the podcast conversation press 'play' beneath the above photo or listen however you get your podcasts. The exhibition 'Quilty' is free and is showing at the Art Gallery of NSW until February 2, 2020. Above photo provided by the Art Gallery of South Australia 'Self-portrait after Afghanistan', 2012, oil on canvas, 130 x 120cmPhoto provided by AGNSW 'Margaret Olley', 2011, oil on linen, 170 x150cmPhoto: AGNSW website 'Kandahar' 2011, oil on linen, 140 x 190cmPhoto: Australian War Memorial ' 'Fairy Bower Rorschach' 2012, oil on linen, 241 x 520cm (overall)Photo: AGNSW website 'The Last Supper', 2016, oil on linen, 205 x 268.5cmPhoto provided by AGNSW 'The Last Supper 2017', 2017, oil on linen, 420 x 265cmCollection of the Art Gallery of NSWPhoto: AGNSW/ Mim Stirling

If you are interested in the arts in Australia you will know of Ben Quilty. He is one of the country's most acclaimed contemporary artists. In the last 15 years he has shot to prominence not just as an artist - although he’s won the Archibald Prize, Doug Moran National Portrait Prize and the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship - but as an observer and commentator on social and political issues which concern us all. Whether it's issues faced by our indigenous communities, our involvement in wars on foreign soil, and their consequences, or the cruelty of the death penalty imposed on Myuran Sukamaran and on Andrew Chan and Quilty's campaign to save their lives, he pours maximum energy in highlighting the inequities and injustices in our world through his actions, words and art. His belief that art can instigate positive change is inspiring. The excellent survey show 'Quilty' has just landed in Sydney – via Adelaide and Brisbane – and the Art Gallery of NSW is the perfect venue for it given Quilty's HSC major work was hung there in 1991 as part of Art Express and 20 years later he won the gallery's Archibald Prize. He has since become a trustee of the Art Gallery. The exhibition is free and includes works over a 15 year period. The next podcast episode is with Lisa Slade, the curator of the exhibition and close friend of Quilty, who gives an interesting perspective from a curator's point of view. That episode will be online in a few weeks. To hear the podcast interview click on 'play' beneath the above feature photo. Above feature photo:: AGNSW/ Mim Stirling Current exhibition: 'Quilty, Art Gallery of NSW, current to 2 February 2020, free admission Show Notes Ben Quilty at Jan Murphy GalleryBen Quilty at Tolarno GalleriesBen Quilty on InstagramMargaret OlleyTony Albert Ben Quilty (centre) with Lisa Slade ( Assistant Director Artistic Programs AGSA and curator of 'Quilty') and Justin Paton (Head Curator International Art AGNSW)Photo taken at the exhibition 'Quilty' at the AGNSW 'The Last Supper 2017', 2017, oil on linen, 420 x 265cmCollection of the Art Gallery of NSWPhoto: AGNSW/ Mim Stirling 'Margaret Olley', 2011, oil on linen, 170 x 150cmWinner Archibald Prize 2011Photo: AGNSW 'Kandahar' 2011, oil on linen, 140 x 190cmPhoto: Australian War Memorial 'Captain S. after Afghanistan' 2012, oil on linen, 210 x 230cmFinalist Archibald Prize 2012Photo: AGNSW/ Mim Stirling Self-portrait, after Afghanistan, 2012, oil on linen, 130 x 120cmPhoto: AGNSW/ Mim Stirling 'High Water Mark', 2016, oil on canvas170.5x 160.4cmCollection of the National Gallery of VictoriaPhoto: National Gallery of Victoria

Plus, Sidney Nolan works about to go under the hammer, Justine Youssef, and FEM-aFFINITY.

Plus, Sidney Nolan works about to go under the hammer, Justine Youssef, and FEM-aFFINITY.

Plus, Sidney Nolan works about to go under the hammer, Justine Youssef, and FEM-aFFINITY.

Margaret Olley was a bit of a rebel who was often in trouble at school. But she loved to paint and found beauty in the everyday things around her. Margaret became one of Australia's most loved artists and her paintings are famous around the world. Narrated by actor and producer Deborra-lee Furness.

Margaret Olley was a bit of a rebel who was often in trouble at school. But she loved to paint and found beauty in the everyday things around her. Margaret became one of Australia's most loved artists and her paintings are famous around the world. Narrated by actor and producer Deborra-lee Furness.

Margaret Olley was a bit of a rebel who was often in trouble at school. But she loved to paint and found beauty in the everyday things around her. Margaret became one of Australia’s most loved artists and her paintings are famous around the world. Narrated by actor and producer Deborra-lee Furness.

Margaret Olley was a bit of a rebel who was often in trouble at school. But she loved to paint and found beauty in the everyday things around her. Margaret became one of Australia's most loved artists and her paintings are famous around the world. Narrated by actor and producer Deborra-lee Furness.

What do you imagine when you think of a painting of flowers by a woman artist? It might be a Margaret Olley still life set in her crowded Paddington terrace or a Margaret Preston with a striped tablecloth or it might be a close up Georgia O'Keefe with all its erotic interpretations. But it might also be considered less serious - just a pretty picture painted in a domestic setting. It was partly for that reason that Laura Jones initially resisted the flower as subject matter, until it was clear to her that that’s what she should be painting. Her exploration of the flower has developed over the years and took an interesting direction in her spectacular recent show ‘Too Much, Not Enough’ at Sophie Gannon Gallery. The show sold out quickly and a waiting list is in place for collectors. Jones is also a passionate environmentalist and her show at Olsen gallery last year resulted from residencies in the Great Barrier Reef after a severe bleaching event. Those works were both awe-inspiring and shocking. In this episode, we talk about the flowers and the reef as well as Jones' portraiture and a lot about process and colour. Jones grew up in Kurrajong near the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. This episode starts off with her talking about a time when she was studying for her Masters at the College of Fine Art at the UNSW, working part time as a florist and planning to move into a new studio which was to become the creative Birmingham studios in the Sydney suburb of Alexandria. Feature photo above (cropped) by Rachel Kara Upcoming events 'Laura Jones', Olsen Gallery, 17 November - 8 December Solo show with Olsen Gallery 2019, date tba. Show notes Laura Jones Laura Jones at Olsen Gallery Laura Jones at Sophie Gannon Gallery Leah Fraser at Arthouse Gallery Abdul Abdullah Alan Jones Ben Quilty Euan Macleod Nicholas Harding Elisabeth Cummings Marieke Hardy YouTube video with audio from the interview with footage from 'Too Much Not Enough', show at Sophie Gannon Gallery (below) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgPxcoQmXi8

Ben Quilty is one of Australia's most celebrated artists. Whether he's painting the portrait of fellow artist Margaret Olley, of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, of Jimmy Barnes or even of his old Torana, his style finds a heart and depth not often seen. I first met Ben when he working closely with the Bali 9 (particularly Myuran Sukumaran) using art therapy to help Myu as he sat confined in Kerobokan prison. When the day came for Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukamaran to face death by firing squad, Ben Quilty led the charge to stand for mercy, gathering people from all backgrounds to campaign against the death penalty. It didn't succeed. But Ben's passion for commitment to the cause is just one of many instances where this artist and humanitarian has fought tooth and nail for justice. When he was a teenager, art was Ben Quilty's salve. As an adult, his work continues to help and heal him and those around him. Across five songs, Ben Quilty took part in music therapy. Paul Kelly - ‘Firewood and Candles' The Lemonheads - ‘The Outdoor Type' PJ Harvey - ‘This Mess We're In (ft. Thom Yorke)' The Beatles - ‘Blackbird' Jimmy Barnes - ‘Still On Your Side (ft. Bernard Fanning)'

Ben Quilty is one of Australia’s most celebrated artists. Whether he’s painting the portrait of fellow artist Margaret Olley, of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, of Jimmy Barnes or even of his old Torana, his style finds a heart and depth not often seen. I first met Ben when he working closely with the Bali 9 (particularly Myuran Sukumaran) using art therapy to help Myu as he sat confined in Kerobokan prison. When the day came for Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukamaran to face death by firing squad, Ben Quilty led the charge to stand for mercy, gathering people from all backgrounds to campaign against the death penalty. It didn’t succeed. But Ben’s passion for commitment to the cause is just one of many instances where this artist and humanitarian has fought tooth and nail for justice. When he was a teenager, art was Ben Quilty’s salve. As an adult, his work continues to help and heal him and those around him. Across five songs, Ben Quilty took part in music therapy. Paul Kelly - ‘Firewood and Candles’ The Lemonheads - ‘The Outdoor Type’ PJ Harvey - ‘This Mess We’re In (ft. Thom Yorke)’ The Beatles - ‘Blackbird’ Jimmy Barnes - ‘Still On Your Side (ft. Bernard Fanning)’

Ben Quilty is one of Australia’s most celebrated artists. Whether he’s painting the portrait of fellow artist Margaret Olley, of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, of Jimmy Barnes or even of his old Torana, his style finds a heart and depth not often seen. I first met Ben when he working closely with the Bali 9 (particularly Myuran Sukumaran) using art therapy to help Myu as he sat confined in Kerobokan prison. When the day came for Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukamaran to face death by firing squad, Ben Quilty led the charge to stand for mercy, gathering people from all backgrounds to campaign against the death penalty. It didn’t succeed. But Ben’s passion for commitment to the cause is just one of many instances where this artist and humanitarian has fought tooth and nail for justice. When he was a teenager, art was Ben Quilty’s salve. As an adult, his work continues to help and heal him and those around him. Across five songs, Ben Quilty took part in music therapy. Paul Kelly - ‘Firewood and Candles’ The Lemonheads - ‘The Outdoor Type’ PJ Harvey - ‘This Mess We’re In (ft. Thom Yorke)’ The Beatles - ‘Blackbird’ Jimmy Barnes - ‘Still On Your Side (ft. Bernard Fanning)’

This painting by Jeffrey Smart, perhaps the finest masterpiece of his later years, is a perfect example of his habit of finding motifs delivered without warning. For, given the calculation and precision typifying his long career as an artist, Smart has never quite known what is in store to appeal to his compositional interests driving around the industrial estates of Arezzo, or walking through a flea market in Rome, or a back street in Sydney. His process has a curious connection with a 19th-century method inculcated by French artist Lecoq de Boisbaudran as a kind of competition with the seduction of photography. Students were encouraged to look at a motif for a few seconds, turn their backs on it, commit it to memory, and let imagination go to work. Whistler adopted this practice in France and England; and in Australia half a century later Nolan developed his own instinctive version of it to spectacular effect. Smart differed from those two however in his slow, deliberate construction of a scaffolding to hold fast a taken-by-surprise glimpse of a subject that to ordinary eyes may have had little significance. Indeed, often it is almost as if he has been the hunted and the motif the hunter, snaring him through the most unprepossessing effect; a slant of light on a garage door; a pattern of peeling posters on a corrugated fence; a red post box against a yellow wall. And always there have been moments of despair between these effects – moments of visual bankruptcy as he puts it – when he can find nothing to paint at all. Such was his state before the idea of 'Matisse at Ashford' made its first impact on him. At Posticcia Nuova his easel was bare, and there were only older sketches in the studio racks, nothing fresh coming at him for a new composition. Heavy with a cold in the late winter of 2005 he went to London for a business meeting, then on to Paris to meet up with Margaret Olley at the Louvre. He had to go back to London to finish his business talks, contemplating the ultimate return to a barren studio. The train pulled out of the tunnel in darkening afternoon light and 'Goddie came good' he later wrote to a friend, as it paused at the first English station, Ashford. The platforms at Ashford were dominated by a series of posters advertising a Matisse exhibition at the Royal Academy – one of the blue cut-out nudes – seen in progression across the width of the station like echoing cadences of a modernist cliché. Smart didn't know quite why the motif was so imperative – why its visual irony was so eloquent – he just knew it had to be painted. Before the train moved off he quickly sketched what he saw with a black pen inside the end papers of a paperback novel and the masterpiece was in embryo, teased out and developed in the ensuing months through a succession of studies to its final bold, golden-section structure of verticals and horizontals. Its tight geometry and cool palette, true to the mood of season and time of day of its original inspiration, conspire to hold captive one of Matisse's most famous works as a magnificent specimen of that influence which helped set so many of the next generation of modernists free to roam the picture plane.

This painting by Jeffrey Smart, perhaps the finest masterpiece of his later years, is a perfect example of his habit of finding motifs delivered without warning. For, given the calculation and precision typifying his long career as an artist, Smart has never quite known what is in store to appeal to his compositional interests driving around the industrial estates of Arezzo, or walking through a flea market in Rome, or a back street in Sydney. His process has a curious connection with a 19th-century method inculcated by French artist Lecoq de Boisbaudran as a kind of competition with the seduction of photography. Students were encouraged to look at a motif for a few seconds, turn their backs on it, commit it to memory, and let imagination go to work. Whistler adopted this practice in France and England; and in Australia half a century later Nolan developed his own instinctive version of it to spectacular effect. Smart differed from those two however in his slow, deliberate construction of a scaffolding to hold fast a taken-by-surprise glimpse of a subject that to ordinary eyes may have had little significance. Indeed, often it is almost as if he has been the hunted and the motif the hunter, snaring him through the most unprepossessing effect; a slant of light on a garage door; a pattern of peeling posters on a corrugated fence; a red post box against a yellow wall. And always there have been moments of despair between these effects – moments of visual bankruptcy as he puts it – when he can find nothing to paint at all. Such was his state before the idea of 'Matisse at Ashford' made its first impact on him. At Posticcia Nuova his easel was bare, and there were only older sketches in the studio racks, nothing fresh coming at him for a new composition. Heavy with a cold in the late winter of 2005 he went to London for a business meeting, then on to Paris to meet up with Margaret Olley at the Louvre. He had to go back to London to finish his business talks, contemplating the ultimate return to a barren studio. The train pulled out of the tunnel in darkening afternoon light and 'Goddie came good' he later wrote to a friend, as it paused at the first English station, Ashford. The platforms at Ashford were dominated by a series of posters advertising a Matisse exhibition at the Royal Academy – one of the blue cut-out nudes – seen in progression across the width of the station like echoing cadences of a modernist cliché. Smart didn't know quite why the motif was so imperative – why its visual irony was so eloquent – he just knew it had to be painted. Before the train moved off he quickly sketched what he saw with a black pen inside the end papers of a paperback novel and the masterpiece was in embryo, teased out and developed in the ensuing months through a succession of studies to its final bold, golden-section structure of verticals and horizontals. Its tight geometry and cool palette, true to the mood of season and time of day of its original inspiration, conspire to hold captive one of Matisse's most famous works as a magnificent specimen of that influence which helped set so many of the next generation of modernists free to roam the picture plane.

This painting by Jeffrey Smart, perhaps the finest masterpiece of his later years, is a perfect example of his habit of finding motifs delivered without warning. For, given the calculation and precision typifying his long career as an artist, Smart has never quite known what is in store to appeal to his compositional interests driving around the industrial estates of Arezzo, or walking through a flea market in Rome, or a back street in Sydney. His process has a curious connection with a 19th-century method inculcated by French artist Lecoq de Boisbaudran as a kind of competition with the seduction of photography. Students were encouraged to look at a motif for a few seconds, turn their backs on it, commit it to memory, and let imagination go to work. Whistler adopted this practice in France and England; and in Australia half a century later Nolan developed his own instinctive version of it to spectacular effect. Smart differed from those two however in his slow, deliberate construction of a scaffolding to hold fast a taken-by-surprise glimpse of a subject that to ordinary eyes may have had little significance. Indeed, often it is almost as if he has been the hunted and the motif the hunter, snaring him through the most unprepossessing effect; a slant of light on a garage door; a pattern of peeling posters on a corrugated fence; a red post box against a yellow wall. And always there have been moments of despair between these effects – moments of visual bankruptcy as he puts it – when he can find nothing to paint at all. Such was his state before the idea of 'Matisse at Ashford' made its first impact on him. At Posticcia Nuova his easel was bare, and there were only older sketches in the studio racks, nothing fresh coming at him for a new composition. Heavy with a cold in the late winter of 2005 he went to London for a business meeting, then on to Paris to meet up with Margaret Olley at the Louvre. He had to go back to London to finish his business talks, contemplating the ultimate return to a barren studio. The train pulled out of the tunnel in darkening afternoon light and 'Goddie came good' he later wrote to a friend, as it paused at the first English station, Ashford. The platforms at Ashford were dominated by a series of posters advertising a Matisse exhibition at the Royal Academy – one of the blue cut-out nudes – seen in progression across the width of the station like echoing cadences of a modernist cliché. Smart didn't know quite why the motif was so imperative – why its visual irony was so eloquent – he just knew it had to be painted. Before the train moved off he quickly sketched what he saw with a black pen inside the end papers of a paperback novel and the masterpiece was in embryo, teased out and developed in the ensuing months through a succession of studies to its final bold, golden-section structure of verticals and horizontals. Its tight geometry and cool palette, true to the mood of season and time of day of its original inspiration, conspire to hold captive one of Matisse's most famous works as a magnificent specimen of that influence which helped set so many of the next generation of modernists free to roam the picture plane.