Deutscher-Menzies have a great auction coming up. I love, totally love, this Arthur Boyd. But do not alas have a spare 200K. If you are a Troppodillian who does you should high-tail it down there.
While you’re there, I reckon you should buy this Charles Blackman – a steal at around 50K and . . .
Then there’s this painting by Emma Minnie Boyd.
On consulting The Art Encyclopedia I find that Emma Minnie Boyd was Arthur Merick Boyd’s wife and the grandmum of ArthurJr, the painter of the first painting.
Then there’s Arthur’s brother David (who’s not much chop) and Robyn the architect and Martin the novelist and Penleigh the painter in the early part of the twentieth century. Maybe Emma Minnie gave Penlieigh a few clues on painting trees because Penleigh Boyd could paint a mean tree. In any event they say that Emma Minnie’s picture will go for a paltry 2-3K (plus buyers margin of 20%).
This deserves a comment before it slides off the edge.
I agree with you about the Boyd, but what about a bit of analysis? What makes it work? Emma Minnie’s, on the other hand, would not be out of place in a Fantastic Furniture warehouse. But what makes it so insipid?
Well I like Emma Minnie’s effort – a bit nicer in the flesh – and a watercolour which has perhaps lost some vividness over time. Analysis – well both Boyd and Blackman’s colours do it for me. The Boyd one looks like a conscious borrowing from Van Gogh – I’m thinking of a particular painting, though there are several similar ones involving people making hay. I guess it’s a bit of a re-setting of a scene – like Boyd’s resetting of Biblical stories in the Australian bush. Anyway it’s not just a borrowing of a theme and a manner of painting. It shows a similar kind of energy as the great Van G.
I almost invariably like Blackman – for his colours and composition and I also like the surreal imagery of the one I posted above.
Well I don’t know about analysis but there’s a few thoughts for you.
Energy, yes, that’s good. The sky seems to be dancing, in some of rhythm with the work. It is like a Van Gogh, right down to the foreground colours, which are not particularly Australian — but which make an eerie contrast with the more distinctively Aussie scrub at the back.
I don’t really get the Blackman, but I’m working on it.