Sea-beach and Rocks

In the introduction to the 1931 exhibition at Redfern Gallery, in which the present painting was listed as number 7, F.R. O'Neill writes, 'In the pictures of the sea in this exhibition the formal source of effect is pre-eminent and the desire of the artist to make its art efficient - i.e., to make his experience clearly communicable - is apparent in their careful planning and construction, in the choice of form and colour, in their relationships, and in the rhythm and 'gestures' of the lines. There is no 'padding'. Every part of the picture is there for one reason only - the production of the final effect intended. There is nothing irrelevant and distracting' (op. cit., p. 8).