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拍品專文
Lindsay's fascination with the exotic bazaars of the Orient is evident in the number of pen drawings, oils, etchings and watercolurs he produced throughout his life. In all of these, Lindsay reworks similar elements of elephants, camels, merchants of fine goods, slaves and of course, beautiful nudes. The etching Merchandise (1938) and a later pen drawing also called Merchandise (1967) show similarities in composition with this 1941 watercolour.
Here, the central female nude, reclining on a richly draped dais, is looking at the merchant's proffered goods, while he and his entourage are obviously fascinated by her luminous pale beauty. Her equally beautiful companions do not detract from her almost regal pose. Lindsay seems to convey an almost disdainful look on this face in all his Merchandise compositions. Perhaps this is to make us aware that this woman is not a slave, but indeed a woman of substance who must be wooed with the finest of the merchant's goods.
Lindsay acknowledged his early observation of Blamire Young's watercolour technique as the basis of his own work. Deceptively simple as it appears, watercolour painting demands the artist can work on the paper once only. There is no chance of over-painting a mistake as there is in oil painting. Additionally, if the wash is too fluid, harsh edges build up creating an outline of colour. Lindsay would first draw his composition in pencil, and then very lightly trace it onto the paper, using as few pencil lines as possible in order to keep the paper clean. Next he made a precise list of the succession of colours. His careful planning ensured the colour could be dropped into the wash before it dried completely.
Merchandise is an exceptionally large work - using a full sheet of watercolour paper. There are relatively few watercolours of this size because of the difficulty in controlling such a large area. It is possible Merchandise relates to an earlier watercolour, as during 1941 42, Lindsay repainted a number of works which had been lost in a fire in America. His watercolours and pen drawings of that period show an exuberance and vitality attributable to the challenge of replacing much of his finest work.
Lindsay wrote of the medium as "fluid and accidental" and of the suspense of "enduring an experiment designed to go wrong" (G Blunden & N Lindsay, Norman Lindsay Watercolours, Sydney, 1973, p.1). That Lindsay's watercolours always appear vibrant and full of light is due to his mastery of this most elusive of mediums.
We are grateful to Helen Glad for providing this catalogue entry.
Here, the central female nude, reclining on a richly draped dais, is looking at the merchant's proffered goods, while he and his entourage are obviously fascinated by her luminous pale beauty. Her equally beautiful companions do not detract from her almost regal pose. Lindsay seems to convey an almost disdainful look on this face in all his Merchandise compositions. Perhaps this is to make us aware that this woman is not a slave, but indeed a woman of substance who must be wooed with the finest of the merchant's goods.
Lindsay acknowledged his early observation of Blamire Young's watercolour technique as the basis of his own work. Deceptively simple as it appears, watercolour painting demands the artist can work on the paper once only. There is no chance of over-painting a mistake as there is in oil painting. Additionally, if the wash is too fluid, harsh edges build up creating an outline of colour. Lindsay would first draw his composition in pencil, and then very lightly trace it onto the paper, using as few pencil lines as possible in order to keep the paper clean. Next he made a precise list of the succession of colours. His careful planning ensured the colour could be dropped into the wash before it dried completely.
Merchandise is an exceptionally large work - using a full sheet of watercolour paper. There are relatively few watercolours of this size because of the difficulty in controlling such a large area. It is possible Merchandise relates to an earlier watercolour, as during 1941 42, Lindsay repainted a number of works which had been lost in a fire in America. His watercolours and pen drawings of that period show an exuberance and vitality attributable to the challenge of replacing much of his finest work.
Lindsay wrote of the medium as "fluid and accidental" and of the suspense of "enduring an experiment designed to go wrong" (G Blunden & N Lindsay, Norman Lindsay Watercolours, Sydney, 1973, p.1). That Lindsay's watercolours always appear vibrant and full of light is due to his mastery of this most elusive of mediums.
We are grateful to Helen Glad for providing this catalogue entry.