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Lot Essay
From his earliest years as a painter Ian Fairweather sought the ethereal, lyrical effect found in eastern art. Living in china for many years during the 1930s he had an immediate affinity with the people, their customs and way of life. In Peking, Fairweather spent many hours in museums looking at China's great calligraphics, and admired the master calligraphers creating such works.
Landscape with Trees was painted a year after Fairweather moved to Bribie Island, an important period of consolidation for the artist that sees his work develop greater confidence and individuality. In discussing one of his landscapes of this time, Murray Ball writes that the brush "wanders the surface, the artist almost idly reflecting upon some distant experience. His hand becomes part of the landscape, or rather its lingering spirit; so while clearly influenced by the classical Chinese landscape painters, and...calligraphy, the artist retains a precise individuality". (M Bail, Ian Fairweather, 1981, p 118)
Murray Bail suggested this work was based on Fairweather's memories of Bali or China.
We are grateful to Murray Bail for his assistance in cataloguing this work
Landscape with Trees was painted a year after Fairweather moved to Bribie Island, an important period of consolidation for the artist that sees his work develop greater confidence and individuality. In discussing one of his landscapes of this time, Murray Ball writes that the brush "wanders the surface, the artist almost idly reflecting upon some distant experience. His hand becomes part of the landscape, or rather its lingering spirit; so while clearly influenced by the classical Chinese landscape painters, and...calligraphy, the artist retains a precise individuality". (M Bail, Ian Fairweather, 1981, p 118)
Murray Bail suggested this work was based on Fairweather's memories of Bali or China.
We are grateful to Murray Bail for his assistance in cataloguing this work