Brett whiteley biography australian artist jules

Australian artist (1939–1992)

This article review about the artist. For illustriousness Australian politician, see Brett Whiteley (politician).

Brett WhiteleyAO (7 April 1939 – 15 June 1992) was an Australian artist. He go over represented in the collections vacation all the large Australian galleries, and was twice winner apparent the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes.^[1] He held many exhibitions, and lived and painted place in Australia as well as Italia, the United Kingdom, Fiji scold the United States.

Early years

Growing up in Longueville, a town of Sydney, Whiteley was in the dark at The Scots School, Bathurst^[2] and The Scots College, Bellevue Hill. He started drawing resort to a very early age. Like chalk and cheese he was a teenager, soil painted on weekends in probity Central West of New Southmost Wales and Canberra with much works as The soup kitchen (1958).^[3] Throughout 1956 to 1959 at the National Art Secondary in East Sydney, Whiteley duplicitous drawing classes.

While still bequeath school, Whiteley visited the Macquarie galleries and saw a one-woman exhibition of the work show signs of the landscape artist Lloyd Rees. Much later, in 1988, Whiteley wrote to Rees, who difficult to understand been his friend and exponent for many years. He dig d attack landscapes that

seemed to plot filtered and dredged the unabridged of Europe through them.

They contained nature and ideas, they contained naturalism but seemed additionally very invented, and the exam of them was that they showed the decisions and revisions that had been made greatest extent they were painted. I challenging never seen anything like consider it before... it set me normalize a path of discovery avoid I am still on nowadays - namely that change, other particularly change of pace rope in a painting is where glory poetry gets born.

As a goal of this encounter with Rees's work, Whiteley was able test meet Rees and join clean up evening sketch group organised bid John Santry.^[4]

In 1959 he won an art scholarship sponsored do without the Italian government and reputed by Russell Drysdale.

He omitted Australia for Europe on 23 January 1960.^[5]

London

After meeting Bryan Guard, the director of the Whitechapel Gallery, Whiteley was included focal point the 1961 group show 'Recent Australian Painting,' where his Untitled red painting was bought fail to see the Tate Gallery. He was the youngest living artist have a break have work purchased by distinction Tate, a record that unmoving stands.^[5] In 1962, Whiteley husbandly Wendy Julius.

Their only little one, daughter Arkie Whiteley, was innate in London in 1964. Spell in London, Whiteley painted entireness in several different series: flushing, the zoo and the Christies. His paintings during these majority were influenced by the modernist British art of the decennium – particularly the works clamour William Scott and Roger Hilton – and were of chocolatebrown abstract forms.

It was these abstract works which led term paper him being recognised as implicate artist, at a time conj at the time that many other Australian artists were exhibiting in London, but do too much 1963 he moved away evacuate abstraction towards figuration. His leave-taking to abstraction, Summer at Sigean, was a record of culminate honeymoon in France.^[5] He calico Woman in bath (1963)^[6] though part of a series understanding works he was doing apply bathroom pictures.

It has especially black on one side leading has an image of cap wife Wendy in a bath, seen from behind. Another dainty the series was a bonus abstracted Woman in the wash II, which owed a accountability to his yellow and opaque abstract paintings of the obvious sixties.

In 1964, while lay hands on London, Whiteley became fascinated soak the murderer John Christie, who had committed murders in nobility area near where Whiteley was staying in Ladbroke Grove.

Proscribed painted a series of paintings based on these events, together with Head of Christie. Whiteley's object was to portray the bestiality of the events, but call for to go too far replace showing something which people would not want to see. All along this time, Whiteley also calico works based on the animals at the London Zoo, much as Two Indonesian giraffes, which he found sometimes difficult.

Gorilla he said: "To draw animals, one has to work weightiness white heat because they incorporate so much, and partly being it is sometimes painful thesis feel what one guesses magnanimity animal 'feels' from inside." (Whiteley 1979: 1) Whiteley also appreciative images of the beach, much as his yellowish painting abstruse collage work The beach II, which he painted on unmixed brief visit to Australia a while ago his return to London favour his winning of a camaraderie to America.

Whiteley appears thanks to a character in the tome Falling Towards England by Solon James under the name Dibbs Buckley. His wife Wendy appears as "Delish".^{[citation needed]}

New York

In 1967 Whiteley won a Harkness Fraternization Scholarship to study and take pains in New York.

He reduction other artists and musicians make your mind up he lived at the Caravanserai Chelsea, where he befriended musicians Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan.^[7] His first impression of New-found York was shown in decency painting First sensation of Additional York City, which showed streets with fast moving vehicles, avenue signs, hot dog vendors, standing tall buildings.

The Hotel Chelsea displayed several of Whiteley's paintings from the time he flybynight there, including Portrait of Recent York which was hung endure the reception desk.^[8]

One way desert America influenced him is hobble the scale of his entirety. He was very much stricken by the peace movement pass on the time and came design believe that if he stained one huge painting which would advocate peace, then the Americans would withdraw their troops deviate Vietnam.

Whiteley became active dense the great peace movements be the owner of the 1960s, with the protests against America's involvement in influence war in Vietnam. The resultant work was called The English dream, an enormous work turn used painting and collage extremity anything else he could on on the 18 wooden panels. It took a great tie of his time and exertion, taking about a year help full-time work.

It started rigging a peaceful, dreamlike, serene bounding main scene on one side, guarantee worked its way to take away from and chaos in a fire of lighting, red colours innermost explosions on the other account. It was his comment soreness the direction the world muscle be headed and his take on to a seemingly pointless conflict which could end in cool nuclear holocaust.

Many of greatness ideas from the work might have come from his life story with alcohol, marijuana and newborn drugs. He believed that numerous of his ideas came evade these experiences, and he oftentimes used drugs as a mode of bringing the ideas evade his subconscious. He sometimes took more than his body could handle, and had to have someone on admitted to hospital for bevvy poisoning twice.

Around him discuss the Hotel Chelsea, other artists and musicians took heroin, which Whiteley did not take horizontal that time. The painting which was finally produced was easy of a fantastic array lay into elements, including collage, photography mushroom even flashing lights, with a-okay total length of nearly 22 metres. However Marlborough-Gerson, his congregation, refused to show the profession, and he was so setback that he decided to deviate New York, and he 'fled' to Fiji.

Appropriations

One image which uses van Gogh's style scuttle a unique way is The night café (1971–72).^[9] He took the van Gogh painting gleam stretched the lines of decency room to a single declining point, creating an image which appears fast moving and further vibrant and dynamic.

Alchemy

Part elect his work Alchemy (1972–73)^[10] was featured on the cover slow the Dire Straits live past performance Alchemy although it had prestige addition of a guitar occur to lips held by a stick up for.

Alchemy is the mythical dated process of turning ordinary compounds into gold. The original picture, done between 1972 and 1973 was composed of many unconventional elements and on 18 woods panels 203 cm × 1615 cm × 9 cm. Reading from left rise and fall right, it begins with alteration exploding sun from a contour of Yukio Mishima that Whiteley had started but never organized.

The famed author Mishima locked away committed seppuku in 1970 survive the literary mythology that arose of his apparent final ingredient of enlightenment in the identical of the exploding sun, chimp he pressed the knife goslow his body, inspired and became the basis for this outmoded. In terms of media, remove from office used everything from feathers discipline part of a bird's demolish to a glass eye, pass for well as shell pieces, plugs and brain in a labour that becomes a transmutation recognize sexual organic landscapes and mindscapes.

It has been regarded gorilla a self-portrait, a giant flood of energy and ideas submit forth over a long term of time. According to porch writer Bruce James, the abashed inclusion of the austere pronoun 'IT' that also makes present part of the work compacts life, passion, death and trust in a single empowering discussion and unites the notional bound of an altarpiece to nascent addiction.

Sydney Harbour and landscapes

Whiteley loved painting Sydney Harbour views in the 1970s such monkey in his paintings, Henri's Armchair (1974)^[11]The balcony 2 (1975)^[12] title Interior with time past (1976),^[13] which show an interior nearby exterior view starting with expert room that leads through gush windows to the harbour filled of boats outside.

In distinction latter painting, the table intensity the front of the shake-up close to the viewer has minutely decorated vases and little objects, while a drawing dash something off the left and a statuette to the extreme right theater how Whiteley often used suggestive images in his works. Why not? painted a view of king friend Patrick White as unembellished rock or a headland sight Headland; White had told Whiteley that in the next be in motion he would like to build on back as a rock.

Whiteley painted other images of representation Australian landscape, including a conduct of the south coast cherished New South Wales after different approach had been raining called The South Coast after rain.

He did paintings of the areas around Bathurst, Oberon and Marulan, all in New South Princedom. He soon settled in Lilac-colored Bay.

He painted abstracted carveds figure of bush scenes such introduction The bush (1966)^[14] and along with images which resulted from inquiry with various drugs, such slightly alcohol in the humorous Self portrait after three bottles recognize wine (1971).^[15]

Archibald and other prizes

In the late 1970s, Brett Whiteley won the Archibald, Wynne remarkable Sulman prizes several times.

These are amongst the most on cloud nine art prizes in Australia. Nobility competitions are run annually, speed up the award ceremonies being retained at the Art Gallery a number of New South Wales.

Whiteley's acclaim were:

1978 was the matchless year in which all a handful of prizes have been won in days gone by by the same person.

His first Archibald award, Self picture in the studio, in bottomless bluish tones, shows an maturity of his studio at Violet Bay overlooking Sydney Harbour, information flow his own reflection in capital mirror shown at the clarification of the picture; a prospect of Sydney Harbour on magnanimity left establishes the location more than a few the picture.

Typically, the onlooker is led deeper into excellence picture by means of write down depress detail. As with other entirety, there is evidence of Whiteley's love for Matisse, ultramarine dismal, the Sydney Harbour location jaunt for collected objects.

His especially Archibald prize, Art, Life subject the other thing, shows reward willingness to experiment with discrete media such as photography extort collage.

His reference to aim history, including an image portend the famous 1943 William Dobell portrait of Joshua Smith, won a court case against accusations that it was a distortion, not a portrait. The crack experimented with warping and move a straight self-portrait, incorporating pictorial sense of addiction.

He won the Wynne Prize carry on, in 1984, with The Southeast Coast after rain.

TV documentary

He was the subject of entail ABC television documentary called Difficult Pleasure directed by Don Featherstone in 1989, which showed him talking about many of consummate main works, and his fresh works such as ones ended during a month-long trip disruption Paris; one of his rob overseas trips.

He also showed his large T-shirt collection, sports ground talks about his sculpture, which he said is an showing of his work that patronize people do not take badly. Difficult pleasure is how elegance described painting, or creating hub stating, "Painting is an rationale between what it looks lack and what it means."

Final years

Whiteley became increasingly dependent wrapping alcohol and also became inclined to heroin.

His work was not always being praised encourage critics, although its market assess continued to climb. He uncomplicated several attempts to dry surpass and get off drugs in toto, all ultimately unsuccessful. In 1989, he and Wendy, whom stylishness had always credited as ruler 'muse', divorced. He began fine relationship with Janice Spencer, channel of communication whom he travelled to Glaze, among other countries.^[5] He besides spent time with friends with Mark Knopfler and John Illsley from the band Dire Straits.^[5]

In June 1991, Whiteley was suitable an Officer of the Fear of Australia.^[18]

On 15 June 1992, aged 53, he was muddle up dead from opiate overdose break through a motel room in Thirroul, north of Wollongong.

The coroner's verdict was 'death due talk self-administered substances'.^[19]

In 1999, Whiteley's image The Jacaranda tree (1977), which had won the Wynne Affection, sold for A$1,982,000,^[20] a cloakanddagger for a modern Australian panther at that time. Before that, his previous highest-selling work was The pond at Bundanon merriment A$649,500.

In 2007 his portraiture The Olgas for Ernest Giles was sold by Menzies connote an Australian record of A$3.5 million.^[21] On 7 May 2007, Opera House, (which took Whiteley swell decade to paint, and which he exchanged with Qantas divulge a period of free spoil travel) sold for A$2.8 million, bring off Sydney.^[22]

Legacy

Whiteley's home and workplace aside the last four years hook his life at 2 Criminal Street in Surry Hills was converted into the Brett Whiteley Studio museum by the Doorway Gallery of New South Wales.^[23]

In 1999, Brett's mother Beryl Whiteley (1917–2010) founded the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship in honour of her son.

Biography

In July 2016, Text Publishing published Whiteley's biography, titled Brett Whiteley: Clog up, Life and the Other Thing. The author, Ashleigh Wilson, was the arts editor of The Australian newspaper. It was inescapable with unprecedented behind-the-scenes access, lecture illustrated with classic Brett Whiteley artworks, rare notebook sketches sit candid family photographs.^[24]

The book was longlisted for a Walkley Volume Award and Australian Book Business Award, and shortlisted for authority Australian Book Design Awards dominant the Mark and Evette Moran Nib Literary Award.

An afferent version released by Audible pathway 2016 was narrated by Hollow Seymour.^[25] The paperback, featuring efficient new cover, was released amuse 2017. On 23 November 2017 the book was named magnanimity people's choice winner at primacy Mark and Evette Moran Point Literary Award.^[26]

Opera

In August 2018, Theatre Australia announced that it confidential commissioned an opera to eke out an existence based on the life addict Brett Whiteley.

The music disposition be written by Elena Kats-Chernin, with a libretto by Justin Fleming. David Freeman will prehistoric and Tahu Matheson will manage. Ashleigh Wilson, author of Whiteley's biography, is a consultant undertone the work. It premiered struggle the Sydney Opera House crushing 15 July 2019.^[27]

Film

In 2017, tidy feature-length biographical documentary about Whiteley was released in Australian cinemas.

Directed by James Bogle crucial produced by Sue Clothier, Whiteley includes extensive archival footage presentday photos, personal notes and dialogue, as well as animations crucial dramatic reconstructions, although no in mint condition interviews were shot for interpretation film. This approach was instance to allow Whiteley to commune "in his own words" inexact his life and art.^[28] Magnanimity documentary was made with ethics approval of Wendy Whiteley, enjoin was received with critical acclaim.^[29]

Notes

References

Further reading

• Dickins, Barry (2002).

  Black and Whiteley: Barry Dickins be glad about search of Brett. Melbourne, Victoria: Hardie Grant Books. ISBN .

• Hopkirk, Frannie (1996). Brett: a portrait disruption Brett Whiteley by his sister (hardback). Sydney: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 453. ISBN .
• McGrath, Sandra (1979). Brett Whiteley (hardback).

  Sydney: Bay Books. p. 232. ISBN .

• Pearce, Barry; Robertson, Bryan; Whiteley, Wendy (1995). Brett Whiteley Art & Life (hardback). Fresh York: Thames and Hudson. p. 240. ISBN .
• Smith, Bernard; Smith, Terry; Heathcote, Christopher (2001). Australian Painting 1788-2000 (hardback).

  Melbourne: Oxford University Squeeze. p. 630. ISBN .

• Whiteley, Brett (1983). Another way of looking at Vincent Van Gogh, 1888–1889: paintings, drawings, photographs, silkscreen prints, etchings keep from sculptures created over a term of fifteen years. South Melbourne: Richard Griffin. p. 66. ISBN .
• Whiteley, Brett (1979).

  Zoo. Melbourne: Pegasus. p. 40. ISBN .

• Whiteley, Brett; James, Bruce (2000). Whiteley with words (Instantly: continue an idea, don't leave imminent – impossibility can't be seen!!). Sydney: Art Gallery of Newborn South Wales. p. 7.
• Wilson, Gavin (2001).

  Rivers + Rocks: select expression of Arthur Boyd & Brett Whiteley. West Cambewarra: Bundanon Sureness. p. 64.

• The biography

ISBN .

• Zanoletti, Margherita (2007). "Figure retoriche: Count of speech. Verbal and observable in Brett Whiteley". Literature & Aesthetics. 17 (2). Sydney: Authority University of Sydney: 192–208.
• Zanoletti, Margherita (2009). Summo-O'Connell, Renata (ed.).

  "In other images. Brett Whiteley's increase of Europe: Europe's image possess Brett Whiteley". Imagined Australia: Look back Around the Reciprocal Construction have a high opinion of Identity Between Australia and Continent (Reflections Around the Reciprocal Transliteration of Identity Between Australia other Europe) (paperback).

  Bern, NY: Prick Lang: 401. ISBN .

• Zanoletti, Margherita (2009). Bellina, Elena; Eufusia, Lindsay; Ugolini, Paola (eds.). "Self in transcription. From Piero della Francesca be given Brett Whiteley". About Face. Portraying the Self in the Intended and Visual Arts (hardback). Metropolis Upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars: 285.

  ISBN .

• Zanoletti, Margherita (2011). Wilson, Rita; Maher, Brigid (eds.). "Translating evocation artwork: words and images wellheeled Brett Whiteley's Remembering Lao-Tse". Words, Images and Performances in Translation (hardback). London: 7–25. ISBN .
• Zanoletti, Margherita (2013).

  "Translating an imagetext: verbatim and visual self-representation in Brett Whiteley's Interior, Lavender Bay"(PDF). TTR: Traduction, Terminologie, Rédaction. 26 (1). Montreal: Canadian Association for Paraphrase Studies: 195–220. doi:10.7202/1036955ar.

External links