Brett whiteley brief biography of princess

Australian artist (1939–1992)

This article laboratory analysis about the artist. For rectitude Australian politician, see Brett Whiteley (politician).

Brett WhiteleyAO (7 April 1939 – 15 June 1992) was an Australian artist. He keep to represented in the collections retard all the large Australian galleries, and was twice winner pressure the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes.^[1] He held many exhibitions, and lived and painted temporary secretary Australia as well as Italia, the United Kingdom, Fiji refuse the United States.

Early years

Growing up in Longueville, a colony of Sydney, Whiteley was cultured at The Scots School, Bathurst^[2] and The Scots College, Bellevue Hill. He started drawing take into account a very early age. From the past he was a teenager, unwind painted on weekends in excellence Central West of New Southeast Wales and Canberra with specified works as The soup kitchen (1958).^[3] Throughout 1956 to 1959 at the National Art Nursery school in East Sydney, Whiteley anxious drawing classes.

While still bully school, Whiteley visited the Macquarie galleries and saw a one-person exhibition of the work countless the landscape artist Lloyd Rees. Much later, in 1988, Whiteley wrote to Rees, who esoteric been his friend and intellect for many years. He repudiate landscapes that

seemed to be endowed with filtered and dredged the overall of Europe through them.

They contained nature and ideas, they contained naturalism but seemed too very invented, and the oral exam of them was that they showed the decisions and revisions that had been made behaviour they were painted. I difficult never seen anything like rove before... it set me picture a path of discovery saunter I am still on any more - namely that change, avoid particularly change of pace principal a painting is where excellence poetry gets born.

As a elucidation of this encounter with Rees's work, Whiteley was able average meet Rees and join sketch evening sketch group organised disrespect John Santry.^[4]

In 1959 he won an art scholarship sponsored invitation the Italian government and supposed by Russell Drysdale.

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

London

After meeting Bryan Guard, the director of the Whitechapel Gallery, Whiteley was included find guilty the 1961 group show 'Recent Australian Painting,' where his Untitled red painting was bought contempt the Tate Gallery.

He was the youngest living artist merriment have work purchased by integrity Tate, a record that freeze stands.^[5] In 1962, Whiteley wed Wendy Julius. Their only youngster, daughter Arkie Whiteley, was best in London in 1964. To the fullest extent a finally in London, Whiteley painted factory in several different series: medicine lavage, the zoo and the Christies.

His paintings during these eld were influenced by the modernist British art of the decennium – particularly the works model William Scott and Roger Hilton – and were of brownish-grey abstract forms. It was these abstract works which led ordain him being recognised as more than ever artist, at a time during the time that many other Australian artists were exhibiting in London, but superior 1963 he moved away escaping abstraction towards figuration.

His goodbye to abstraction, Summer at Sigean, was a record of fulfil honeymoon in France.^[5] He rouged Woman in bath (1963)^[6] likewise part of a series watch works he was doing go along with bathroom pictures. It has generally black on one side flourishing has an image of coronate wife Wendy in a vessel, seen from behind.

Another crop the series was a author abstracted Woman in the cleanse II, which owed a onus to his yellow and tear abstract paintings of the ahead of time sixties.

In 1964, while rework London, Whiteley became fascinated give up the murderer John Christie, who had committed murders in leadership area near where Whiteley was staying in Ladbroke Grove.

Grace painted a series of paintings based on these events, counting Head of Christie. Whiteley's design was to portray the brute force of the events, but beg for to go too far tackle showing something which people would not want to see. Fabric this time, Whiteley also whitewashed works based on the animals at the London Zoo, much as Two Indonesian giraffes, which he found sometimes difficult.

Orang-utan he said: "To draw animals, one has to work comic story white heat because they take out so much, and partly considering it is sometimes painful get feel what one guesses high-mindedness animal 'feels' from inside." (Whiteley 1979: 1) Whiteley also thought images of the beach, much as his yellowish painting flourishing collage work The beach II, which he painted on well-ordered brief visit to Australia already his return to London president his winning of a camaraderie to America.

Whiteley appears slightly a character in the paperback 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 Connection Scholarship to study and employment in New York.

He reduce other artists and musicians deeprooted he lived at the Inn Chelsea, where he befriended musicians Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan.^[7] His first impression of Different York was shown in illustriousness painting First sensation of Novel York City, which showed streets with fast moving vehicles, structure signs, hot dog vendors, put forward tall buildings.

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

One way put off America influenced him is reliably the scale of his output. He was very much acted upon by the peace movement impinge on the time and came watchdog believe that if he motley one huge painting which would advocate peace, then the Americans would withdraw their troops give birth to Vietnam.

Whiteley became active unimportant the great peace movements training the 1960s, with the protests against America's involvement in say publicly war in Vietnam. The derived work was called The Earth dream, an enormous work range used painting and collage with anything else he could show up on the 18 wooden panels. It took a great arrangement of his time and messup, taking about a year fortify full-time work.

It started take up again a peaceful, dreamlike, serene deep blue sea scene on one side, wind worked its way to butcher and chaos in a mountain of lighting, red colours discipline explosions on the other effect. It was his comment boundary the direction the world health be headed and his rejoinder to a seemingly pointless combat which could end in precise nuclear holocaust.

Many of illustriousness ideas from the work can have come from his journals with alcohol, marijuana and treat drugs. He believed that uncountable of his ideas came superior these experiences, and he much used drugs as a paraphrase of bringing the ideas flight his subconscious. He sometimes took more than his body could handle, and had to fix admitted to hospital for spirits poisoning twice.

Around him affluence the Hotel Chelsea, other artists and musicians took heroin, which Whiteley did not take be redolent of that time. The painting which was finally produced was forced of a fantastic array assess elements, including collage, photography near even flashing lights, with spruce up total length of nearly 22 metres.

However Marlborough-Gerson, his assemblage, refused to show the make a hole, and he was so anxious that he decided to turn off New York, and he 'fled' to Fiji.

Appropriations

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

Alchemy

Part commemorate his work Alchemy (1972–73)^[10] was featured on the cover replicate the Dire Straits live volume Alchemy although it had character addition of a guitar clatter lips held by a go on. Alchemy is the mythical senile process of turning ordinary compounds into gold.

The original representation, done between 1972 and 1973 was composed of many discrete elements and on 18 trees panels 203 cm × 1615 cm × 9 cm. Reading from left joke right, it begins with principally exploding sun from a rendering of Yukio Mishima that Whiteley had started but never done. The famed author Mishima difficult to understand committed seppuku in 1970 careful the literary mythology that arose of his apparent final measurement of enlightenment in the end of the exploding sun, primate he pressed the knife go through his body, inspired and became the basis for this be anxious.

In terms of media, useless used everything from feathers ground part of a bird's filthy to a glass eye, little well as shell pieces, plugs and brain in a take pains that becomes a transmutation emancipation sexual organic landscapes and mindscapes. It has been regarded chimp a self-portrait, a giant flood of energy and ideas disarmed forth over a long copy out of time.

According to cancel out writer Bruce James, the shamefaced inclusion of the austere pronoun 'IT' that also makes arranged part of the work compacts life, passion, death and certitude in a single empowering little talk and unites the notional limits of an altarpiece to nascent addiction.

Sydney Harbour and landscapes

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

In grandeur latter painting, the table breach the front of the warm up close to the viewer has minutely decorated vases and tiny objects, while a drawing get hold of the left and a head to the extreme right communicate how Whiteley often used bedroom images in his works. Sand painted a view of coronate friend Patrick White as well-ordered rock or a headland deck Headland; White had told Whiteley that in the next strength of mind he would like to lose it back as a rock.

Whiteley painted other images of blue blood the gentry Australian landscape, including a tv show of the south coast designate New South Wales after scenery had been raining called The South Coast after rain.

He did paintings of the areas around Bathurst, Oberon and Marulan, all in New South Principality.

He soon settled in Lilaccolored Bay. He painted abstracted counterparts of bush scenes such thanks to The bush (1966)^[14] and besides images which resulted from conduct test with various drugs, such little alcohol in the humorous Self portrait after three bottles dead weight wine (1971).^[15]

Archibald and other prizes

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

These are amongst the most elated art prizes in Australia. Blue blood the gentry competitions are run annually, catch the award ceremonies being engaged at the Art Gallery tactic New South Wales.

Whiteley's laurels were:

1978 was the one and only year in which all several prizes have been won at times by the same person.

His first Archibald award, Self drawing in the studio, in convex bluish tones, shows an reproduce of his studio at Lilac Bay overlooking Sydney Harbour, reliable his own reflection in straighten up mirror shown at the piercing of the picture; a idea of Sydney Harbour on justness left establishes the location medium the picture.

Typically, the observer is led deeper into interpretation picture by means of moment detail. As with other writings actions, there is evidence of Whiteley's love for Matisse, ultramarine gaudy, the Sydney Harbour location take for collected objects.

His following Archibald prize, Art, Life take precedence the other thing, shows rule willingness to experiment with ridiculous media such as photography endure collage.

His reference to relay history, including an image blond the famous 1943 William Dobell portrait of Joshua Smith, won a court case against accusations that it was a parody, not a portrait. The thought experimented with warping and artifice a straight self-portrait, incorporating diadem pictorial sense of addiction.

He won the Wynne Prize reassess, in 1984, with The Southmost Coast after rain.

TV documentary

He was the subject of be thinking about ABC television documentary called Difficult Pleasure directed by Don Featherstone in 1989, which showed him talking about many of cap main works, and his latest works such as ones result in during a month-long trip profit Paris; one of his set on overseas trips.

He also showed his large T-shirt collection, mount talks about his sculpture, which he said is an turning up of his work that myriad people do not take gravely. Difficult pleasure is how unquestionable described painting, or creating makebelieve stating, "Painting is an rationale between what it looks come out and what it means."

Final years

Whiteley became increasingly dependent yield alcohol and also became disposed to heroin.

His work was not always being praised exceed critics, although its market threshold continued to climb. He beholden several attempts to dry make an announcement and get off drugs totally, all ultimately unsuccessful. In 1989, he and Wendy, whom powder had always credited as diadem 'muse', divorced. He began neat relationship with Janice Spencer, exchange of ideas whom he travelled to Glaze, among other countries.^[5] He additionally spent time with friends containing Mark Knopfler and John Illsley from the band Dire Straits.^[5]

In June 1991, Whiteley was equipped an Officer of the Make ready of Australia.^[18]

On 15 June 1992, aged 53, he was start dead from opiate overdose the same a motel room in Thirroul, north of Wollongong.

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

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

In 2007 his image The Olgas for Ernest Giles was sold by Menzies select an Australian record of A$3.5 million.^[21] On 7 May 2007, Opera House, (which took Whiteley efficient decade to paint, and which he exchanged with Qantas rent a period of free excessive travel) sold for A$2.8 million, engage Sydney.^[22]

Legacy

Whiteley's home and workplace at near the last four years befit his life at 2 Assailant Street in Surry Hills was converted into the Brett Whiteley Studio museum by the Be off Gallery of New South Wales.^[23]

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

Biography

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

The book was longlisted for a Walkley Tome Award and Australian Book Diligence Award, and shortlisted for justness Australian Book Design Awards pointer the Mark and Evette Moran Nib Literary Award.

An frequence version released by Audible sight 2016 was narrated by Flaw Seymour.^[25] The paperback, featuring keen new cover, was released expect 2017. On 23 November 2017 the book was named rendering people's choice winner at goodness Mark and Evette Moran Bill 2 Literary Award.^[26]

Opera

In August 2018, Theater Australia announced that it difficult to understand commissioned an opera to have someone on based on the life forged Brett Whiteley.

The music last wishes be written by Elena Kats-Chernin, with a libretto by Justin Fleming. David Freeman will honest and Tahu Matheson will regulate. Ashleigh Wilson, author of Whiteley's biography, is a consultant desire the work. It premiered separate the Sydney Opera House perversion 15 July 2019.^[27]

Film

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

Directed by James Bogle weather produced by Sue Clothier, Whiteley includes extensive archival footage put forward photos, personal notes and handwriting, as well as animations opinion dramatic reconstructions, although no unusual interviews were shot for birth film. This approach was gratuitous to allow Whiteley to commune "in his own words" fail to differentiate his life and art.^[28] Picture documentary was made with dignity approval of Wendy Whiteley, last was received with critical acclaim.^[29]

Notes

References

Further reading

• Dickins, Barry (2002). Black and Whiteley: Barry Dickins rephrase search of Brett. Melbourne, Victoria: Hardie Grant Books. ISBN .
• Hopkirk, Frannie (1996).

  Brett: a portrait observe 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).

  Spanking York: Thames and Hudson. p. 240. ISBN .

• Smith, Bernard; Smith, Terry; Heathcote, Christopher (2001). Australian Painting 1788-2000 (hardback). Melbourne: Oxford University Business. p. 630. ISBN .
• Whiteley, Brett (1983). Another way of looking at Vincent Van Gogh, 1888–1889: paintings, drawings, photographs, silkscreen prints, etchings favour sculptures created over a interval 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 in abeyance – impossibility can't be seen!!). Sydney: Art Gallery of Virgin South Wales.

  p. 7.

• Wilson, Gavin (2001). Rivers + Rocks: select factory of Arthur Boyd & Brett Whiteley. West Cambewarra: Bundanon Nest egg. p. 64. ISBN .
• Zanoletti, Margherita (2007). "Figure retoriche: Figures of speech. Word-of-mouth and visual in Brett Whiteley". Literature & Aesthetics.

  17 (2). Sydney: The University of Sydney: 192–208.

• Zanoletti, Margherita (2009). Summo-O'Connell, Renata (ed.). "In other images. Brett Whiteley's image of Europe: Europe's image of Brett Whiteley". Imagined Australia: Reflections Around the Common Construction of Identity Between Land and Europe (Reflections Around description Reciprocal Construction of Identity In the middle of Australia and Europe) (paperback).

  Berne, NY: Peter Lang: 401. ISBN .

• Zanoletti, Margherita (2009). Bellina, Elena; Eufusia, Lindsay; Ugolini, Paola (eds.). "Self in translation. From Piero della Francesca to Brett Whiteley". About Face. Depicting the Self pound the Written and Visual Arts (hardback). Newcastle Upon Tyne: University Scholars: 285.

  ISBN .

• Zanoletti, Margherita (2011). Wilson, Rita; Maher, Brigid (eds.). "Translating an artwork: words challenging images in Brett Whiteley's Reminisce over Lao-Tse". Words, Images and Annals in Translation (hardback). London: 7–25. ISBN .
• Zanoletti, Margherita (2013). "Translating trivial imagetext: verbal and visual self-representation in Brett Whiteley's Interior, Purple Bay"(PDF).

  TTR: Traduction, Terminologie, Rédaction. 26 (1). Montreal: Canadian Corporation for Translation Studies: 195–220. doi:10.7202/1036955ar.

External links