From Library Journal
Outside of Australia, Sidney Nolan (1917-92) is mostly known for his depictions of Ned Kelly and other Australian icons of "heroic failure"; while those paintings are among his most exciting and important, his work is much broader in content. Rosenthal (The Art of Jack B. Yeats) offers the first survey of Nolan's work since his death, significantly expanding on Jane Clark's Sidney Nolan: Landscapes & Legends, a catalog of a retrospective held in 1987 at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. Primarily self-taught, Nolan painted Australia's beaches and deserts, its people and myths, as well as creating intense images of a sensual Leda and the Swan and lush details of flowers (some of which grouped together formed the base of his massive, abstract tryptych, "Oceania"). His paintings are brash, colorful, and often surreal. Rosenthal chooses to tour this iconoclast's work thematically, effectively organizing and exploring the artist's output (including sections on his illustration, sculpture, and theater work) while introducing some regional stories to readers unfamiliar with Australiana. Throughout, high-quality reproductions (primarily in color) are well integrated with the text. This is a most welcome look at this compelling 20th-century artist; recommended for large public and academic collections. Rebecca Miller, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
The Art Book, January 2003
A substantial, lavishly illustrated and handsomely produced monograph supplying a mainly thematic treatment of Nolan's long career as a painter.
