Omega Knight/Encyclopaedia of the Horse 2004

MICHAEL ZAVROS born 1974

Omega Knight/Encyclopaedia of the Horse 2004

oil on canvas
180.0 x 150.0 cm
signed with initials and dated lower right: MZ '04

Provenance:
Art Galleries Schubert, Queensland (label attached verso)
Private collection, Queensland

Exhibited:
Michael Zavros: Blue Blood, Art Galleries Schubert, Queensland, October 2004

Estimate: $40000 - 60000

Result Hammer: $40000

Michael Zavros's work exudes an unshakable tranquillity of objects certain of their own beauty. His work is not based on the pursuit of hyperrealism (although his impeccable skill can hardly be denied) but on the finish, the perfect lighting, the pursuit to bottle beauty and to encapsulate desire; no note of imperfection may enter.(1)

Zavros has always loved art and horses, having grown up on a property in the Gold Coast hinterland. Zavros recalls:

Mum and Dad came home with a Shetland pony for my sister and [me] when I was about five, and it became all-consuming … I also love to draw and my parents found me lessons early on, so the love for horses and art was definitely encouraged.(2)

Zavros became invested in horseriding, joining state teams for both showjumping and eventing. As a teenager, he found a job at the Gold Coast Turf Club where he came to be Clerk of the Course and officially assisted the judges with various tasks: ‘I often had to assist when horses were euthanised; sometimes I even had to hold the horse, and it really moved me, these sublimely beautiful, strong, creatures, just going down.’(3)

The present work Omega Knight/Encyclopaedia of the Horse 2004 formed part of Zavros’s acclaimed Blue Blood exhibition at Art Galleries Schubert in 2004. This exhibition was centred around the kinetic representations of horses, portraying them in various dynamic states, such as descending from the sky, jumping into the abyss, rearing, and striding forward in an unapologetic fashion. In the present work, a near jet-black horse in peak physical condition floats across a crisp white background, its footfall suggesting it is moving at a gallop. Zavros’s eye for detail and visual economy is remarkable; through a few strategically placed highlights, the horse is imbued with a sense of vitality, rendering every muscle and tendon poised to burst from the canvas.

Omega Knight/Encyclopaedia of the Horse is testament to Zavros’s exceptional talent, and the combination of two lifelong passions for the artist. In turn, Zavros’s equine paintings have become some of his most sought-after works to date.

Footnotes;

1. Smee, S., ‘Brittle Beauty,’ The Weekend Australian, Australia, 24-25 March 2007, p.18
2. Baker, C., ‘Artist Michael Zavros and the Power of the Worst-case Scenario’, The Sydney Morning Herald [Good Weekend], Sydney, 7 October 2016
3. Ibid.

 Clementine Retallack

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