The Little River

JOHN OLSEN born 1928

The Little River

watercolour and crayon on paper
99.0 x 121.0 cm
signed and inscribed lower left: John Olsen/ The little River

Provenance:
Private collection, Melbourne

Estimate: $48000 - 58000

The name John Olsen is synonymous with Australian abstract painting. His fascination with the Australian landscape and the native animals, birds and plants that inhabit it have influenced his body of work for over four decades.

Olsen’s exploration of Abstraction began in the 1950s, but it was in 1974 that he first immersed himself in the wonders of Lake Eyre, Central Australia and travelled extensively around the country to capture his own vision of the regional and desert topography. 

His distinctive point of view, moving away from the traditional fore, middle and background structure of landscape painting, represented the vast open spaces of Australia with a more transcendent aerial view. The intrinsic energy and vitality of the ecological systems became paramount, creating a unique perspective of interwoven terrains, meandering rivers, geographical quirks and leaping frogs as seen in The Little River. 

It seems as if the watercolour paint has taken on a life of its own as it forms sinews, streaks and shadows, but this sensibility is a key aspect of Olsen’s technical adeptness. The blues and greens of the sky and the river and its inhabitants, stand out against the warm, neutral tones of the surrounding environment. The sense of the frogs at play in their natural setting is unmistakable.

Anna Groden BA (Hons); MA (Art History)