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112 — Jimmy Angunguna (born circa 1935) Wangarra Spirits, 2002 height: 138.0cm (54 5/16in). and 190.0cm (74 13/16in).

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118 — Roger Kemp (1908-1987) Sequence Fifteen, 1972

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119 — Leonard French (1928-2017) Before the Fire, 1974-78

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120 — Sidney Nolan (1917-1992) Beach, 1939

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122 — Sidney Nolan (1917-1992) Landscape with River, 1942

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Lot 193

Sidney Nolan
(1917-1992)
Explorer Antarctica, 1964

Sir Sidney Nolan: Works from the Estate of Lady Nolan, Part II

26 June 2019, 19:00 AEST

Sydney, Woollahra

Sold for AU$112,240 inc. premium

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Sidney Nolan (1917-1992)

Explorer Antarctica, 1964
signed and dated lower centre: '16 Sept / 1964 / Nolan'; signed, inscribed and dated verso: 'Antarctica / 16 Sept 1964 / Nolan / Fergie / Photo / 1964 / NFS'
oil on composition board
122.0 x 122.0cm (48 1/16 x 48 1/16in).

Footnotes

PROVENANCE
Sir Sidney Nolan, United Kingdom, until 1992
Lady Nolan, United Kingdom, until 2016
The Estate of Lady Nolan, United Kingdom

RELATED WORKS:
Explorer, September 1964, oil on composition board, 121.9 x 121.9cm (NGA 2017.227); and Explorer, 18 September 1964, oil on composition board, 121.9 x 121.9cm (NGA 2017.231), both in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 2017 from the estate of Lady Nolan

While painting the Antarctic explorers Nolan was reading The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry Garrard, a member of Scott's disastrous last expedition, who was left shocked by his experiences. Nolan's paintings of the Antarctic explorers delve into the physical and psychological struggles they endured.

In this work the bowed head, saint-like with a halo of ice, is reminiscent of John Charles Dollman's popular painting, A Very Gallant Gentleman, 1913, that depicts the stooped figure of Captain Oates as he walked heroically from Scott's tent. Nolan, however, was rarely literal in depicting his legends nor limited himself to single sources of inspiration and here we also see the influence of Coleridge's epic poem 'The Ryme of the Ancient Mariner' which recounts the story of a sailor surviving a voyage in Antarctic waters.

For other important works from this series see lots 113, 125 and 156.

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