FRED WILLIAMS - Artist

FRED WILLIAMS - Artist

At the moment there is an exhibition of Fred Williams paintings on at the National Gallery of Australia. It is amazing - I am a great fan of his. He and John Olsen are my favourite Australian artists and their style is similar. Williams died in 1982 aged only 55 but had had a lifetime of successful painting and his work is even more successful now.

It is William's landscapes that appeal to me. Williams simplifies his landscapes in an impressionist way. They are quite abstract with trees and shrubs just dots or dashes - yet we know exactly what they are. His 1979 landscapes at the Hamersley Ranges are typical of those I like.

He often does several images on the one canvas horizontally in thin strips - I think these are the ones I like best. he repeats the study with slight changes to colour and composition. He did a series of 'Bathers at Queenscliff' in 1971. He used subtle tome but the colour is beautiful.

His series called Weipa were in 1977. It was inspired when he flew low over northern Queensland. These depict the red colours of the Australian outback.

References:

http://www.evabreuerartdealer.com.au/artists/fred-williams/fred-williams-1927-1982

Fred Williams 'Infinite Horizons' National Gallery of Australia.

http://www.artwhatson.com.au/nga/infinite-horizons/beachscape-with-bathers-queenscliff-iv