The gatekeeper's wife

The gatekeeper's wife

(1965) Double Bay, Sydney

oil on canvas

101.6 x 127.0 cm

inscribed in red/brown paint l.r.: Russell Drysdale

Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth

Purchased, 1965

In June 1964 Drysdale travelled with his second wife Maisie, whom he had married earlier in the year, by Land Rover to northern Queensland. He returned to Sydney with new ideas for an exhibition scheduled for the following year in London, again at the Leicester Galleries. In May 1965, Drysdale was working hard the pressure to paint approximately twenty works for the London exhibition was a daunting task.

Drysdale made several preliminary drawings for The gatekeeper's wife, omitting the young girl and showing the gates completely closed, before resolving the compositional elements to his satisfaction. By altering these features in the final canvas, Drysdale achieved a more inviting image, whereby the viewer is welcomed into the township. Complete with red slippers and apron, the woman is comparable to Maria but is less stoic in her appearance, and the frilly apron, diminutive on her large waist, adds a touch of humour.

When Drysdale's London exhibition opened in September 1965, eleven of the twenty-four paintings had already been sold and were lent by their owners. Among these was The gatekeeper's wife, purchased by the Art Gallery of Western Australia from the artist's studio in Double Bay.