Sam Fullbrook: Racing Colours

Sam Fullbrook — racing colours is one of a series of major retrospective exhibitions devoted to the work of Australia’s senior artists, a series that has included Albert Tucker, John Perceval, John Olsen, Charles Blackman and Arthur Boud. Its modest size and quieter mood reflect the artist’s preference for intimate rather than grand statements.

Fullbrook’s links with the National Gallery of Victoria and its collections date back to the post-war years (1946–48) when he was a student at the National Gallery Art School. It was at this institution, at its original Swanston Street site, that he received his thorough professional training while at the same time developing his singular blend of artistic conservatism and social radicalism.

Since those formative years in Melbourne Fullbrook has chosen to live for the most part in isolation from society in the outback areas of north-western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. The uniqueness of his work stems from the intense association with the Australian landscape, his accurate and sensitive eye engaging with authentic regional experience to reveal its fugitive yet enduring beauty and indiosyncrasies. Above and beyond this, however, he has painted tonal pictures in colour, translating the lessons of the old masters into an Australian context.

Sourced from: Sam Fullbrook – racing colours, National Gallery of Victoria, 1995