You Yangs landscape
(1965)
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
137.4 × 152.8 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased with the assistance of the Visual Arts Board, Australia Council, 1977
© Estate of Fred Williams
Gallery location
Gallery 12
Level 2, NGV Australia
About this work
In 1962 Fred Williams began a series of paintings, gouaches and prints of the You Yangs mountain range near Geelong. Made over a four-year period, the You Yangs series was a breakthrough that presents the crystallisation of Williams’ mature vision and marks the first appearance of his signature pictorial language. Unlike the representation of landscape in the European tradition, Williams’ landscapes do not have a clear focal point. Each image is an investigation of the formal elements of picture-making itself, in which the artist uses gestural daubs of paint and calligraphic marks to create a unique sense of perspective and space.
Artwork Details
Inscription
inscribed in brown paint l.c.: Fred Williams
Accession Number
A21-1977
Department
Australian Painting
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation
Subjects (general)
Abstract Art Landscapes
Subjects (specific)
Australia (nation) brown (colour) brush strokes distant views Victoria (state) You Yangs, The (mountain)