September tablet
1961
Medium
synthetic polymer paint and polyvinyl acetate on plywood
Measurements
106.7 × 76.0 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
The Joseph Brown Collection. Presented through the NGV Foundation by Dr Joseph Brown AO OBE, Honorary Life Benefactor, 2004
© Estate of Peter Upward
Gallery location
Gallery 20
Level 3, NGV Australia
About this work
September tablet was painted when Peter Upward was living in an old building in Victoria Street, Potts Point. Situated near Kings Cross, this area was a hub for Sydney’s avant-garde artists of the period, including John Olsen, Stan Rapotec and Clement Meadmore. Working on the floor and painting with broom-size brushes, Upward experimented with enamels and acrylic paints. September tablet is part of a group of gestural calligraphic works executed using a restricted colour palette that Upward produced in the early 1960s, and exemplifies the artist’s fascination with Zen Buddhism and Eastern calligraphy.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Potts Point, Sydney, New South Wales
Inscription
inscribed (vertically) on left side l.c.l.: Upward '61
inscribed in black fibre-tipped pen on reverse u.c.: ' "SEPTEMBER TABLET' '
Accession Number
2004.228
Department
Australian Painting
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation
Subjects (general)
Nonrepresentational Art
Subjects (specific)
colours (hues or tints) dark (colour attribute) dates (spans of time) light (colour attribute) lines (artistic concept) months