I applied my mind
1982
Medium
synthetic polymer paint on canvas
Measurements
195.2 × 180.7 cm irreg.
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Loti & Victor Smorgon Fund, 2012
© Colin McCahon Research and Publication Trust
Gallery location
Level 3, NGV International
About this work
Colin McCahon’s work was strongly influenced by the dramatic landscape of Aotearoa New Zealand, the enduring presence of Māori culture, and his lifelong search for spiritual understanding. I applied my mind draws on Biblical passages from Ecclesiastes and belongs to a series in which McCahon confronted a profound crisis of faith towards the end of his life. Rendered in his familiar white text against a dark ground, the painting becomes a troubled, elegiac reflection on doubt and spiritual exhaustion.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Auckland, New Zealand
Inscription
inscribed (vertically) in white paint l.r.: C. McM. April - May 1982
Accession Number
2012.20
Department
International Painting
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Dame Carol Colburn-Grigor CBE through Metal Manufactures Limited
Subjects (general)
Literary and Text Religion and Mythology
Subjects (specific)
Bible, Old Testament (Biblical books, sacred texts) black-and-white (colours) justice (philosophical concept) mortality text (layout feature) words (layout features)
Physical description
unstretched canvas