Anne Montgomery Wall Decorations

This small but lovely work is an excellent example of Montgomery's joyfully experimental modernism. It is a sketch in oil on composition board. A table and jug are heavily outlined. The shape of a white seashell is superimposed, with a ghostly idea of it's internal spiral and speckled surface sketched in. The table surface is covered in sgraffito curls while heavy brush strokes build texture in the background. Montgomery's painting vibrates with lively observations of colour and texture. It was purchased from the artist's own studio (the address is penciled on the back) for a single owner collection, then passed down by descent. Anne Montgomery has for many years been one of the women artists Australia forgot. Not any more. Along with the likes of Clarice Beckett...

Anne Montgomery has been considered for many years one of the women artists Australia forgot. Not any more. Along with the likes of Clarice Beckett and Lina Bryans, her work is now recognised as an important part of Australian modernism. The breadth and quality of Montgomery's work over a long lifetime has always been appreciated by other artists. As Australian women artists in the mid Century period were relegated to the fringes of the establishment, they freely explored their own vision and developed their own style. Montgomery's work richly deserves the attention it's now receiving. This work shows Montgomery's unique perception and expression of colour in the Australian landscape. Her use of oil on board gives her work a robust structure but the inclusion of ink sketching in the work gives it a delicate texture. Her foliage and grasses tickle, her fabric floats, trees dance - her landscapes are in constant movement. This painting depicts a family camping under canvas amongst the Tea...