5 September – 21 September 2024
about the exhibition
Renowned Australian artist Thornton Walker is known for his alluring paintings, drawings and prints which convey a profound spiritual depth. In this exhibition his meditative paintings are drawn from both landscapes and still life arrangements, with Thornton pushing them beyond studies in realism, allowing them to evolve into complex and nuanced compositions. Despite this diversity of subject matter and technique, Thornton’s interest in the dynamics of arrangement, perspective and spatial depth remains constant. Choosing to embrace the unpredictability of fluid mediums and dreamlike scenes, the artist responds to the evolving imagery in his work, intuitively refining his delicate and mysterious compositions. As Thornton says, “…The finished imaginary landscapes often bear little resemblance to any of my initial ideas, often alluding to dreams or fleeting memories of places seen on my travels. As a contrast, the still lifes are arranged in formal compositions, rather than naturalistic settings… Each object’s placement in relationship to each other forms a sculptural whole.” Demonstrating a masterful and sensitive handling of surfaces, Thornton’s works enchant us with their combination of unique material and spiritual qualities. In the book on Thornton Walker’s artistic practice, Professor Sasha Grishin AM observes “It is the play between known and the unknown, order and anarchy, the conscious mind and chance and accident, which occur in the process of his work that are some of the most precious qualities in Thornton Walker’s art.” As ever, his impressive and powerful compositions allow the viewers to immerse themselves in his ethereal imagery.
Thornton Walker studied printmaking at the Prahran College of Advanced Education and Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. After graduating in 1977, he travelled for eight years throughout Europe and the United States and later undertook studio residencies in Spain and Malaysia. With over sixty solo exhibitions to his name, he is now recognised as one of Australia’s leading figurative tonal painters. His work is represented in collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, QUT Art Museum, Parliament House, British Museum and the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art (Japan).
