Colour in Art - Revisiting 1919 | The College of Fine Arts
Media Releases
Colour in Art - Revisiting 1919
Article released: Tuesday, 17 June, 2008
A pivotal moment from Australian Modernism’s radical past. In a society so enmeshed in the
cult of the new, taking the time to look back is a bold move. Colour in Art - Revisiting 1919 is a rare chance to
re-examine experimental paintings by Roy de Maistre and Roland Wakelin which visualise the
intangible beauty of music.
De Maistre and Wakelin were key players in Australia’s early artistic avant-garde. In
1919, they held Colour in Art, which showcased paintings based on de
Maistre’s colour-music theory: a means of colour harmonisation based on a correlation between the
colours of the spectrum and notes of the musical scale. It was a landmark exhibition in Australian
Modernism.
While artists in Europe were formulating similar theories, neither Wakelin or de Maistre had
travelled overseas. Colour in Art – Revisiting 1919, curated by Nick Waterlow
and Annabel Pegus, pays tribute to these authentic Australian innovators.
Colour in Art - Revisiting 1919 is presented in
conjunction with Modern Times at the Powerhouse Museum and will tour to the
Heide Museum of Modern Art and the State Library of Queensland in 2009.
When: 22 August - 27 September 2008
Where: Ivan Dougherty Gallery, COFA
FREE Public Symposium: Keynote speaker Daniel Thomas, one of Australia’s most
respected art world figures, historians and artists discuss issues surrounding the exhibition.
When: August 23, 2008. 10:30am-4pm.
Contact: ph 9385 0726; email idg@unsw.edu.au