Stockman, 1950

Sidney Nolan, Stockman, 1950, oil on paper, 25.1 x 20.3 cm, © Sidney Nolan Trust

Bridget McDonnell, Bridget McDonnell Gallery: Fine Australian Paintings, Drawings and Prints, Carlton, Victoria

“This is a delightful small work on paper I sold in 1989. It depicts an Australian Stockman, during a drought. Sidney Nolan had been travelling around Australia with Cynthia and produced a series of ‘Outback’ paintings. Cynthia wrote a book also titled ‘Outback’ detailing these travels.

The paintings were shown at David Jones Gallery in Sydney. There were 40 small works on paper, a bit like postcards, that were also shown, additional to the terrific large paintings of the main exhibition. This was one. Another I had was of a boat on the very blue water in Broome. They were terrific little paintings. All about the same size, 10 x 8 inches. Dry oil on paper.

Whenever anyone would come into my gallery and say they didn’t like Sidney Nolan’s paintings, I would show them this image in my catalogue and they would all say: ”Oh but I like that one!”.”