Between the years 1957 and 1960 John Olsen was travelling and working in Europe. On his return to Australia he embarked on his inspirational ‘You beaut country’ series. Exuberant and colloquial, the series was marked by a re-visioning and reassessment of the Australian landscape. This painting of 1961 takes the viewer on an exploratory, painterly journey into a landscape of memory and imagination. The painted forms of this landscape include signs of plants, birds and animals against a thin, sky-coloured background. This is a landscape of discovery where observation rewards us with an abundance of bush life. Olsen involves us in the mystery, excitement and discovery of the bush.
Text © National Gallery of Victoria, Australia
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