Tony McGillick
(Australia, England 22 Feb 1941–03 Nov 1992)
Jasper's gesture
- Location
- 20th & 21st c Australian art
- Further information
'Jasper's gesture' has an unusual and irregular polygon shape. Like other artists at this time, Tony McGillick was exploring the idea that the shape of a painting need not be confined to the 'neutral' convention of the square, rectangle, oval or circle, but could be a dynamic part of the composition.
McGillick also focused on colour and its interaction within the painting. The flat surfaces and synthetic colours contrast with the single white panel in painterly encaustic (pigment and wax). This work was painted in Sydney after McGillick returned from London via America in the early 1960s where he had seen the work of American colour-field painters. The title however is a tribute to American artist Jasper Johns, whose influence helped to formulate McGillick’s ideas and who often used encaustic.
- Year
- 1966
- Media
- Painting
- Medium
- synthetic polymer paint and wax on canvas, in four modular sections
- Dimensions
- 170.1 x 162.5cm overall (irreg.)
- Signature & date
- Signed u.l. verso, blue ball-point pen ".../ Tony McGillick". Not dated.
- Credit
- D G Wilson Bequest Fund 2003
- Accession number
- 257.2003
- Copyright
- © Reproduced with permission of the Artist's Estate
