We acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the Country on which the Art Gallery of NSW stands.

Title

The butcher's table # 5

2007

Artist

Tim McMonagle

Australia, New Zealand

1971 –

  • Details

    Date
    2007
    Media category
    Painting
    Materials used
    oil on linen
    Dimensions
    84.0 x 83.1 cm stretcher; 85.6 x 85.7 x 5.0 cm frame
    Signature & date

    Signed and dated l.l. verso on frame, black fibre-tipped pen "Tim McMonagle ... 2007".

    Credit
    Anonymous gift 2018. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
    Location
    Not on display
    Accession number
    565.2018
    Copyright
    © Tim McMonagle

    Reproduction requests

    Artist information
    Tim McMonagle

    Works in the collection

    3

    Share
  • About

    A significant aspect of Tim McMonagle's practice is that he paints directly onto linen - specifically a square stretcher. In sidestepping preliminary sketching McMonagle opens up opportunities for chance and experimentation, but also failure and starting over. In his own words: 'A lot of people have a complete idea of what the painting will be before they begin it...I don't, I let it grow on the canvas' [1].

    His subject matter is inspired not by life, but from memory, imagination and source material such as photographs. The resulting images are painterly - sketchy, impastoed, stained and dripped - and dream-like in quality, depicting people, places, and situations that, in tangent with their materiality, are visual prompts for us to engage with the subject matter.

    1. McMonagle quoted in Chris Beck, 'Accidental artist', The Age, 10th September 2005, p 7

Other works by Tim McMonagle