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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Scottish-born artist Ian Fairweather (1891-1974) is a giant amongst Australian painters and is revered by fellow artists. Shaped by European modernism - post-impressionism and cubism - Fairweather was a recluse drawn to Asia. He lived in Shanghai and Peking in the 1930s, and along with his study of Chinese writing, developed a highly individual, distinctive linear style. His paintings are like no others. To Robert Hughes, he was 'a deeply spiritual artist' and 'one of the very few modern artists to make a convincing bridge between Eastern calligraphic traditions and Western drawings'.
'Fairweather's life was as unusual as his art. It was a solitary life of hardship and adventure, Murray Bail finally devoted to art. He lived for twenty years in a hut on Bribie Island, Queensland, allowing his life to wander through his work. This is the fascinating story of a man who cared nothing for comfort or material possessions, living a hand to mouth existence. Unable to afford good quality materials, Fairweather often painted on cardboard with Dulux paint from the hardware shop.
'Fairweather is an entirely new study on this acclaimed artist. Murray Bail has unearthed newly discovered writings and letters, paintings and rare photographs, and has expanded and revised his views on the artist. With 233 reproductions, most in colour, many of paintings and drawings never seen in public, Fairweather is the definitive account of the life and art of this great painter.' (Publisher's blurb, 2009 Murdoch Books edition)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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'Matisse Is Jammed with Confidence' : Painting and Creative Inspiration in the Early Writings of Murray Bail
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Westerly , July vol. 56 no. 1 2011; (p. 198-215) Argues that the early writings of Murray Bail marked a radical break with the Australian realist tradition. -
The Long Hand of Murray Bail : Travel and Writing
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Journeying and Journalling : Creative and Critical Meditations on Travel Writing 2010; (p. 25-36) 'In this paper Paul Sharrad suggests that Murray Bail 'could not have produced most of his work without journeying abroad, and that his book of travel observations, Longhand, offers insights into one particular kind of 'journeying' as well as his reliance on material picked up along his journeying out from and back to Australia. While he began serious writing around the age of 19 in his native South Australia, and composed some other stories during his years in Melbourne working in advertising, Bail did not really get going as a published writer until he had been overseas for several years, first in India and then England and Europe. His jottings in Longhand: a Writer's Notebook, show on the one hand, how his sense of being a writer affects his recording of the travel experience, and secondly, how much his travels have had an impact on his fiction.'' (25-26)
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Reviews : Print
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: Artlines , June - August no. 2 2009; (p. 42)
— Review of Ian Fairweather 1981 single work biography -
Ian Fairweather and Abstraction
2009
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Best Australian Essays 2009 2009; (p. 280-285) -
Points of Departure
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 1-2 August 2009; (p. 8-9)
— Review of Fred Williams 1927-1982 1980 single work biography ; Ian Fairweather 1981 single work biography
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Novelist's Portrait of Surreal Outsider
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 21-22 March 2009; (p. 32)
— Review of Ian Fairweather 1981 single work biography -
Fairweather: The Art of Memory
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 28 March 2009; (p. 17)
— Review of Ian Fairweather 1981 single work biography -
Wayfarer Welcomed Back
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 10-11 April 2009; (p. 27)
— Review of Ian Fairweather 1981 single work biography -
Portrait of a Hermit Artist
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 19 April 2009; (p. 13)
— Review of Ian Fairweather 1981 single work biography -
An Art Lover's Artist
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: Quadrant , May vol. 53 no. 5 2009; (p. 42-44)
— Review of Ian Fairweather 1981 single work biography -
Out of Place
2009
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian Magazine , 21-22 February 2009; (p. 12-13, 15-17) -
Untitled
2009
single work
correspondence
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian Magazine , 7-8 March 2009; (p. 6) -
Ian Fairweather and Abstraction
2009
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Best Australian Essays 2009 2009; (p. 280-285) -
'Matisse Is Jammed with Confidence' : Painting and Creative Inspiration in the Early Writings of Murray Bail
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Westerly , July vol. 56 no. 1 2011; (p. 198-215) Argues that the early writings of Murray Bail marked a radical break with the Australian realist tradition. -
The Long Hand of Murray Bail : Travel and Writing
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Journeying and Journalling : Creative and Critical Meditations on Travel Writing 2010; (p. 25-36) 'In this paper Paul Sharrad suggests that Murray Bail 'could not have produced most of his work without journeying abroad, and that his book of travel observations, Longhand, offers insights into one particular kind of 'journeying' as well as his reliance on material picked up along his journeying out from and back to Australia. While he began serious writing around the age of 19 in his native South Australia, and composed some other stories during his years in Melbourne working in advertising, Bail did not really get going as a published writer until he had been overseas for several years, first in India and then England and Europe. His jottings in Longhand: a Writer's Notebook, show on the one hand, how his sense of being a writer affects his recording of the travel experience, and secondly, how much his travels have had an impact on his fiction.'' (25-26)