Elwyn Lynn
1917 – 1997
Elwyn Lynn
Bethungra Bushfire 1993
mixed media on paper on canvas 110.5×150.5cm
Elwyn Lynn occupied a remarkable position in Australian art of the second half of the 20thC.
In 1958, Lynn visited Europe, where the walls and buildings of many major cities still bore the scars of the dreadful destruction of the Second World War. He also attended the Venice Biennale, where he saw the works of the emerging matter painters, including Antoni Tapies, who were being exhibited in the Spanish Pavilion. These experiences exerted an indelible influence on Lynn. He felt that it was impossible, now, to create paintings that calmly tinkered with formal arrangements, or which confined themselves to beguiling but innocuous subject matter. Lynn turned to unconventional painting media and above all to expressive surfaces to construct metaphors for human suffering and endurance. Most of his work was essentially abstract, although a sense of the landscape is often evoked – a landscape disfigured, torn and corrugated by time and geomorphic stresses.
The later work of Lynn maintained his interest in damaged and shredding surfaces, and his frequent and adventurousness use of assemblage elements. These late works were also marked by an expressionist vehemence and a daring informality.
As well as his considerable achievements as a painter, Elwyn Lynn was also of central importance in Australian art as a writer, and art critic, President of the Contemporary Art Society (NSW Branch), Chair of the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council and for fourteen years, and Curator of the Power Gallery of Contemporary Art at the University of Sydney. His awards include the Wynne Prize for landscape painting in 1988, an Australia Council Emeritus Award in 1994, and a Membership of the Order of Australia in 1975. In 1991, the Art Gallery of New South Wales mounted a comprehensive Retrospective Exhibition of his work. “Elwyn Lynn: Metaphor and Texture”, a major study of his work, was published by Craftsman House in 2002.
Emeritus Professor Peter Pinson
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Elwyn Lynn
Black Rainbow & Black Paddock 1985
109×122cm mixed media on canvas
Exhibitions
Biography
- 1917
- Born Canowindra NSW
- 1938-41
- BA, Dip Ed, Sydney University and Sydney Teachers’ College
- Began Painting in the mid-forties. No formal art training
- 1942-68
- Taught in NSW High Schools, mainly English and History
- 1955-69
- Editor of CAS Broadsheet
- 1963
- Art critic, Sunday Mirror
- 1963-68
- President of the Contemporary Art Society of Australia (NSW Branch)
- 1964-65
- Art critic, The Australian
- 1966-73
- Art critic, The Bulletin
- 1966-78
- Associate Editor of Quadrant. Editor from Jan 78 – Aug 1981
- 1969
- Art critic, The Nation
- 1969-83
- Curator of Power Gallery of Contemporary Art, Power Institute of Fine Arts
- 1973 1975 1977
- Australian Correspondent, Manifestation Biennale et Internationale
- des Jeunes Artistes, Paris
- 1975-81
- Advisor to Ljublijana Print Biennale, Yugoslavia
- 1975
- Awarded Membership of the Order of Australia
- 1976-80
- Chairman of the Visual Arts Board
- 1977
- Prepared script for ABC film “Sidney Nolan at Sixty”, directed by Brian Adams, commentary by Lord (Kenneth) Clark
- 1977
- Mid career retrospective exhibition of 50 works, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Sydney
- 1989
- Honorary Doctor of Letters, University of Sydney
- 1983-95
- Art critic, The Weekend Australian
- 1993
- Elwyn Lynn Conference Room (Selected paintings exhibited) ,College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales
- 1994
- Emeritus Award, Australia Council
- 1997
- Died in Sydney (January)
Solo Exhibitions
- 2009
- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
- 2007
- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
- Milk Factory Gallery, Bowral
- Charles Nodrum Gallery, Melbourne
- 2004
- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
- 2003
- The Nolan Gallery, Canberra, Survey exhibition, works 1969 – 1996
- 2002
- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
- 2001
- Charles Nodrum Gallery, Melbourne
- Gallery 20/21, Auckland, New Zealand
- 2000
- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
- 1998
- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
- 1998
- Charles Nodrum Gallery, Melbourne
- 1996
- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
- 1994
- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
- 1991
- Art Gallery of New South Wales. Retrospective
- 1990
- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
- 1989
- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
- 1988
- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
- 1987
- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
- Gerstman Abdallah Fine Arts International, Melbourne
- 1986
- Gerstman Abdallah Fine Arts International, Melbourne
- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
- 1985
- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
- Quintin Gallery, Perth
- Gerstman Abdallah Fine Arts International, Melbourne
- 1984
- Stuart Gerstman Gallery, Melbourne
- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
- 1983
- Niagara Galleries, Melbourne
- 1982
- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
- 1981
- Von Bertouch Gallery, Newcastle
- 1978
- Coventry Gallery, Sydney
- 1977
- Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Sydney
- 1975
- Bonython Gallery, Sydney
- 1974
- Dramalan College, Canberra
- South Yarra Gallery, Melbourne
- 1973
- Bonython Art Gallery, Sydney
- 1972
- South Yarra Galleries, Melbourne
- Reid Gallery, Brisbane
- 1971
- Bonython Art Gallery, Sydney
- 1970
- South Yarra Galleries, Melbourne
- 1969
- Von Bertouch Gallery, Newcastle
- Bonython Galleries, Sydney
- 1967
- Hungary Horse Gallery, Sydney
- Skinner Gallery, Perth
- C.A.S., Adelaide
- 1966
- Von Bertouch Gallery, Newcastle
- 1963
- Museum of Modern Art Melbourne
- Terry Clune Gallery, Sydney
- Von Bertouch Gallery, Newcastle
- 1959
- Macquarie Galleries, Sydney
- Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne
- 1958
- Macquarie Galleries, Sydney
- Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne
- Johnstone Gallery, Brisbane
Since 1958, Elwyn Lynn has had 50 solo exhibitions in Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Cologne, Germany and New Zealand including the 1991 Retrospective 1956 – 1990 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Wagga City Art Gallery and Bathurst City Art Gallery.
Since 1947 Elwyn Lynn has participated in over 150 group exhibitions in Australia, New Zealand, England, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Indonesia, Warsaw, Poland and Cologne.
Awards
- 1992
- Awarded Atelier at Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris
- 1988
- Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of NSW
- 1987
- University of NSW Purchase Prize
- 1985
- Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of NSW
- 1983
- Trustees’ Watercolour Prize, Art Gallery of NSW
- 1980
- Trustees’ Watercolour Prize, Art Gallery of NSW
- 1976
- Festival of Fisher’s Ghost Prize, Cambelltown
- 1966
- Robin Hood Prize
- 1965
- RAS Modern Prize and Sidney Myer Charity Trust Prize
- 1964
- Rockdale and Wollongong Prizes
- 1963
- Muswellbrook, Wollongong and Young Prizes
- 1962
- Wagga Wagga and Campbelltown Prizes
- 1961
- Marrickville Prize
- 1957
- Blake Prize
- Bathurst Prize
- Mosman Prize
Collections
*Albury Regional Art Gallery *Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney *Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide *Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth *Araluen Art Centre Alice Springs *Artbank *Auckland Art Gallery New Zealand *Australian War Memorial, Canberra *Bathurst Regional Gallery *Bendigo Regional Gallery *BHP Collection, Melbourne *Brisbane College of Advanced Education *Edith Cowan University, Perth *Broken Hill City Art Gallery *Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga *COFA University of NSW, Sydney *Gold Coast City Art Gallery *Griffith University, Brisbane *Heidi Park & Art Gallery Melbourne *Maitland City Art Gallery *Monash University, Melbourne *Mosman Art Gallery *Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin *Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney *Muswellbrook Regional Art Gallery *National Bank of Australia Collections *National Gallery of Australia, Canberra *National Gallery of Malaysia *Newcastle Regional Art Gallery *Orange Regional Art Gallery *Penrith Regional Art Gallery *Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane *Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery, Launceston *Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery, Hobart *Wollongong City Gallery *University of Newcastle *University of NSW, Sydney *University of Western Australia, Perth
Nick Waterlow on Elwyn Lynn
Elwyn ‘Jack’ Lynn (1917-97) was born in Canowindra near Orange, studied at the University Of Sydney, and was self-taught as an artist. He was a schoolmaster in Sydney Secondary schools until 1968 became a prominent advocate of the art of his time through the Contemporary Art Society and as editor of its Broadsheet and was appointed Curator of the Power Gallery of Contemporary Art at Sydney University from 1969 to 1983, where he built up an international collection now within Sydney’s Museum Of Contemporary Art. Lynn was a prolific writer, as art critic at the Australian for many years, and as author of several books on artists including Sidney Nolan.
He first went overseas in 1958, and it was in the Spanish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale that he discovered an artist successfully creating ‘matter’ paintings that he had been attempting. Antoni Tapies in particular was a revelation, in his use of texture to build works that were iconic, timeless and redolent of Spain. Fellow Spaniards Rafael Canogar, Manuel Millers and Antonio Saura also impressed, as did the German texture artist such as Emil Schumacher and Bernard Schultz. Lynn discovered that PVA was the magic ingredient and took a whole can back to Australia. He was then able to develop his own version of the genre creating effects inspired by elements in the landscape of his native, often parched land.
Cloud Burst and Burnt Land and Australia are fine and typical examples of his practice. The former possibly emerges from the deeply etched memories of growing up in the bush where conditions veered from deluge to drought. The sense of the title is cleverly embraced in both the construction, choreography and colouring of the work. Lynn’s Australia has none of the hubris of Baz Luhman’s recent similarly titled manifestation, encapsulating instead a wry and understated national awareness, emblematic of the acute difficulties of imposing any bureaucratic system, postal or other, on a harsh untamed land.
Nick Waterlow OAM Director, Ivan Dougherty Gallery
Artist’s Website
