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Howard TAYLOR
Australia 1918–2001
 Installation view Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art 2002 Queensland Art Gallery Photograph: Matthew Kassay |
 Howard Taylor in his Northcliffe studio, 1994 Photograph: Richard Woldendorp |
The late Howard Taylor was one of Australia’s leading modernist painters. He trained in England after World War Two and based his practice in Western Australia, first in Perth and then in the remote forests in the south-western corner of the state. Taylor was remarkably well versed in modern painting but he eventually became independent of it, turning the international style to his own local and personal uses. His practice was characterised by its grounding in nature and by the constant search for perfection. Taylor’s work offers a sense of the beauty of a particular Australian landscape, expressed in refined and simple forms.
More information about the artist
 Howard Taylor Object on the ground 1989 Oil on canvas 90.7 x 120.2cm Collection: Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth Courtesy: Galerie Düsseldorf, Perth Photograph: John Austin |
 Howard Taylor Space screen 1984 Oil on plywood panel 121.7 x 179.5 x 19.3cm BankWest Collection Photograph: Matthew Kassay |
For over 30 years, Taylor worked from a studio within the heart of the karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor) forests of Western Australia. This region possesses a unique and ancient natural heritage and has remained one of the purest in the world. Taylor’s practice was based on an incredibly close examination of the forest, and of the effect of light as it filtered through the giant trees. Taylor was obsessed with the refraction of light through trees and foliage, and with the ways in which light transforms, penetrates, bounces off, reflects from, and is absorbed by surfaces. He recorded his observations in drawings, later turning them into monumental sculptural recreations or distilling their essence into reductive, abstract paintings.
 Howard Taylor Light source reverse 1994 Synthetic polymer and oil on plywood 209 x 209 x 9cm Acquired with funds from the Sir Claude Hotchin Bequest Fund, 1995 Collection: Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth Courtesy: Galerie Düsseldorf, Perth Photograph: John Austin |
 Howard Taylor Sun figure 1989 Oil on canvas 90 x 120cm Collection: Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide Courtesy: Galerie Düsseldorf, Perth Photograph: John Austin |
 Howard Taylor Light figure 1992 Synthetic polymer paint on plywood Triptych: 119.7 x 269.5cm (overall) Acquired with funds from the Sir Claude Hotchin Bequest Fund, 1993 Collection: Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth Courtesy: Galerie Düsseldorf, Perth Photograph: John Austin |
Paintings such as Sun figure 1989, Light figure 1992 and Light source reverse 1994 were made using an extended preparatory process that involved the careful layering of pigments and the precise shaping of the materials onto which they were painted. These lyrical, refined works demonstrate the restrained, almost neutral, monochrome palette that is Taylor’s signature style, and recall the experience of looking directly into the sun.
List of works in APT 2002
Artists and Works
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