Duck a L'Orange - Print

Duck a L'Orange - PrintOne of the featured pieces in The Olsen's collection, the original artwork was produced by Olsen in 1981. John Olsen was first inspired by culinary culture when he travelled to Europe in the late fifties. In many subsequent works, he celebrates the joy of cooking and sharing meals. Here we see the flurry of activity surrounding the preparation of a meal. In this painting, the artist combines a confident sense of execution with playful flourishes. This

Chen constantly explores the nature of Chinese/Australian identity

dripping and brushing

Cullen is fascinated by the Kelly Gang’s proclivities for cross dressing and describes the suit of armour as a kind of “steel lingerie”

It is no surprise that many of the figures and animals in this body of work are solitary

His interest in criminals derives from a fascination with the “grey area” of both good and bad aspects at work in the criminal mind

Insurance is coordinated by the private shipping courier

with no recognisable sense of the landscape beyond

This is Cullen at his mischievous best

The background

the artist has often compared the act of painting to the relationship between the musician and the instrument – the way that the sonic vibrations might be transposed onto the canvas

Throughout this time

The work emphasises not only the artist’s steadfastly physical engagement with painting