Geoffrey de Groen is one of Australia’s most outstanding painters. In his new exhibition he shows why.
April 26th, 2012
Now in his early 70s, Geoffrey de Groen is one of Australia’s finest and most exhibited painters. At a time when painting has been reduced more often than not to illustration, de Groen’s work is a reminder that there is a whole tradition of painting going back many hundreds of years.
For painters of de Groen’s generation it was obligatory to fully understand this tradition. And the results are embedded in his work. But you need to look hard and long.
His current exhibition in Canberra shows just one series of work – for de Groen works in series and within this wide scope of activity there is lots of variety.
Many years ago he gave up painting in order to start all over again, beginning with black and white drawings, then on to colour drawing, then to black and white paintings before finally returning to colour.
In the process he developed new techniques which involved working the paint into the surface. The result was a perfect unity, so that the viewer cannot tell where the surface ends and where the painting begins.
In this series he exploits the texture of the canvas to explore his ongoing themes of paradox and illusion. In other series there are figurative elements. In this show, the ectoplasmic forms hint at the world we know (landscapes?), but remain essentially abstract.
Still there is a kind of light which illuminates the pictures. And the longer we look at these luminous but tactile objects, the more we seem to be led into some sublime, cosmic place.
At the end of the day, all good painting helps us to see more clearly. Sight becomes insight, perception becomes vision. And illusion becomes reality.
Paul McGillick is Editorial Director at Indesign Publishing.
Geoffrey de Groen: New Paintings
Chapman Gallery
chapmangallery.com.au
Until May 9.
INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
In this candid interview, the culinary mastermind behind Singapore’s Nouri and Appetite talks about food as an act of human connection that transcends borders and accolades, the crucial role of technology in preserving its unifying power, and finding a kindred spirit in Gaggenau’s reverence for tradition and relentless pursuit of innovation.
BLANCOCULINA-S II Sensor promotes water efficiency and reduces waste, representing a leap forward in faucet technology.
Vertical cities in the sky, deconstructed boxes and ample greening – six widely varying designs with similar themes have been revealed in the Southbank by Beulah competition.
Sustainable, innovative, responsible were the keywords driving Incorp’s design for Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM)’s Melbourne office.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Saturday Indesign is one of the standout fixtures on the Asia-Pacific design calendar – but how exactly did it start, and when did it become so big?
The 2025 Sustainability Awards spotlight bold ideas and future-focused design that’s reshaping Australia’s built environment for the better.