Nolan, Sir Sidney

Nolan, Sir Sidney
born April 22, 1917, Melbourne, Austl.
died Nov. 27, 1992, London, Eng.

Australian artist.

Early in his career he created greatly simplified abstractions. In the mid 1940s he began to paint the local desolate desert landscapes in a more representational style. In his mature work he often applied unusual media
such as polyvinyl acetate
to masonite, glass, or canvas. Apart from his landscapes, most of his works dealt with Australian historical or legendary characters and events
notably, the bushranger Ned Kelly.

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▪ Australian artist
in full  Sir Sidney Robert Nolan 
born April 22, 1917, Melbourne, Australia
died November 27, 1992, London, England

      artist known for his paintings based on Australian folklore.

      With little formal art training, Nolan turned to painting at age 21 after varied experiences as a racing cyclist, cook, and gold miner. In his early work he was influenced by the abstract artists Paul Klee (Klee, Paul) and László Moholy-Nagy (Moholy-Nagy, László), and his own greatly simplified abstractions, such as Boy and the Moon (1940)—a splash of yellow against a raw blue background—incited controversy among visitors to his Melbourne studio. He designed sets and costumes for a Sydney production of Serge Lifar (Lifar, Serge)'s ballet Icarus in 1940.

 Nolan served in the Australian army from 1942 to 1945, during which time he began to paint the local desolate desert landscapes in a more representational style. Apart from his landscapes, most of his mature works dealt with Australian historical or legendary characters and events—notably, the bushranger Ned Kelly (Kelly, Ned), a famous outlaw whose square helmet is an iconic image in Australia. Nolan's painting style is noted for its fluidity, which he emphasized by applying unusual mediums—such as ripolin (an enamel house paint) and polyvinyl acetate—to masonite, glass, paper, or canvas.

      Nolan moved to England in 1955, but he continued to paint his native Australian landscapes, among other themes. He remained involved with the theatre, designing stage sets for a production of Igor Stravinsky (Stravinsky, Igor)'s ballet The Rite of Spring in London in 1962 and for Camille Saint-Saëns (Saint-Saëns, Camille)'s opera Samson et Dalila, also in London, in 1981. Nolan's work has been exhibited internationally, and many of his paintings and prints are in the permanent collections of the Tate Gallery in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He was knighted in 1981 and became a member of the Order of Merit (Merit, Order of) in 1983.

Additional Reading
Brian Adams, Sidney Nolan: Such Is Life (1987, reissued 1992).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Nolan, Sir Sidney — (22 abr. 1917, Melbourne, Australia–27 nov. 1992, Londres, Inglaterra). Artista australiano. Al comienzo de su carrera realizó abstracciones muy simplificadas. A mediados de la década de 1940, comenzó a pintar los desolados paisajes desérticos… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Sidney — Sidney, Algernon Sidney, Philip (Sydney) ► C. del SE de Australia, cap. del estado de Nueva Gales del Sur, abierta al océano Pacífico, primera ciudad del país; 3 538 970 h. Dos grandes puentes unen la c. con la orilla N de la bahía. Puerto… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Sidney — /sid nee/, n. 1. Sir Philip, 1554 86, English poet, writer, statesman, and soldier. 2. a city in N Ohio. 17,657. 3. a male or female given name: a family name taken from a French placename, Saint Denis. Also, Sydney (for defs. 1, 3). * * * (as… …   Universalium

  • sir — /serr/, n. 1. a respectful or formal term of address used to a man: No, sir. 2. (cap.) the distinctive title of a knight or baronet: Sir Walter Scott. 3. (cap.) a title of respect for some notable personage of ancient times: Sir Pandarus of Troy …   Universalium

  • Sidney Nolan — Sidney Nolan, 1940s, by Albert Tucker Birth name Sidney Robert Nolan Born 22 April 1917 …   Wikipedia

  • Sidney Nolan — Nombre de nacimiento Sidney Robert Nolan Nacimiento 22 de abril de 1917 Melbourne, Australia …   Wikipedia Español

  • Sidney Nolan — Sir Sidney Robert Nolan (* 22. April 1917 in Melbourne, Australien; † 28. November 1992 in London, England) war ein australischer Maler und Grafiker. Er gehörte zu den bedeutendsten Vertretern Australiens der Modernen Malerei und Druckgrafik nach …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Sidney Nolan — Sir Sidney Robert Nolan (22 de abril de 1917 28 de noviembre de 1992). Pintor australiano, artista de gran versatilidad, que desarrolló una innovadora línea iconográfica inspirada a menudo en la historia y las viejas tradiciones de su Australia… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Nolan — /ˈnoʊlən/ (say nohluhn) noun Sir Sidney Robert, 1917–92, Australian painter; noted for his depictions of the Australian outback and the Ned Kelly series (1947–48). Sidney Nolan was born in Melbourne and studied art there. He began exhibiting his… …  

  • Nolan —   [ nəʊlən], Sir (seit 1981) Sidney Robert, australischer Maler und Grafiker, * Melbourne 22. 4. 1917, ✝ London 27. 11. 1992; schilderte mit realistischen Versatzstücken und sehr nuancierter Farbgebung legendäre Szenen aus der australischen… …   Universal-Lexikon

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