FIFTY YEARS OF PRINTMAKING 1960–2010

The Empty Chair, 1980, lithograph

12 November to 20 December 2010

fYREGALLERY

Braidwood, NSW

THE FIRST SUPPER

History: Exhibited initially in the Blake Exhibition (1988–89), Australia; then Amsterdam (1990) at Galerie Art & Architecture (Director: Ernst van der Vossen); subsequently Cologne (1991) at Galerie am Buttermarkt. Purchased by a collector; exhibited Volkshochschule, Munich (1992–2003); vandalized at Augustana Hochschule (Neuendettelsau, Germany); returned to Australia for restoration by the artist.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

I was inspired to paint The First Supper after Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, by the narrative drama and magnificent composition of Leonardo's painting. I wanted to challenge the patriarchal concept of thirteen men on one side of a table that is accepted as a celebrated religious symbol. In place of the men, all with similar features, I painted an international group of women. (READ MORE...)

The significance of the Australian bicentennial in 1988 influenced my painting. There were conflicting attitudes towards this 200th anniversary of the arrival of the first settlers in Australia. Although many celebrated the bicentennial, Aboriginal people and their supporters saw it as a commemoration of a white invasion.

In place of the central Christ figure is an Aboriginal woman wearing a T-shirt bearing the Aboriginal flag. The other women represent people living in Australia today from different parts of the world. Foods originating from different regions of the world are positioned on the table, in relation to the women. The figure in the position of Leonardo's Judas, is a blonde holding an Aboriginal dilly-bag in place of the money-purse - she has a can of Coca-Cola and a hamburger, while the rest each have a glass of water and a bread roll.

The large rock through the left window is an important sacred site for Aboriginal people, called Uluru; it was returned to them recently as freehold land by the Australian Government.

Susan D White

DRAW LIKE DA VINCI

written and illustrated by Susan Dorothea White

Cassell Illustrated, Masterclass Series, 2006
ISBN-13: 978-1-844034-44-4. ISBN-10: 1-844034-44-5

"... Leonardo Da Vinci's drawings are among the most magnificent ever created. But how did he achieve his effects? Choose his materials? Define his approach? Susan Dorothea White, an internationally known artist and teacher, helps students gain an invaluable understanding of Da Vinci's techniques for depicting the human form and dealing with perspective, line weight, light, shade, and character..." (see Book Reviews)

Draw Like Da Vinci contains exercises on many different drawing techniques, including goldpoint and chalk on emery paper, and how to draw a sfumato tomato using pastels. The seven essentials of drawing are analysed as the fundamental P's – Perspective, Proportion, Perception, Position, Placement, Planes, Priority.

Reader's comment: "So far I have not been disappointed with this book. I am learning a lot from his aspect of looking at things, and the ways he approached his art." weread.com

Also published in French, Danish, Hungarian

Eyrolles, 2007	Bonniers, 2006	Ventus, 2006

LOST ART: MISSING / STOLEN

Have you seen any of these artworks? Please CONTACT the artist — any information would be greatly appreciated.

Three PAINTINGS and five SCULPTURES missing in The Netherlands

Beatrice, the Paper-seller of the White Bay Intersection, 1986
acrylic painting on wood panel, 98 x 123 cm

Backyard Gossip in Weesp (Homesick), 1991
acrylic painting on wood panel, 75 x 122 cm

The Man in Drag, the Violinist, the Artist and the Thief on a Tram in Amsterdam, 1990
acrylic painting on wood panel, 94 x 63 cm

Close-knit Family, 1990
bronze (ed. 1/7) 17 x 17 x 23 cm

The Shy Egg, 1990
bronze (ed. 1/4) 12 x 8 x 8 cm

Shunga I, 1988
bronze (ed. 1/9) 11 x 17 x 10 cm

Shunga II, 1988
bronze (ed. 2/9) 10 x 23 x 10 cm

Woodworm (No. 1), 1987
red sirus wood carving, 10 x 10 x 26 cm

Two ARTWORKS (etching; painting) stolen from The Seymour Centre, Sydney in 1978

Two, 1978
sepia etching, 30 x 22 cm

Wollondilly River, 1976
watercolour, ca. 40 x 50 cm in frame ca. 60 x 70 cm

Seventeen PRINTS under contractual loan to Artlease+ at The Museum for Ex Libris and Small Graphics, Vollenhove (NL) illegally dispersed in a bankruptcy case in The Netherlands in 1995.

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