![]() Preferring to see as much as possible rather than isolate himself in a studio, he produced art on the run, ‘hotel art’ as he called it, doodling and recording his impressions on what was closest to hand, such as pages in a book or bar coasters. The art galleries and cultural elements viewed on his travels provided him with a stimulating period of art education, and a wealth of opportunities to gather new source material. with his first wife and fellow artist Elizabeth Gower. ‘Art’ dies when it relies on a value judgement inherent in the works.” Howard Arkley, – Not Just A Suburban Boy, Edwina Preston, 2002Īrkley was awarded the Alliance France Art Fellowship in 1976 which allowed him to spend 12 months travelling Europe and the U.S. “The paintings are meant to be thought provoking – it’s a matter of making other people think, to make them reflect and consider and make them find out about things. Soft meditative works influenced by Zen philosophy, they explore the power and symbolism of black and white with a softness and delicacy enhanced by the powdery spray of the airbrush. Arkley’s earliest exhibited paintings are known as the ‘white’ paintings They are steeped in the traditions of modernist and abstract art. It was the start of a close relationship with the gallery’s director Georges Mora. In 1975, Arkley held his first exhibition at Tolarno Galleries, the galleries that were to represent him for the rest of his career. Arkley has explained that he learnt much of his art history from glossy prints in books rather than first hand sources, and it was these reproductions that he wanted to emulate. The airbrushed line, particularly when used to outline his fields of bright colour, lent a smooth and polished look to his works which suggested printed, mass produced images. Often used commercially for shading effects, Arkley refined the use of the airbrush as a drawing tool which he manipulated expertly like a pen. It was here that Fred Cress, an artist and lecturer, introduced him to the airbrush which became Arkley’s trademark. In 1969, after finishing school, Arkley embarked on a three year art course at Prahran College of Advanced Education. Arkley believed the Surrealists were his first introduction to contemporary art, and their practice of automatic writing and the Exquisite Corpse game were an important early influence. He was a draughtsman rather than a painter and even in his paintings the sprayed or painted calligraphic line was always prominent. He admired the work of Paul Klee who coined the idea of ‘taking a line for a walk’. Like Picasso, he covered every available surface – from paper napkins to people’s bodies – with doodles. Arkley, who had never been to an art gallery before, was so fascinated by Sidney Nolan’s surreal paintings of the Australian bush that the next day he copied images from the catalogue using his father’s household paint.Īs a student, Arkley drew insatiably. His early passion for art was inspired by a family outing to the National Gallery of Victoria in 1967. Howard Arkley was born on and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Surrey Hills. “I draw rather than paint” Howard Arkley 1975 The Sun Artscene “Erasing the Drawn Line” Rod Carmichael, 2 /11/83 Simultaneously serene and edgy, Arkley’s work creates an intriguing tension between the inherent beauty of suburbia and its darker more menacing side. Suburban motifs, patterns and textures offered Arkley endless possibilities for abstract compositions which blurred the distinctions between High Art and Pop culture by referencing both art history and the everyday experience. ![]() His signature houses, domestic interiors and fascination with mass culture struck a powerful chord with contemporary Australians who readily identified with them. He rejected the landscape tradition, as the artist John Brack had beforehand, celebrating instead the ubiquity of images embedded in urban and suburban environments with his vibrant airbrushed paintings. ![]() Howard Arkley is widely recognised as the foremost painter of Australian suburbia. It affects our formative years, so it is a very important element.’ – Spray, The Work of Howard Arkley, Ashley Crawford & Ray Edgar, 1997, unpublished interview with the authors. This environment affects us – the kinds of people that Australians are, and the way we behave. Most of the population live in an urban environment. ‘Australian art has been dominated by the rural landscape and I think there is something false and overrated – it’s romanticised or, at the very least, lopsided.
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