Geoff Dyer (1947-2020) was a leading presence in the Tasmanian arts scene, taking the contemporary interpretation of its unique landscape to audiences nationally. The impact and depth of his artistic legacy cements Dyer as one of Tasmania’s most celebrated contemporary painters. His robust character and unparalleled creative resolve continues to live on through his work. Dyer’s work was known to be in constant flux, compositions often moving between figuration and abstraction, contrasting rich in texture with subtly blended tones and colour. Most distinctive to Dyer’s practice, was his authentic approach, creating intuitive artworks that embodied the essence of place. Dyer had a unique capacity to evoke depth through paint, capturing a sense of light and atmosphere through bold brush strokes and thick layers of paint scrapped over the surface with a palette knife.
Most distinctive to Dyer’s work, was his authentic and often abstract approach, pushing limits of how the landscape could be defined. From these visceral interpretations Dyer was able to capture the formidable and sometimes harsh conditions that underpins the Tasmanian landscape experience, evoking a response from the viewer that was earnest and emotive, but never sentimental.
This major work expands the conventions of traditional landscape painting, drawing out the threshold where the familiarity of nature melts into abstraction. Dyer created an acclaimed suite of red based abstractions, inspired by the tannins of Cockle Creek and the density of surrounding bushland that encroached on the waterline. Its companion work, painted as part of the same series, was acquired by MONA from the Melbourne Art fair in 2004. Landscape In Red is a fine example of this series, with rich palette of cadmium reds and oranges, contrasted with raw umber and mars black to represent fading light and the gradual depth of water. Dyer has painted an impasto textured surface across the canvas, using a palette knife to scrape between layers. For over 40 years Dyer continued to paint the Tasmanian landscape, often returning to such spaces to capture how the unpredictable weather and shifting light kept the landscape in a perpetual state of change.
This major oil was original exhibited the Melbourne Art Fair in 2004, is signed lower right and has been held in a single private collection Melbourne.
Geoff Dyer (1947-2020) had a highly celebrated professional career spanning over fifty years, with countless solo exhibition nationally, as well as exhibitions in Singapore, Guangdong and New York. His work is held in numerous important collections including the National Portrait Gallery, Artbank, the University of Tasmania, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery and the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). Dyer was hung in the New South Wales Art Gallery over twenty times as a finalist in the Archibald prize (1993, 1996, 1999 -2004, 2006 and 2011), Wynne Prize (1977, 1988–1993, 1998, 2004) and Sulman Prize (1997, 2006). Dyer became an Archibald finalist for the first time in 1993 with a portrait of environmentalist and Federal Green’s leader, Bob Brown. His last portrait, included a portrait of David Walsh, founder of MONA. Most notably, Dyer won the Archibald Prize in 2003 with a portrait of writer, conservationist and friend, Richard Flanagan.
GEOFF DYER (1947-2020)
Landscape In Red 2004
Oil on linen
112 x 213 cm
Signed lower right
POA
PROVENANCE:
Private Collection Melbourne
