Colour, rhythm & spirit: A modern view Featured crate

Articulated in brilliantly executed paintings, drawings and studies by key modern Australian artists, this selection of works from the national collection reflect the various ways in which they approached and experimented with colour. While each approach is unique, what is evident is their shared use of systematic means (such as annotations, numbers, scales, and divisions), as well as repetition and pattern, to convey a sense of rhythm and dynamism through the use of colour.

With the frenetic pace of industrialisation of the mid-to-late nineteenth century, the experience of early modernity felt dystopian and spiritually devoid of meaning to many. Seeking to break away from this outlook, artists leaned toward nature and the experience of everyday moments as perceived through the human senses. In this way, expressing the world through colour spoke to their quest for not only intellectual and aesthetic meaning, but also spiritual fulfillment.