Idris Murphy

See an edited video version of this conversation on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel here

‘Colour, for me, is the main game’ Idris Murphy tells me as we sit in his studio in Sydney’s southern suburb of Kurnell, a stone’s throw from Botany Bay.

On various easels around the room are works in progress. His distinctive energetic brushstrokes, often using metallic paint, the carefully placed collage pieces and thin lines scratched into the wet surface are just part of what makes up his arresting work.

And yes, colour takes centre stage – in this case bringing life to the landscape of the Northern Territory’s East MacDonnell ranges which he has visited and revisited.

Idris Murphy is one of Australia’s leading landscape painters and his work sits between representation and abstraction. He was inspired from an early age by the work of Matisse but, as he later explored what it meant to paint the Australian landscape, it was the way the Indigenous artists saw the land that influenced him to take into account both traditions.

In recognition of his career, the survey show ‘Idris Murphy: BACKBLOCKS’ has just opened at the Drill Hall Gallery in Canberra. Curated by gallery director Terence Maloon, the exhibition includes important works from the last 30 years of more than 50 years of work. The exhibition will also travel to Orange Regional Gallery and S.H Ervin Gallery and a monograph will be available in early 2023.

Idris has won the Gallipoli Art prize, has exhibited in 40 solo shows and group shows including a previous major travelling survey exhibition in 2009-2010. His work is held in the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of NSW and other state and corporate collections.

His love of literature, poetry and philosophy also comes through clearly in our conversation and you can find references to the works he mentioned in the podcast episode in the links below.

Idris is represented by King Street Gallery on William in Sydney.

To hear the podcast interview, click ‘play’ beneath the above feature photo

Upcoming shows and talks

Survey show, ‘BACKBLOCKS’, Drill Hall Gallery, Canberra, August 19 to October 16, 2022

The above survey show will then travel to Orange Regional Gallery and S.H Ervin Gallery

Group show ‘Earth Canvas’, Australian National Museum, Canberra 25 August to 20 October 2022

Solo show ‘NOW AND THEN’ Mitchell Fine Art, Brisbane, 18 October to 5 November 2022

Links

Idris Murphy (website)

Idris Murphy at King Street Gallery on William

George Steiner – ‘Real Presences’

Hilary Spurling – ‘The Unknown Matisse’

Lloyd Rees

Kevin Connor

Patrick White

Colin Lanceley

Philip Guston

John McDonald

Video by Sean O’Brien ‘Idris Murphy – Empyrean: scattering of stars’

Annie Dillard

Frank Auerbach

Ken Whisson

Jack Green (ANU art collection)

John Berger

Fowler’s Gap Research Station – UNSW

Badger Bates (Artist Profile magazine)

Christopher Neve ‘Unquiet landscape’

Giorgio Morandi

Piero Della Francesca

Alberto Giacometti

Ross Laurie

Martin Buber – ‘I and Thou’

https://youtu.be/YlceSOHxf6w?si=Alp_RTOQcEWFxoRd

Gallipoli Evening, 2013, acrylic and collage on board, 130 x 120cm Winner Gallipoli Art Prize 2014 Evening Tide 2020, acrylic & collage on aluminium, 141 x 151cm Image courtesy of the artist and King Street Gallery on William Afternoon to Evening Fowlers Gap 2009 acrylic & collage on board 120 x 110cm Image courtesy of the artist and King Street Gallery on William Somewhere in France 2 2017 acrylic & collage on aluminium 151 x 141cm Image courtesy of the artist and King Street Gallery on William Works in progress which we talk about in the podcast episode at about 1hr 12mins Work in progress which we talk about in the podcast at about 1hr 22mins