Landscape painting has a long and illustrious history in Australian art, however few artists have tackled the subject in such a way that the use of landscape represents a creative leap forward. This can be said for Sir Russell Drysdale and Sir Sidney Nolan in the 40s and 50s, John Olsen and Fred Williams in the 60s and 70s. In this, the new millennium, Philip Hunter has joined their ranks. During Philip Hunter’s formative years, landscape painting was far from fashionable. The late Seventies was time of heavy theoretical discussions and analysis. Despite this, Hunter stubbornly held his ground with a passion to articulate the notion of place. In Hunter’s case, this notion of place would be a return to the landscape of his childhood: the Wimmera in western Victoria. It was in this ever-changing minimal landscape that Philip Hunter would create his most powerful work and which we are fortunate to be surrounded with tonight. His work not only celebrates the landscape but raises issues of history, environment, myth, culture and nationalism.
Image: Philip Hunter – Geophonic no. 1 (2014) oil on linen, 71 x 56 cm
