One of Australia’s most well-known artists, John Olsen, has died aged 95.
Considered to be among the many nation’s biggest painters, Olsen gained all three of the nation’s most wanted artwork prizes – the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes.
One of his works, the mural Salute to the Bells, has delight of place inside the Sydney Opera House.
His son Tim Olsen confirmed that he died on Tuesday night surrounded by household and different family members together with his daughter Louise.
“Apart from our First Nation artists, he changed the perspective and way that Australians looked at our magnificent landscape,” Tim advised the Sydney Morning Herald.
“He was a landscape poet to the end and a titan of the Australian art world.”
Olsen was born in Newcastle in 1928 and had a profession that spanned six many years. His work was exhibited throughout Australia and in galleries worldwide.
He was notably well-known for his landscapes profitable the Wynne panorama prize in 1969 for his work The Chasing Bird Landscape and once more in 1985 for A Road to Clarendon – Autumn.
Don Quixote Enters the Inn scored Olsen the Sulman prize in 1989. In 2005, on the age of 77, he gained the celebrated Archibald prize with Self-portrait Janus Faced. He was the oldest ever winner of the award for portraits.
In his nineties, he was providing drawing lessons near his house within the Southern Highlands of NSW.
He obtained the Order of Australia in 2001 and the Order of the British Empire in 1977.
The director of the National Gallery of Australia, in Canberra, Nick Mitzevich stated Olsen was one of many nation’s biggest artists who created distinctive quintessentially Australian landscapes.
“Be it a frog, a landscape, or a simple portrait you knew instantly it was a John Olsen and it was this unique visual language that gave it such power.
“He was also a poet, a pragmatist, and a man of great wisdom. He was always encouraging everyone he met with his charisma and generosity.”
This 12 months’s Vivid Festival in Sydney is ready to rejoice Olsen’s life. The animated paintings Lighting of the Sails: Life Enlivened will see a few of his works projected and delivered to life on the sails of the Sydney Opera House.
When the sunshine set up was introduced that includes his artwork, Olsen advised the SMH: “I’m a lucky boy”.
Source: www.news.com.au
