Ian Armstrong (1923-2005) Aesopus, c.1948

Ian Armstrong (1923-2005) Aesopus, c.1948 signed lower right: 'Ian Armstrong' oil on canvas 91.5 x 127.0cm (36 x 50in). Footnotes: PROVENANCE Private collection Deutscher Menzies, Melbourne, 29 November 2000, lot 172 Metro 5 Gallery, Armadale Private collection, Melbourne EXHIBITED Ian Armstrong: 60 Years-A Survey, Metro 5 Gallery, Melbourne, 17 July - 4 August 2002, cat. 1 LITERATURE Ian Armstrong: 60 Years-A Survey, exhibition catalogue, Metro 5 Gallery, Melbourne, 2002 (illus. front cover) Art historian, David Thomas, discusses Armstrong's early years in the exhibition catalogue for the 2002 Survey: 'Painter, printmaker and sometime decorator of pots, Armstrong has worked over an extensive field of art with a craftsmanship that is assured. To this he binds a strong sense of colour and, at times, a boldness of design.. Grounded in the George Bell School of the forties and developed along a more individual path en plein air in the face of nature, Armstrong's art today recalls interests and applications of the past that provide us with images that are pleasing in their focus on the everyday and the artist's immediate surroundings.. His studies began at night school at the Melbourne Technical College in 1940, where the tedious academic grind involved life drawing from plaster casts. Life drawing provided some relief, and Armstrong soon showed a special aptitude for it. Drawing from the antique (those dreaded plaster casts again) continued when he enrolled in the National Gallery Drawing School in 1943, Armstrong distinguishing himself with a first prize in this genre. He also won the first abstract prize at the School and the Hugh Ramsay portrait prize. A close friendship developed with fellow students Fred Williams and Harry Rosengrave. Seeking broader instruction, Armstrong joined the George Bell School, soon to be followed by Williams and Rosengrave... in 1946 the three of them purchased a block of land at Lilydale where they spent the weekends painting out of doors, free of the restrictions of art school, seeking and developing their own individuality in paint... The first of several major compositions [included in the 2002 survey] is Aesopus, c.1948-49, which Armstrong included in his award-winning Jubilee Scholarship Exhibition. The title is derived from Claudius Aesopus, a Roman tragic actor of first century B.C., who was said to have been greatly gifted in facial expressions and gesture. The painting shows fellow artists John Brack and Fred Williams, together with Pat Benson, at a lunchtime meeting at Aireys Inlet. Formally composed, the title and poses of the individuals show Armstrong's early interest in the portrayal of character.' THIS WORK CAN BE VIEWED IN OUR MELBOURNE GALLERY For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing