Big Sun and the Sydney Summer, 1987

JOHN OLSEN
Big Sun and the Sydney Summer, 1987
Oil on linen
270 x 920 cm

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

Artist John Olsen, title Big Sun and the Sydney Summer, 1987. Big Sun and the Sydney Summer is a commissioned work for Darling Harbour Convention Centre in 1987. John Olsen remains one of Australia’s greatest contemporary artists. A celebratory tour de force with a throbbing central core, a pulsating sun exploding with tendrils of life. From this thermal nucleus, sinuous red lines burst out in multiple directions reaching to the edges of the canvas and beyond. In its outpouring of warmth and life, the painting evokes the exuberance and energy of Sydney summer. Big Sun and the Sydney summer is typical of Olsen’s work, demonstrating his mastery of line and colour, his animation of the painted surface and his ability to infuse an abstract work full of joy and emotion.