16

ELIZABETH DURACK (1915-2000)
The Brink of Disaster 1990

The Rim Series – the rim of our brittle and disintegrating world ... a continuum c.1973 – 1993
mixed media on paper on board
accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the Artist's Estate verso
122 x 92cm

PROVENANCE
The Artist's Studio

© Elizabeth Durack/Copyright Agency, 2022

Elizabeth Durack (1915–2000) spent her formative years in the Kimberley region of Western Australia living on a remote cattle station with her family where indigenous men, women and children also lived, worked and at times practiced ancient traditions. Such relatively rare early experiences with Aboriginal people, and familiarity with their culture, left an indelible mark upon Elizabeth Durack's outlook and subsequent long creative life.

"Rim" paintings of the 1980s and ‘90s are among Durack's late works; those of "… an artist who never stood still to watch the world pass …" 1 They featured, as part of the cerebral component, in an exhibition: Out of Sight — Out of Mind presented by the Alexander Library, Perth Cultural Centre, Western Australia, in 1991. Powerful and confronting, The Rims … emerged after extensive travels through Australia's desert communities where Durack had been deeply affected by the breakdown of land and culture that had occurred following misguided, if well-intentioned, government policies. And – as if portents for our own times – Rim paintings reflect "a world in chaos ... " 2

It's worth noting that Rims … are forerunners for Durack's last series: The Art of Eddie Burrup, paintings produced under the nom de plume, alter ego, "Eddie Burrup" – a move that became controversial and heavily criticised in some quarters – yet was recognised as homage – and defended as such –by others: "Aboriginal attachment to places inherited from many generations of ancestors … does not preclude settlers from engaging with the land and people they love …" 3

1. Janda Gooding, Catalogue notes: Derivations and Directions.
The Works of Elizabeth Durack
1930s to 1950s, Art Gallery of Western Australia,
March 9 – April 30 1995

2. Jan Mayman "Looking at the world in chaos"
The National Times, Sydney, January 9–15 1983, p.20

3. Marcia Langton, "Whitefella Jump Up" Correspondence,
Quarterly Essay, Melbourne, January 2003, p.81

Also: Patrick Æ Hutchings, The Art of Elizabeth Durack
(A&R, Sydney, 1982) and www.elizabethdurack.com

  • Condition: The artwork is framed and presented in a 'box style' frame exposing the entire image of each work. The painted surface of the image appears to be reasonably stable and there is no evidence of significant paint loss or paint contraction. Areas of light discolouration and scuffing consistent with age, more noticeable scuffing to the lower edge.
    Overall the painting is in very good, original condition.

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October 16, 2022 12:00 PM AEDT
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