ArtsGuide Community
01/29/09
Inimitable nature far exceeds art
New exhibition at QUT - breathtakingly surreal aerial photography reveals the beauty inherent in nature
A long overdue exhibition of works from Richard Woldendorp, one of Australia’s leading photographers will open at QUT Art Museum on 5 February.
Abstract Earth: The Photography of Richard Woldendorp showcases the incredible skill of this early pioneer of aerial photography, as it is almost impossible to distinguish whether his untouched photographic works are photographs or indeed painted works of art.
Woldendorp’s first aerial landscapes date from the 1960s, but it was a genre that he rapidly made his own. Nowadays, as a veteran of many flights and with seventeen books and numerous exhibitions behind him, the Dutch-born Woldendorp is acknowledged as a giant of Australian photography.
Abstract Earth is not just landscape; it’s the landscape as seen by Woldendorp, who trained as a painter and still views the world through a painter’s eye.
Although each picture in the exhibition is a precise record of a landscape seen from the air, these scenes have the power and presence of large abstract paintings.
Many works bear a striking resemblance to the canvases of Abstract Expressionists and Colour-Field painters, and to the works of Aboriginal artists. They may look like works of the imagination, but they are indeed astonishing records of concerete reality.
Simone Jones, Curator of the QUT Art Museum says Woldendorp’s images are simply breathtaking and surreal.
“It’s so difficult to believe his photographs are taken directly from life with no manipulation whatsoever,†she says. “They make you appreciate the wonders of Australia in showing the extensive range of colours and patterns to be found in nature.â€
Curated by John McDonald and R. Ian Lloyd, Abstract Earth: The Photography of Richard Woldendorp is on at the QUT Art Museum from 5 February until 5 April 2009.
Abstract Earth: The Photography of Richard Woldendorp | 5 February to 5 April
QUT Art Museum | Address 2 George Street, Brisbane (next to City Botanic Gardens)
Web www.artmuseum.qut.com | Phone 07 3138 5370
Opening hours: Tues to Fri 10am – 5pm, Wed 10am – 8pm, Sat and Sun 12pm – 4pm
Abstract Earth: The Photography of Richard Woldendorp showcases the incredible skill of this early pioneer of aerial photography, as it is almost impossible to distinguish whether his untouched photographic works are photographs or indeed painted works of art.
Woldendorp’s first aerial landscapes date from the 1960s, but it was a genre that he rapidly made his own. Nowadays, as a veteran of many flights and with seventeen books and numerous exhibitions behind him, the Dutch-born Woldendorp is acknowledged as a giant of Australian photography.
Abstract Earth is not just landscape; it’s the landscape as seen by Woldendorp, who trained as a painter and still views the world through a painter’s eye.
Although each picture in the exhibition is a precise record of a landscape seen from the air, these scenes have the power and presence of large abstract paintings.
Many works bear a striking resemblance to the canvases of Abstract Expressionists and Colour-Field painters, and to the works of Aboriginal artists. They may look like works of the imagination, but they are indeed astonishing records of concerete reality.
Simone Jones, Curator of the QUT Art Museum says Woldendorp’s images are simply breathtaking and surreal.
“It’s so difficult to believe his photographs are taken directly from life with no manipulation whatsoever,†she says. “They make you appreciate the wonders of Australia in showing the extensive range of colours and patterns to be found in nature.â€
Curated by John McDonald and R. Ian Lloyd, Abstract Earth: The Photography of Richard Woldendorp is on at the QUT Art Museum from 5 February until 5 April 2009.
Abstract Earth: The Photography of Richard Woldendorp | 5 February to 5 April
QUT Art Museum | Address 2 George Street, Brisbane (next to City Botanic Gardens)
Web www.artmuseum.qut.com | Phone 07 3138 5370
Opening hours: Tues to Fri 10am – 5pm, Wed 10am – 8pm, Sat and Sun 12pm – 4pm
