y separately published work icon Ian Fairweather single work   biography  
Issue Details: First known date: 1981... 1981 Ian Fairweather
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Scottish-born artist Ian Fairweather (1891-1974) is a giant amongst Australian painters and is revered by fellow artists. Shaped by European modernism - post-impressionism and cubism - Fairweather was a recluse drawn to Asia. He lived in Shanghai and Peking in the 1930s, and along with his study of Chinese writing, developed a highly individual, distinctive linear style. His paintings are like no others. To Robert Hughes, he was 'a deeply spiritual artist' and 'one of the very few modern artists to make a convincing bridge between Eastern calligraphic traditions and Western drawings'.

'Fairweather's life was as unusual as his art. It was a solitary life of hardship and adventure, Murray Bail finally devoted to art. He lived for twenty years in a hut on Bribie Island, Queensland, allowing his life to wander through his work. This is the fascinating story of a man who cared nothing for comfort or material possessions, living a hand to mouth existence. Unable to afford good quality materials, Fairweather often painted on cardboard with Dulux paint from the hardware shop.

'Fairweather is an entirely new study on this acclaimed artist. Murray Bail has unearthed newly discovered writings and letters, paintings and rare photographs, and has expanded and revised his views on the artist. With 233 reproductions, most in colour, many of paintings and drawings never seen in public, Fairweather is the definitive account of the life and art of this great painter.' (Publisher's blurb, 2009 Murdoch Books edition)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Sydney, New South Wales,: Bay Books , 1981 .
      Extent: 264p.
      Description: illus. (some col.), bibl.
      ISBN: 0858355000, 0858355663
    • Sydney, New South Wales,: Murdoch Books , 2009 .
      Alternative title: Fairweather
      Extent: 280p.
      Edition info: New and rev. ed.
      Description: illus. (some col.)
      Note/s:
      • 'This new, completely revised edition of Fairweather contains over 75 new paintings and drawings, many now in colour and some that have never been reproduced before.'
      • Includes index.
      • Includes bibliography.
      • Publication date: March 2009.
      ISBN: 9781741963564

Works about this Work

'Matisse Is Jammed with Confidence' : Painting and Creative Inspiration in the Early Writings of Murray Bail Michael Ackland , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Westerly , July vol. 56 no. 1 2011; (p. 198-215)
Argues that the early writings of Murray Bail marked a radical break with the Australian realist tradition.
The Long Hand of Murray Bail : Travel and Writing Paul Sharrad , 2010 single work criticism
— Appears in: Journeying and Journalling : Creative and Critical Meditations on Travel Writing 2010; (p. 25-36)
'In this paper Paul Sharrad suggests that Murray Bail 'could not have produced most of his work without journeying abroad, and that his book of travel observations, Longhand, offers insights into one particular kind of 'journeying' as well as his reliance on material picked up along his journeying out from and back to Australia. While he began serious writing around the age of 19 in his native South Australia, and composed some other stories during his years in Melbourne working in advertising, Bail did not really get going as a published writer until he had been overseas for several years, first in India and then England and Europe. His jottings in Longhand: a Writer's Notebook, show on the one hand, how his sense of being a writer affects his recording of the travel experience, and secondly, how much his travels have had an impact on his fiction.'' (25-26)
Reviews : Print Angela Goddard , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: Artlines , June - August no. 2 2009; (p. 42)

— Review of Ian Fairweather Murray Bail , 1981 single work biography
Ian Fairweather and Abstraction Murray Bail , 2009 single work essay
— Appears in: The Best Australian Essays 2009 2009; (p. 280-285)
Points of Departure Christopher Allen , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 1-2 August 2009; (p. 8-9)

— Review of Fred Williams 1927-1982 Patrick McCaughey , 1980 single work biography ; Ian Fairweather Murray Bail , 1981 single work biography
Novelist's Portrait of Surreal Outsider John McDonald , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 21-22 March 2009; (p. 32)

— Review of Ian Fairweather Murray Bail , 1981 single work biography
Fairweather: The Art of Memory Sasha Grishin , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 28 March 2009; (p. 17)

— Review of Ian Fairweather Murray Bail , 1981 single work biography
Wayfarer Welcomed Back John McDonald , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 10-11 April 2009; (p. 27)

— Review of Ian Fairweather Murray Bail , 1981 single work biography
Portrait of a Hermit Artist John Clare , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 19 April 2009; (p. 13)

— Review of Ian Fairweather Murray Bail , 1981 single work biography
An Art Lover's Artist Douglas Hassall , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: Quadrant , May vol. 53 no. 5 2009; (p. 42-44)

— Review of Ian Fairweather Murray Bail , 1981 single work biography
Out of Place Nicolas Rothwell , 2009 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian Magazine , 21-22 February 2009; (p. 12-13, 15-17)
Untitled Richard Blundell , 2009 single work correspondence
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian Magazine , 7-8 March 2009; (p. 6)
Ian Fairweather and Abstraction Murray Bail , 2009 single work essay
— Appears in: The Best Australian Essays 2009 2009; (p. 280-285)
'Matisse Is Jammed with Confidence' : Painting and Creative Inspiration in the Early Writings of Murray Bail Michael Ackland , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Westerly , July vol. 56 no. 1 2011; (p. 198-215)
Argues that the early writings of Murray Bail marked a radical break with the Australian realist tradition.
The Long Hand of Murray Bail : Travel and Writing Paul Sharrad , 2010 single work criticism
— Appears in: Journeying and Journalling : Creative and Critical Meditations on Travel Writing 2010; (p. 25-36)
'In this paper Paul Sharrad suggests that Murray Bail 'could not have produced most of his work without journeying abroad, and that his book of travel observations, Longhand, offers insights into one particular kind of 'journeying' as well as his reliance on material picked up along his journeying out from and back to Australia. While he began serious writing around the age of 19 in his native South Australia, and composed some other stories during his years in Melbourne working in advertising, Bail did not really get going as a published writer until he had been overseas for several years, first in India and then England and Europe. His jottings in Longhand: a Writer's Notebook, show on the one hand, how his sense of being a writer affects his recording of the travel experience, and secondly, how much his travels have had an impact on his fiction.'' (25-26)
Last amended 23 Feb 2009 15:49:16
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