David Wynn, probably April 1957;
thence by descent
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Michael Shannon
Man watching trains, 1956
SOLD
oil on canvas
76.00 x 61.00
signed and dated 'Shannon 56' l.l.; label verso reads 'Mr and Mrs David Wynn / Man Watching Trains / No 229 Michael Shannon'
Michael Shannon, Peter Bray Gallery, 1-11 April 1957, no 13, 45gns;
The label on reverse suggests this work was included in another very large catalogue, so a group exhibition rather than a solo show. He exhibited in The Arts Festival, Olympic Games, Melbourne 1956 (at the NGV) but not this particular work.
Literature: Alan Warren, Sun News Pictorial, 1957 (probably April):
"Drab Spencer St marshalling yards become irresistible - especially when "dressed" as they are today at the Peter Bray gallery. The magic transformation comes from Michael Shannon's caressing brush strokes, the delicacy and richness of his surfaces and the cleanness of his colour. Even the smokey greys are somehow clean.”
Reference: From the mid 1950s till the late 1970s, Shannon's interest in railways was strong. For a larger work of a similar subject, see Laurie Thomas, Modern Australian Painting and Sculpture, Bonython, Adelaide, 1960, p 64 for "The Railway Bridge", then in the collection of Violet Dulieu (and now in the AGNSW Collection).
Further works by the Artist
Since its establishment in 1984, the Charles Nodrum Gallery’s exhibition program embraces a diversity of media and styles - from painting, sculpture & works on paper to graphics and photography; from figurative, geometric, gestural, surrealist & social comment to installation & conceptually based work.