Home, Eastern Suburbs (1988)



Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 151 x 238
Collection of Naomi Milgrom AO

This canvas contrasted with several of the other suburban images on display in Arkley’s ‘Houses & Homes’ show at Tolarno in 1988. Its leafiness implies an established home of the kind typical of Melbourne’s older suburbs: contrast e.g. Contemporary Units (1988). It is also on the same scale as Family Home (1988).

The artist arrived at his eventual choice of colour and patterning in a series of working drawings over photocopies of the source composition, preserved in the Arkley archive (SLV MS 14217/1/1029-31, reproduced in Fitzpatrick & Lynn 2015, p.113).

The juxtaposition of the right foreground gum tree against the house prefigures the ‘House with Native Tree’ motif Arkley developed in depth in 1996ff.

Provenance

  • Purchased from Tolarno, 1988 (Arkley’s list of sales records the original buyer and price of $8,500)

Exhibited

  • HA Tolarno 8/88, cat.6
  • HA TarraWarra 12/15-2/16 (details as above)

Literature

  • Rooney, ‘Home on the range’, 1988 (Tolarno exh. review; inc. B&W ill.)
  • Fitzpatrick & Lynn, Howard Arkley and Friends (2015), pp.113 and 115 (reproducing this work and preparatory drawings from Arkley’s archive)