Stucco Home (1991)



Synthetic polymer paint with ‘Hammertone’ on canvas, 167 x 167
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane (1994.167)

Whereas Arkley often suggests a heroic dimension to the suburbs, in paintings such as House and Garden Western Suburbs, Melbourne 1988, here he reveals their drab, arid side, making extensive use of a commercially-produced metallic-effect paint (‘Hammertone’), on the walls and door of this house. Alison Burton recalls his dissatisfaction with this experiment, but it gives the work an interestingly harsh quality, in keeping with the dour, treeless scene.

This work is discussed in detail by Gregory, ‘Howard Arkley and “Popism”’ (2007), a contribution to a volume on recent and contemporary works in the Queensland Art Gallery. The article includes a reproduction of the real estate source (Arkley archive), also the basis for A Splendid Superior Home (1989) and Light and Bright (1994).

Provenance

  • Acquired in 1994 through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation

Exhibited

  • QAG April 1997-Feb.1998 (‘The Urban Edge’)
  • QAG Nov.2005-Feb.2006 (‘Made for this World’)
  • HA retrospective 2006-7 (Melbourne & Brisbane)

Literature

  • Gregory, ‘Howard Arkley and ‘“Popism’” (2007)