Everywhen

By Andrew Frost

The title of Idris Murphy’s exhibition is taken from anthropologist WEH Stanner, who coined the word “everywhen” and defined its meaning as the thing in which “…we carry our own depth of silence and […] describes something that is timeless, not fixed to the past but part of the future all at the same time.” Stanner, a campaigner for Indigenous causes including the right for Aboriginals to vote, is a guiding spirit in Muprhy’s latest suite of paintings. Returning once more to his favourite subject, the Australian landscape, Murphy acknowledges the spiritual claims on the landscape while investing it with his own approach and techniques.

Murphy is an artist’s artist, the kind of painter who inspires a degree of awe among his followers, in part because he makes the process of painting seem effortless, but also because he demonstrates his technique in every canvas. In these paintings on board and aluminium, Murphy applies acrylics and collage to produce a stunning sequence of works that is a master class in landscape painting. The works architectural compositions are apparent but Murphy’s skill is to make every picture a surprise and every painting is a visual delight.

Until August 3

King Street Gallery on William, Darlinghurst

http://kingstreetgallery.com.au/exhibitions/