Arch Cuthbertson was a passionate advocate for modernism in Australia. Across his lifetime as an artist, he moved between the genres that defined the era – producing cubist, hard-edge, abstract expressionist and figurative works. As one critic observed, his approach to art-making was like old-time jazz – an energetic and fresh jive with form, colour and texture. 

‘Anakie Rocks No 23’ stems from Cuthbertson’s period as an abstract expressionist. It is a sumptuous and lively work, each gesture working to evoke the patina of the Anakie Rocks in Victoria rock – known to mineral collectors for their pseudo-brookite crystals, which formed during the cooling of the lavas. In Cuthbertson’s orchestra of stroke however, lie other evocations – music, nature, a forest from overhead. 

A revered artist, Cuthbertson was also a devoted art educator, closing his pedagogical career as a Senior Lecturer in art at Deakin University. A friend of Leonard French and Roger Kemp, his work is collectable and distinct, represented across public collections including at the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of South Australia. Whether you are an existing collector of Cuthbertson or an admirer of gestural abstraction, ‘Anakie Rocks No 23’ is a striking find. 

Arch CUTHBERTSON (1924 - 2001)
'Anakie Rocks No 23' 1987
acrylic on canvas
Image Size: 122 x 137 cm
Dimensions: 122 x 137 x 3 cm
Signed: Signed and dated lower right and on verso
 
Comes with Letter of Provenance
 
Condition: Very Good: Describes a work of art's image as Excellent, but may show some small signs of surrounding wear to paper or frame. There are no tears to paper margin or disruption to the paint surface.
 
(c) The Artist or Assignee