Queer Views: New Perspectives on the Collection

My favourite part of this painting is the lusciousness of the women’s bodies. They look strong and positively juicy. The central figure is confident and assured, completely in command despite being nude among a crowd of people. She knows in her bones how amazing she is, she owns her beauty and strength.

There’s a deep sensuality to this painting that I can’t ignore. The skin of the revelers seems to glow from within, their clothing has such texture. You can almost smell the smoke from the burning ruins in the background. This looks like one heck of a party.

Norman Lindsey

Who Conquers Fear

1945

Oil on canvas

I was shocked to learn that this piece is nearly 100 years old. The bold, berry shades and strong lines look so modern that I was fooled into thinking The Rose is much newer than it is.

The romance of this work is what stands out to me. The tenderness of two heads bowed together, the gentle expression in the eyes of the woman on the right as she offers the rose. The flush of warmth on their cheeks. There’s an intimacy here, a closeness more than mere proximity.

Thea Proctor

The rose

1927

Hand coloured woodcut on paper

Upon seeing this painting, my immediate thought was “This gentleman has struck up a conversation with this woman, completely oblivious to the fact that she’s here with her girlfriend”. The knowing expression on the woman in black seems to say, “He’s barking up the wrong tree”.

The painting subtly suggests intimacy between the two women – there’s proximity and physical contact, but distance between them and the gentleman. The woman in yellow wears only one glove, on the hand closest to the gentleman. Her bare hand is nearest her companion, perhaps a wink to her willingness to be vulnerable with her.

George Bell

The Conversation

1910

Oil on canvas

 This is a picture of me. Or at least a version I tried to be. Debbonaire, refined, the right sort of man. Happy, I guess. Everything was considered. Attire and smile, the scarf draped unevenly, the crowd placed at a distance. The colourful, excitable crowd. The clothes, shadow-like, make him stand out… but he’s trying to hide everything; making the world muted. Look closely at his face, do you see it? I think it’s a tear.

The first time I saw this artwork in the flesh, the curator said, “It needs some conservation”. Turns out I needed some conservation too.

Napier Waller

The man in black

1925

Linocut on paper

“wild dances”

standing on the precipice
I am terrified
scared
unsure
what will happen

from this great mountain top
I can see the valley below
filled with wild flowers

             soft green grass
             warm and inviting
     sun gleaming
     calling me to dance

but I hesitate
I won’t know
what’s ahead
until I take
the first step

             step
             into the unknown
   hear the longing
     calling me
             to see myself
     and join the wild dance

This poem was first published by #enbylife Journal

Milan Milojevic

Portrait with flowers (after WB Gould)

2019

Archival pigment print on paper

The sun kissing my arms, my face, my legs, I couldn’t stop spinning. Turning to a waltz only the cicadas could hear. Even lying in the shade, the dance went on. I was wearing a dress.

I was wearing a dress.

My eyes closed in the warm sun, savouring the moment; crystalising it in my mind forever. A content smile permeates my whole being. This was who I really was. A secret I had long known but had remained unspoken. And it would remain unspoken for a time.

But in this moment, this girl just gets to be.

Emmanuel Phillips Fox

A love story

1903

Oil on canvas

I spy with my little eye an artwork of a head in the sky. At that altitude I'm surprised it's dry. when sad i wonder how many tears they'd cry. Perhaps this being is a little shy...or maybe they're high? 

I'm not one to pry. 

bye.  

Deborah Klein

Eyes Everywhere

1997

Linocut on paper

 viewing this piece my mind goes to symbolism immediately. This "average man" with an ominous shadow behind could be symbolic of invisible illness. Everything may seem average and normal on the surface but real hardships are those which follow. invisible illness and disabilities are real. never assume something based on appearances. 

Noel Counihan

The shadow

1986

Lithograph on paper

i feel like i know these people... gossips, dishing the latest about their local scene.

complaining. whinging. blaming. criticizing. judging. scrutinising... all the while offering zero contribution to the community they claim to be proud to be part of.

I wonder if the wine was a nice drop.  

Robert Dickerson

Glass of Wine 

1999

Hand coloured lithograph on paper