John Olsen
NSW b.1928
Queensland Lily Pond 1994
Water colour on paper
BCEC Art Collection
John Olsen is one of Australia’s most celebrated artists, known for his use of vibrant colour, energetic lines, and expressive forms. Born in Newcastle in the 1920s, Olsen began painting in the 1940s and practiced in Australia before travelling to England and Europe, where he was exposed to numerous influences from the works of European modernist masters to English poetry and Zen philosophy.
On his return to Australia, Olsen developed a distinctive style that took inspiration from the Australian landscape and Indigenous mark-making traditions and combined these with the many ideas he engaged with overseas to create highly evocative, often surreal visions of Australia.
Queensland Lily Pond 1994 is an original work on paper that incorporates many of the key motifs that Olsen developed over his nearly eight-decade practice. Here, frogs, waterbirds and tropical vegetation radiate out from an intense, life affirming orange sun, against a backdrop of vivid yellow, arguably Olsen’s signature colour. Combining multiple perspectives, Olsen looks both into the pond, and toward the heavens, to capture the dynamic energy of life in the north.
Prior to the opening of the BCEC in 1995, Olsen was engaged to transpose Queensland Lily Pond into a design for the terrazzo floor that forms the centrepiece of the entry foyer. The result is a stunning 750 square meter landmark that provides a bold and colourful welcome to visitors. It has become acknowledged as an integral component of the BCEC Art Collection.
Queensland Lily Pond can be viewed on Foyer Level.