Gift of the Valerie & John Ryan Trust 2015 and Les Renfrew Bequest 2015. Newcastle Art Gallery Collection

Tony Tuckson (1921-1973) is regarded as one of the greatest of Australian artists.

His work from the 1950s is known for the depiction of his world, family and friends, the still lives of the dining room and kitchen, nudes, and studio interiors. They are bold and often brightly coloured with a preference for pink and blue but frequently featuring a strong black line defining objects.

At the same time a series of abstract paintings began to occur in Tuckson’s oeuvre. As Deputy Director of the Art Gallery of NSW, he was afforded the privileged position of being at the coalface of the Abstract Expressionist movement. With his exposure to cutting edge works being produced by contemporary practitioners in America, he became part of and participated in the beginnings of the movement as it was unfolding in the States. TP91 was produced and marks the transition Tuckson’s move towards abstraction.

Tuckson’s abstract works became more loose and free in their execution. Many are painted on newspaper, an inexpensive and readily available surface on which to work out ideas that were obviously coming thick and fast. TP91 is an early work and documents his experimentation with mediums whereby he was mixing PVA into his painting pigments to suspend them onto the canvas. It presents a richness and depth of color that has been built up from multiply layers of under-painting and amassed expressive line work.

Information source : Newcastle Art Gallery