The Watch Tower 1978 - 1979

Curator: It's interesting how the figure perches on the edge, almost disconnected from the landscape. Editor: The image before us is Sir Sidney Nolan's "The Watch Tower," held in the Tate Collections. It's striking how Nolan uses loose brushstrokes, almost as if daubing the paint onto the canvas. The medium itself, the layering of paint, creates a textured surface. Curator: Indeed. And the figure’s uniform—its symbolism seems to stand in sharp contrast to the hazy landscape. The watch tower is an ancient symbol of power and vigilance but here it feels… lost. Almost melancholic. Editor: Agreed. There's a definite tension. The raw materiality of the paint versus the implied weight of colonial authority. It begs the question of how the means of representation shape our understanding of power structures. Curator: Perhaps it's about how such symbols persist, how they’re remembered—or forgotten—within the Australian psyche. Editor: Yes. The tension between the rough, almost crude application of paint and the charged imagery speaks volumes about the complexities of representation. Curator: Food for thought, indeed. Editor: Absolutely. A fascinating piece.