Rinder Subject II 1969

Editor: Here we have Sidney Nolan’s “Rinder Subject II” from the Tate Collection. It’s just charcoal on paper, but there’s something so raw and desolate about it. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a stark landscape, almost lunar, punctuated by death and resilience. The carcass, reduced to mere lines, speaks of harsh survival, but that lone, reaching plant? It's hope pushing through the void, isn’t it? Or maybe just stubborn life. Editor: Stubborn life. I like that. So even in decay, there’s a kind of… potential? Curator: Precisely! It's Nolan laying bare the bones of existence, then whispering, "But look, there's still something reaching for the light." Gives you goosebumps, doesn't it? Editor: It really does. I'll never look at charcoal the same way again. Curator: Nor will I. It is the art's magic, I reckon.