Flowers c. 1968 - 1970

Sidney Nolan made this flower painting on a sheet, and I’m immediately drawn to the brushstrokes that seem to dance across the surface, their purple and red hues mixing and mingling. I can just imagine Nolan, brush in hand, making a swift gesture, each stroke carrying a rhythm. You know, sometimes, staring at a painting like this, I feel like I’m right there with the artist, feeling the push and pull of the brush against the surface, guided by a sort of intuition. It’s not about perfection but about something in the moment, a kind of freedom, a sense of letting go, that artists like Nolan were so good at expressing. The way he lets the paint drip and bleed adds to this feeling. It is as though the work has been released into the world, and the brushstrokes are like a language that speaks to the soul.