4. Quilting the Armour 1970 - 1971

Editor: So, this is Sir Sidney Nolan's "Quilting the Armour." The flat perspective and stark contrasts create an almost dreamlike, unsettling quality. What sort of cultural weight do you see in this image? Curator: The armour, unnaturally black, held by a figure with an unnervingly direct gaze, speaks to a severance of protection. The landscape itself—parched, sparse—mirrors this vulnerability. Does it evoke a sense of Australian mythology undone for you? Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way, but I see what you mean.