|
1928-1929
Painting
oil on cardboard
110.5 x 82.5cm board; 137.2 x 109.5 x 10.9cm frame
Purchased with funds provided by the Art Gallery Society of New South Wales and James Fairfax AO 1991
1.1991
Art Gallery of NSW, Ground Level, Australian Art 20th Century Galleries, Court 4A
Further information
Throughout its construction and until its completion in 1932, the Sydney Harbour Bridge inspired many artists to redefine their visions of the city and the harbour by incorporating this new industrial monument. Grace Cossington Smith produced several works relating to the bridge including 'The curve of the bridge' which shows the massive structure in mid-construction, emerging from the shores of North Sydney. This painting is exemplary of Cossington Smith's fascination for the bridge as a dynamic work-in-progress.
In a powerful translation of forms through colour and light, the painting radiates optimism and energy - a celebration of modern engineering, and more broadly, the modern age. 'The curve of the bridge', and a similar drawing 'Circular Quay from Milson's Point' (1929), resulted from the many pencil studies Cossington Smith drew on site, which she inscribed with notes on colour, took back to her studio and transformed into her iconic expressions of Sydney's most enduring urban monument.
Bibliography
Periodical; Look; Jill Sykes (Australia); May 2009, 14, 'Years of enrichment: The society reaches another milestone' by Craig Bush, pg. 12-15.
Scholarly/Periodical; Art and Australia (Vol. 46, No. 3); Katrina Schwartz (Australia); 2009, 442 (colour illus.), 'Australianness: Daniel Thomas reflects on a lifetime spent on moving art beyond the margins' by Dinah Dysart, pg. 438-447.
Book Catalogue; Art Gallery of New South Wales: highlights from the collection; Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940); 2008, 92, 93 (colour illus.)
General/Book; Sydney Harbour Bridge: Idea to icon; Michael Moy (Australia); 2006, 49 (colour illus.)
Scholarly/Book; Bridging Sydney; Caroline Mackaness (Australia); 2006, 167 (colour illus.)
Exhibition catalogue; Grace Cossington Smith; Deborah Hart (South Africa; United Kingdom; Australia, b.1959); 2005, 39, 45, 130 (colour illus.), 131-133, 136, 140, 176, 'A distinctive vision' by Deborah Hart, pg. 26-55; 'The curve of the bridge' by Deborah Hart, pg. 130-133; 'Four panels for a screen: a feeling for the natural world' by Deborah Hart, pg. 134-137; 'Secular light and the curve of the chairs' by Deborah Edwards, pg. 138-143.
Scholarly/Book; S.A. Parker Framing Works; Paula Dredge, Margaret Sawicki (Australia), Stevan Miller (Australia), Lindsay Parker (Australia, b.1939, d.2003); 2004, 37 (illus.), 42 (colour illus.), 'Works in the collection with known Parker frames', pg. 27-68.
Periodical; Look: 1953-2003 celebrating 50 years; Jill Sykes (Australia); May 2003, 43 (colour illus.), 'Presenting our own artists: how the AGS put balance into the Australian collection' by Barry Pearce, pg. 42-44.
Newsletter; Foundation Newsletter #2; Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940); May 2003, 'Grace Cossington Smith's "Centre of a city" c1925' by Barry Pearce.
Scholarly/Book; Ghost nation: imagined space and Australian visual culture 1901-1939; Laurie Duggan (Australia); 2001, 113, (illus.), 'The Bridge', pg. 110-117., reproduced between pages 136-137
Newspaper; The Sydney Morning Herald; Paul McGeough (Australia); 02 Sep 2000, 11, 'Light fantastic' by Bruce James, pg. 11., NOTE: page 11 of Spectrum lift-out.
Newspaper; The Weekend Australian; Campbell Reid (Australia, active 1997-2001); 12 Aug 2000-13 Aug 2000, 1 (colour illus.), 4, 'Australian Icons: masters of the collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales' by Deborah Jones, pg. 1; 'Time makes its judgement' by Barry Pearce, pg. 2-3; 'Reflections on a nation's image' by Giles Auty, pg. 4., This colour supplement is a 'Review Special' published for the 'Weekend Australian'. It consists of a four-page, colour wrap-around for the 'Weekend Australian Review'. 'The Australian' was the media sponsor for the AGNSW Exhibition 'Australian Icons', for the Olympic Arts Festival 2000.
Newspaper; The Sydney Morning Herald; Paul McGeough (Australia); 01 Aug 2000, 14, 'To great and absent friends' by Peter Gotting, pg. 14., See Curator's Worksheet for copy of article.
Periodical; Australian artist; Editor Unknown; Aug 2000, 5 (colour illus.), 'Australian Icons at the Art Gallery of New South Wales', pg, 4-5.
Newspaper; Sun-Herald; Unknown (Australia); 30 Jul 2000, 9 (colour illus.), 'Taking sport out of the picture' by Jane Hampson, pg. 9., NOTE: page 9 of Sunday Metro lift-out
Educational kit; Enter Art; Lisa Slade, Rachael Kirsten (Australia); 2000, sheet number 4 (colour illus.), Education kit produced by the NSW Dept of Education and Training as teaching resource for primary school teachers.
Scholarly/Book; Australian painters of the twentieth century; Lou Klepac (Australia; Croatia, b.1936), Barry Pearce (Australia), Bruce James (Australia), John McDonald (Australia, b.1961), Peter Pinson (Australia, b.1943), Gavin Fry, Sasha Grishin AM (Australia), Deborah Hart (South Africa; United Kingdom; Australia, b.1959); 2000, 40 (colour illus.), 44, 'Grace Cossington Smith' by Bruce James, pg. 40-51.
Book; Australian art: in the Art Gallery of New South Wales; Barry Pearce (Australia); 2000, 104, 114, 115 (colour illus.), 302, 'Moderns' by Deborah Edwards, pg. 103-104.
Periodical; Look; Judith White (Australia); Aug 1999, 18, 'An icon of Sydney modernism' by Deborah Edwards and Vivienne Webb, pg.18-19.
Periodical; Look; Judith White (Australia); Apr 1999, cover (colour illus.), 5 (colour illus.), This image appearing on the cover is in detail.
General/Book; Art Gallery of New South Wales handbook; Bruce James (Australia), Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940); 1999, 102 (colour illus.), 141 (colour illus.), 'Australian Collection: Painting and Sculpture' by Bruce James, pg. 102-181., The image on pg. 102 is in detail.
Educational/Book; Art is ... making, creating and appreciating 2; Sandra Jane; 1999, 222 (colour illus.)
Periodical; Australian art collector; Susan Borham, Michael Hutak; Apr 1998-Jun 1998, 58 (colour illus.), 59, 'Private Pleasure, Public Gain - the influence of private collections' by Heather Johnson, pg. 58-61.
Exhibition catalogue; Southern Reflections: 10 contemporary Australian artists; Louise Sweetland (Australia), Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940), Elizabeth Cross (Australia, b.1943), Barry Pearce (Australia); 1998, 37 (colour illus.), 'An Introduction to Australian Art' by Barry Pearce, pg. 34-42., fig.no. 7
Educational/Book; Retailing Management - A Best Practice Approach; Bill Merrilees, Dale Miller; 1996, cover
General/Book; The Art Gallery of New South Wales collections; Ewen McDonald (Australia); 1994, 34, 35 (colour illus.), 'From Colonialism to late Modernism', pg. 7-106.
General/Book; The Encyclopedia of Australian Art; Alan McCulloch (Australia, b.1907, d.1992), Susan McCulloch (England; Australia, b.1949); 1994, 404 (colour illus.)
Exhibition catalogue; Great gifts, great patrons: an exhibition celebrating private patronage of the Gallery; Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874); 1994, no catalogue numbers
Periodical; Australian Journal of Art (vol. XI); Editor Unknown; 1993, 88-89, 'The problem of "gendered space": Roy de Maistre and Surrealism' by Heather Johnson, pg. 85-108.
Exhibition catalogue; 10 Masterpieces of Australian Painting; Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940); 1993, (colour illus.)
Exhibition catalogue; Art treasures: candidate citites for the 2000 Olympic Games: Beijing, Berlin, Brasilia, Istanbul, Manchester, Sydney; David Malouf (Australia), Barry Pearce (Australia), Hendrik Kolenberg (Netherlands; Australia, b.1946), Patricia McDonald, Hetti Perkins (Australia); 1993, 170, 171 (colour illus.), 'The curve of the bridge' by Deborah Edwards, pg. 170., cat.no. 6 Sydney
Scholarly/Book; Grace Cossington Smith; Bruce James (Australia); 1990, 83 (colour illus.), plate no. 38
Periodical; Art in Australia [series 3, no. 29]; Sydney Ure Smith (Australia, b.1887, d.1949), Leon Gellert; Sep 1929, (illus.), plate no. 26; "'The Bridge Curve' (in possession of Mrs G. MacDermott.)"
Exhibition venue
Title: Bridging Sydney
Organizer: Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales
Venue: Museum of Sydney
Opening: 16 Dec 2006
Closing: 29 Apr 2007
Title: Grace Cossington Smith: a retrospective exhibition (2005)
Organizer: National Gallery of Australia
Venue: Queensland Art Gallery
Opening: 11 Feb 2006
Closing: 30 Apr 2006
Venue: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Opening: 29 Oct 2005
Closing: 15 Jan 2006
Venue: Art Gallery of South Australia
Opening: 29 Jul 2005
Closing: 09 Oct 2005
Venue: National Gallery of Australia
Opening: 04 Mar 2005
Closing: 13 Jun 2005
Title: Australian icons: twenty artists from the collection
Organizer: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Venue: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Opening: 04 Aug 2000
Closing: 03 Dec 2000
Curator: Pearce, Barry
Title: Great gifts, great patrons
Venue: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Opening: 17 Aug 1994
Closing: 19 Oct 1994
Title: Art Treasures of Olympic Cities
Organizer: Lausanne Olympic Museum
Venue: Lausanne Olympic Museum
Opening: 22 Jun 1993
Closing: 03 Oct 1993
Title: An Exhibition of Paintings and drawings by Lionel T. Crawshaw, R.S.W., Mrs. Lionel Crawshaw and Grace Cossington Smith
Organizer: Walker's Galleries
Venue: Walker's Galleries
Opening: 22 Apr 1932
Closing: 12 May 1932
Title: Australian Art Quest
Organizer: State Theatre
Venue: State Theatre
|
