In this enigmatic woodblock print, Ian Armstrong carves the face of a woman. The work recalls expressionist printmaking of the mid-twentieth century – bold, refined and stylised. In works like this – intimate, simple, graphic – a deep understanding of composition and form, like that held by Armstrong, proves critical.

A close friend and colleague of artists Fred Williams and Harry Rosengrave, Armstrong was a member of the influential George Bell School. His work crossed landscapes, portraiture and still life, united by an intuitive, modernist grasp of form and composition. There is a musicality to Armstrong’s vision, reflective of an artist who pursued his “own peculiar idea of the world, his own way of thinking and feeling.”

Armstrong’s work can be found across public institutions, including at the National Gallery of Victoria, National Gallery of Australia and Art Gallery of New South Wales. For collectors of prints, portraits and Australian modernism, this is a compelling discovery.

Ian ARMSTRONG (1923 - 2005)
'Dark' 1977
Woodblock on paper
Edition of 10
Image Size: 27 x 19 cm
Dimensions: 38 x 25 cm
Signed: Editioned, signed, and dated below image.

Comes with Letter of Provenance

Condition: Very Good: Describes a work of art's image as Excellent, but may show some small signs of surrounding wear to paper or frame. There are no tears to paper margin or disruption to the paint surface.

(c) The Artist or Assignee