Australian modernist Dorothy Braund pursued simplicity. As she described, it “knocked” her out – “there’s no chance for accidental effects. If you are simple everything has to relate and work” – an ethos that produced work that was more musical than literal, hymns about people, places and activities.

Braund found formal opportunities everywhere she looked, including in a pair of low-slung jeans. Painted in 1977, ‘Jeans I’ captures a gang of denim wearers – they are cool and anonymous, symbols of the times. Playing with the graduation of material, swing of hips and strips of exposed back, Braund’s figure painting is observed with wit and intelligence. As art critic Bernard Shaw observed of Braund’s work in 1964, it is “linked with a shrewd and civilised eye for the bizarre and comical” – simple does not necessitate seriousness.

Represented across state collections including at the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of South Australia, Braund was a key figure in Australian modernism. She was a member of the George Bell School and the only woman to exhibit alongside Charles Blackman and his compatriots at the 1953 Herald Art Show. Masterly in her own way, she is an essential – and joyous – addition to collections of modern, still life and female artists.

Dorothy BRAUND (1926 - 2013)
'Jeans I' 1977
Gouache on paper
Image Size: 41 x 52 cm
Dimensions: 66 x 74 x 3 cm
Signed: Signed dated lower right: Braund 77
 
Comes with Letter of Provenance
 
Condition: Very Good
 
(c) Dorothy Braund / Copyright Agency