John Coburn is regarded as one of Australia’s best-known and most recognisable abstract artists. His work continues to be widely collected and celebrated for its exquisite visual power and mythological narrative quality. On the surface, Coburn’s paintings embody a harmony of organic forms, rich colour, and compelling flatness. Looking deeper, they channel a spiritual energy through quasi-religious themes and iconographic stories that are at once human, divine, and earthly.

Coburn’s artistic mission was to create a distinctly Australian abstract visual language—one that drew together Western European culture, Roman Catholic symbolism, Jewish and Aboriginal spirituality, and the natural world. His Tree of Life motif, often depicted in the form of a menorah, evokes interconnectedness, renewal, and the unity of all creation. His international influences included Matisse, Miró, Mondrian, Picasso, and Rothko. His agnostic contemporaries watched with fascination as Coburn pursued his holy abstractions with conviction. Fellow artist Charles Blackman observed: “John Coburn… strives for the ideal. His commitment to the organic shape of his religious feeling has been unfailing.”

Through this lifelong pursuit, Coburn forged a radiant visual theology—one that continues to illuminate the spiritual dimension of Australian art.

John COBURN (1925 - 2006)
'Orange Landscape' c 1971
oil on canvas on board
Image Size: 55 x 76 cm
Dimensions: 75 x 95 x 4 cm
Signed: Signed lower right: Coburn

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) John Coburn / Copyright Agency