Neil Douglas was a respected modernist potter and painter whose artistic career spanned much of the 20th century. Born in New Zealand in 1911, Douglas moved to Australia to study at the National Gallery School of Art, where he trained in painting before becoming increasingly absorbed in pottery.

In 1944, Arthur Boyd, John Perceval and Peter Herbst established the AMB Pottery in Melbourne, a venture that would become an important part of Australia's post-war studio pottery movement. Douglas, who had been working at the studio for some time, purchased Herbst's share in 1950, becoming closely involved in its development.

Following the eventual closure of the pottery in the early 1960s, Douglas moved from Melbourne to Kangaroo Ground, returning to painting, the discipline that had first shaped his artistic practice. His first solo exhibition followed at Toorak Gallery in 1964.

Later, Douglas settled in Nhill, in Victoria's remote Wimmera region, where the expansive, open landscape became an enduring source of inspiration. He painted with increasing frequency, often spending extended periods camping in the bush and observing the natural world at close quarters.

It is likely from this later period that Cockatoo Landscape emerged. A large and compelling work, the painting presents an expansive, seemingly endless plain beneath a brooding, overcast sky. Scattered throughout the low scrub are dozens of cockatoos, their forms delicately suggested through light, feathered brushstrokes.

At first glance, the scene appears almost surreal: an unlikely congregation of birds across an otherwise sparse and seemingly desolate landscape. Yet it speaks to the rhythms of the natural environment. Following rain, crested cockatoos are known to gather across open plains to forage for plant bulbs and roots, digging into the earth with their powerful beaks. For Douglas, a passionate environmentalist and keen observer of nature, this gathering offered an opportunity to find beauty in an otherwise easily overlooked natural phenomenon.

Cockatoo Landscape is an unusual and significant painting that brings together Douglas's modernist sensibility, painterly refinement and deep attentiveness to the Australian environment. Its scale, distinctive subject and sensitive treatment of light and atmosphere make it a particularly engaging example of his return to painting.

A work of considerable character, it would be a meaningful addition to a collection of Australian modern art.

Neil DOUGLAS (1911 - 2003)
'Untitled (Cockatoo Landscape)'
oil on canvas
Image Size: 91 x 121 cm
Dimensions: 108 x 138 x 5 cm
Signed: Signed 'Neil Douglas' lower right.
Comes with Letter of Provenance
Condition: Good:  there is some crazing in the paint surface
(c) The Artist or Assignee