Brian Dunlop once described the interior as a mind “inhabited by thoughts and objects”. This notion permeates ‘Pouring Tea’, in which a child is caught gingerly pouring tea. Painted in his Port Fairy Studio, it features a neighbour’s granddaughter, who frequently appears in Dunlop’s work.

The magic of ‘Pouring Tea’ lies in its subject’s unawareness. How do we act when no-one is looking? What are the moments that make up childhood, that chart our transition from naive to knowing? Despite its visual simplicity, ‘Pouring Tea’ is psychically rich. Beside the mug, sit vases of roses, perhaps metaphoric of the transient beauty of youth.

Awash with sunlight, ‘Pouring Tea’ is redolent of domesticity and childhood innocence. It recalls Dutch Baroque interior scenes, which too perceived the indoors as reflective of our inner-self. Among Australia’s most celebrated figurative artists, Dunlop’s work beams with a quiet grace, lit by an eternal sun. It will enrich collections of figurative art, interior scenes and important Australian art.
 

Brian DUNLOP (1938 - 2009)
'Pouring Tea'
archival pigment print on paper
Edition of 250
Image Size: 65 x 81 cm
Dimensions: 82 x 91 cm
Signed: Bears a facsimile of the artist’s signature and a studio stamp from the Estate of the Artist lower right; inscribed with edition number and title in pencil in margin below image.
Comes with Letter of Provenance
Availability: in stock
Condition: As New
© The Artist or Assignee