Exhibition Theme - Service

Dream of the latrine sitter

The work is painted quite thinly on the rough side of the hardboard. Nolan, a conscript at the time, was stationed at Dimboola in Victoria, where he was engaged in loading supplies onto railway wagons. He was fascinated by the vast fields of wheat and the endless blue skies. During this time, Nolan returned to painting landscapes and figures, although now using simplified forms. In the painting, the solitary figure, exposed to the elements, is shown to be both psychologically and physically vulnerable.

Oil on hardboard 45.6 x 122.2 cm
Painted in Dimboola, Vic, 1942
Acquired in 2001
Australian War Memorial
ART91645

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