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Provenance
The artist
Eight Bells Gallery, Gold Coast
Acquired from the above by the present owner circa 1972
Williams began the 'Upwey' series after he moved to the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges with his family in 1963. The series can be seen as a development from the 'You Yang', 'Yellow Landscape' and 'Hillside' works where he had already begun to demonstrate a new gestural freedom in his work.
'Upwey Landscape' is considered the pinnacle of Williams' landscapes; a language of 'dots and dashes' where individual trees and plants become an amalgamation of shapes and lines. There is an animated presence here where the foliage is lively and full of movement.
His house in Upwey was situated in a valley, with his studio view looking up which is demonstrated in this work by the characteristic narrow band of the sky. The vegetation in 'Upwey Landscape' is dense in the background and centre and fades towards the foreground. Williams would also tilt the picture frame to further this sense of perspective in an attempt to upturn the traditional manner of landscape painting.
'Upwey Landscape' was a result of a creative burst for Williams, where his own distinctive interpretation of the Australian landscape reached a pivotal point. The works from this series gained several major art prizes including the Georges Invitation Art Prize, the W.D and H.O Wills Prize and the Wynne Prize.