John Rigby

6th March - 1st April

Exhibition and Book Launch

A new exhibition of tropical landscapes, genre works and a selection of paintings from the book Art and Life.

Book signing, Saturday 6th March 2004
Exhibition Opening Night, Tuesday 9th March 2004

John Rigby Art and Life

John Rigby has frequently quoted the words of Andre Gide (1897): ‘It isn't enough to read the sand is soft, I must feel it with my bare feet. All knowledge that is not preceded by sensation is useless'. Naturally for a painter it is visual sensation that has primacy.

Although Rigby has always been regarded as a representational artist he rightly asserts that: ‘All art is abstract. One selects, excludes, generalises with Balance, Rhythm, Movement and Tension. Many decisions I make in a painting are intuitive.' One of the most remarkable changes over the years is that the somber hues of the 1950s have been replaced with intense, vibrant colour.

His native-born fascination with his home state brings with it an intimacy and warmth to his landscapes. His palette is strong and his compositions bold.

Changes in his art have occurred over the years – paintings that we hold here at the Gallery reveal the breadth of his interest. Rigby's use of colour is well known and admired and its application became a unique celebration of nature itself. A film made for the Queensland Art Gallery of John's painting at Palmwoods, Queensland, showed how true this is.

John Rigby has served the arts community well. As a Trustee of the Queensland Art Gallery from 1969 to 1987 he helped guide its move from the old Gregory Terrace building to temporary premises and then to purpose-build accommodation on the Southbank of the Brisbane River. He acted as head of Fine Arts at the Queensland College of Art from 1974 to 1984. In recognition for his services to the Arts he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Griffith University in 1994.

But it is his achievement as an artist that will leave a permanent mark on Queensland and Australian art. Rigby has been exhibiting his work since 1941. His service in World War II provided him with the opportunity to study at the East Sydney Technical College (1948 to 1950) with fellow artist and long-time friend Jon Molvig. Rigby held his first solo exhibition at The Johnstone Gallery, Brisbane, in 1954 and in 1955, he was awarded the Dante Alighieri Socity /Italina Government Travelling Art Scholarship for a year's painting and study in Italy.

It was an exciting time for young artists in Brisbane during these years as the art scene was especially vital. Rigby established his reputation with a series of painting prizes from the mid 1950s to early 1970s. These included the Australian Women's Weekly Art Prize (Portraits0; the H.C. Richards Prize, Brisbane; the Sulman Prize, Sydney' the Melrose Prize, Adelaide; and many others.

The landscape of Queensland, its tropical north, Australia's center, together with his many overseas trips have provided the panorama of subjects and themes that represent a distinguished career. Genre subjects, portraiture, and even abstraction have all been significant in John's art.

DOUG HALL
Director, Queensland Art Gallery

Papa Beach, Savaii Samoa - 1989, Oil on Canvas, 83 x 91cm