JOHN DENT : Between Two Countries

About

An exhibition of paintings by Melbourne artist John Dent from earlier in his ongoing career, painted both in Australia and France; showing at Lauraine Diggins Fine Art from 15 May 2021. Preview the exhibition online and download a colour illustrated catalogue with essay.

The paintings are lyrical with a complex colour palette and carefully considered compositions. The streetscapes and interiors of France depict the many strange contrasts of Parisian life. The series of intriguing still-lifes relate to a large painting by Dent in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria, Le Dejeuner (The Lunch) and culminating in his magnum opus, the triptych Natura Morta - Marta.

With the early guidance and support of key figures in Australian art, including George Baldessin, Roger Kemp, John Olsen and Fred Williams, Dent was encouraged in his art career, including painting, gouache and skilful prints, particularly mastered at the premier printing studio in France, Lacouriere.

This exhibition, Between Two Countries, focuses on Dent's oil paintings - still life, with a diverse range of objects placed at unexpected relationships to each other, asking the viewer to reconsider a narrative out of the ordinary; Parisian scenes from the romantic to the unexpected; and figurative works which rather than focus on the subject are perhaps more about the act of painting itself.