Ken Whisson
Urban Daytime
Ken Whisson studied at Swinburne Technical College before
becoming a pupil of Danila Vassilieff in 1945-1946. Whisson's
distinctive style has remained remarkably consistent and
recognisable since the 1970s.
In Urban Daytime, which was painted before the artist settled in
Perugia, Italy in 1977, Whisson has used sombre colours to depict
an urban environment that is relieved only by the blue sky and the
flash of gold on the figure. Interested in the
reinterpretation of shape, everything Whisson has depicted in this
image appears different from the reality we expect to see - the
shadows do not fall where they ought to and the tree is smaller
than the human figure - all with subtly disquietening results.