Fred Williams
Landscape with red fox
When Fred Williams returned to Australia in 1956 after further
studies in London he abandoned his early figurative painting in
favour of landscape painting. Williams not only succeeded in
his portrayal of the landscape but he also made an original
contribution to this tradition. Ignoring seasonal changes
until the 1970s Williams worked to portray what he perceived to be
a monotonous landscape without focal points using a palette in
which drab browns and earthy greens were dominant.
A meticulous craftsman, Williams worked intermittently on a
painting over several months. The landscape in which the red
fox has been captured is typical of some of Williams' Upwey
landscapes with its high horizon line and tilted flattened land
with abstract touches of paint that signify vegetation.