Title

Sea piece [by Murray Griffin].

Author

Bunbury, Alisa

Source

[Not applicable]

Publication date

1998

Type

About the work

Language

English

Country of context

Australia

Full text

Sea piece.

Sea piece continues Griffin’s attention to the human figure. Three figures, each seemingly in their own world, dance on a sea shore, their raised arms creating a horizontal rhythm. The figures are simply defined, with little tonal detailing except for the male buttocks, which are shown tightening as he rises on his toes. While the male has a more monumental physique, the females with their flowing locks create a distinctly Art Nouveau feel. The seagulls above are defined by negative space with delicately applied colour on the wingtips, and the sea is similarly minimal, with no horizon, presented only by a few crests and increasing depth of colour. The significance of the original title has not been determined, but was probably changed to make the work more acceptable for later exhibitions. This work could be viewed in the context of contemporary interest in the benefits of nudity and outdoor dancing, and the artistic prevalence of naked mythological creatures, although interpretation remains difficult.

Multiple impressions of this work show varying density of inks of the same colour, suggesting that Griffin experimented in this case with the application of ink, rather than the inks themselves.

© Alisa Bunbury, 1998.