In 1953, John Coburn visited a travelling exhibition called French Painting Today at the Art Gallery of NSW. He went on to say, ‘From that time on, I became a committed abstractionist.’ He loved the work of Matisse, Picasso and Leger.

These couple of paintings show his precise, clear and deliberate style. His aim was to create images which reflected his emotions and feelings about nature and the landscape.

A river, and a bend.

| John Coburn, Brisbane River, 1970, acrylic on canvas, 153 x 183 cm |

| John Coburn, Bend, 1970, gouache on paper |

Julia Ritson