Nolan, Sir Sidney (1917-1992), was a distinguished Australian artist who painted many subjects from Australian history. Nolan became famous for his series of paintings featuring Ned Kelly, an Australian outlaw of the 1870’s who became a popular figure in the country’s folklore.
Nolan painted his first Ned Kelly picture in 1946. He typically portrayed Kelly as an isolated figure against a background of the Australian bush or desert. Nolan followed the Kelly paintings with his “Explorer” series. These paintings dealt with Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills, who died of starvation while exploring Australia’s rugged north country in 1861. Nolan also painted scenes of other parts of the world as well as subjects from classical mythology, but he remained best known for his Australian pictures.
Sidney Robert Nolan was born on April 22, 1917, in Melbourne. He studied at the art school of the National Gallery of Victoria. He became a full-time painter in 1938 and had his first exhibition in 1940. Nolan was also a stage designer and book illustrator. A collection of his poems, drawings, and paintings was published as Paradise Garden (1972). He was knighted in 1981. Nolan died on Nov. 28, 1992.
