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Richard Larter

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

20 June - 14 September, 2008
National Gallery of Australia
Parkes Place, Canberra

This retrospective of Richard Larter's work shows his lifelong admiration for the female form while his work dating from the Vietnam War era reflects the political state of affairs and Larter's own opinions on war.

In First Hand Panorama WayLarter uses images and text to emphasise the suffering of children in war-torn countries. It also highlights his indignation at the readiness of the media to show graphic images detailing war but their aversion towards showing the beauty of the human form, which is a subject close to Larter's heart.

A recurring theme throughout Larter's exhibition is the female nude. There are many different paintings of women, especially of his late wife Pat Larter, who strongly believed that the female form should be revered and exposed. Five In A Row features Pat posed in graphic and vulnerable positions. However, Larter's interpretation of the theme is creative and colourful, making this piece bold but not obtrusive.

On the ground level of the exhibition you can view pages of Larter's collage books. His collage books were the source of inspiration for his artworks. Pat and Richard spent many an hour together creating these books from magazine, newspaper and book cuttings. In fact, they were so into collage that their house was covered from floor to ceiling in collage cuttings: a real living art gallery! It is interesting to see the original pictures that also acted as his muse.

Merija Gilbert-Puttock (viewed 22 June 2008)