Murphy is not trying to create an exact record of the landscape – he allows the mood and atmosphere of a place to find distant echoes within his own sensibility.
. . .
What seems at first profoundly unnatural, is revealed as merely another way of portraying what is most natural – to get beneath the skin of appearances and unearth the fundamental character of the country. To be more literary, one might call it the genius loci – the spirit of place.
. . .
The colours Murphy uses are as much a product of his mind as they are of the landscape. In this sense he is more of a Symbolist than an Impressionist, relying on the ‘inner eye’ rather than the retina. He takes the data of the physical world and sifts through it, like a prospector panning for gold, seeking to capture what is most valuable. He is not merely responding to what he sees, but to the feelings a scene engenders in his own peculiar psyche – and I’m not using the word ‘peculiar’ in a derogatory manner.
John McDonald
From Original, Consistent, Bold and Unsung
Sydney Morning Herald
March 2023
This page is an archive of a past exhibition. Please note that works may no longer be available as shown and prices may be subject to change to reflect current market value. Please contact the gallery for assistance. Thank you.
