| Place | Middle East: Ottoman Empire, Turkey, Dardanelles, Gallipoli |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | ART19580 |
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | Framed: 104.5 cm x 135 cm x 25 kg; Unframed: 91.4 cm x 122.2 cm |
| Object type | Painting |
| Physical description | polyvinyl acetate on hardboard |
| Maker |
Nolan, Sidney |
| Date made | 1959-60 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial
This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
|
Gallipoli
Description
Crouching soldier wearing plumed hat. In both technique and style, Gallipoli is similar to works created by Nolan in the late 1950s for the Leda and the swan series. In both series Nolan explores mythical subjects related to the Trojan War: Zeus, disguising himself as the swan, had raped Leda as she was bathing; from this union sprang Helen, whose abduction by the Trojan prince Paris sparked a Greek expedition to retrieve her.
The Leda imagery reappears here in the crouching figure. The paint is scraped back to reveal an Australian soldier, naked but for a slouch hat, yet poised to do battle.