2. Constable Fitzpatrick and Kate Kelly 1970 - 1971

Curator: Here we have Sidney Nolan's "Constable Fitzpatrick and Kate Kelly." It's held at the Tate, and I find its raw emotionality quite compelling. Editor: Immediately, I notice the floral wallpaper. It's almost suffocating, and creates a really unsettling tension with the figures. Curator: Nolan's figures often feel deliberately awkward, don't they? The policeman's uniform seems to symbolize authority and control, yet he looks so uncomfortable. Editor: The policeman, frozen in place, becomes a representation of inflexible, almost cartoonish power. But the softness in Kate's face challenges that rigidity. Curator: It does make me consider how Nolan plays with Australian national identity, reimagining familiar narratives through this deliberately naive style. Editor: These are the archetypes of folklore. Nolan presents the story through a kind of collective memory, inviting us to reconsider the romanticized outlaw tale. Curator: So much to consider. Editor: Exactly, a perfect capture of how folk tales become visual echoes that shift and morph with each retelling.