In the Cave 1957

Sidney Nolan made this painting, In the Cave, and just look at how he's brushed the paint in broad strokes. It's like he's carving out space, isn't it? The colors are earthy, browns and ochres, like the cave itself. Then, these figures appear, almost like ghosts. One is striped, like a prisoner, the other all in white lines, hovering. There's a roughness to the painting, a sense of urgency. Nolan doesn't seem interested in perfect representation, but in capturing a feeling, an atmosphere. See how the white figure is almost dissolving into the ground? It’s as if it's not really there, a vision maybe? Nolan’s rawness reminds me of some of the earlier expressionists, or maybe even cave paintings themselves. It's about feeling, not just seeing.