Swimmer 1967

Sidney Nolan made *Swimmer* with printmaking techniques. Isn't the way he's handled the colours amazing? That vivid blue that makes up most of the scene, the almost chalky texture of the marks. You can see Nolan was really thinking about the process of making the artwork, not just the end result. The colors create a kind of surreal emotional landscape. That brilliant red streak juxtaposed against the cooler blues and the darker grey gives the image a nervous energy. Look at the way the red seems to flow, like the swimmer is leaving a trail, or maybe trailing blood? Nolan's approach reminds me of some of Francis Bacon’s paintings. The two artists both were exploring the body in extremis and the experience of being human, and letting their own mark-making be visible for the viewer. Art, like life, is an ongoing experiment, and *Swimmer* captures that feeling perfectly.