SIDNEY NOLAN: FOR THE TERM OF HIS NATURAL LIFE

In August 1978, Sidney Nolan created a series of 31 crayon pastel drawings based on the events of Marcus Clarke’s 1874 convict novel, For the Term of His Natural Life. This group of works, possibly created for a large format publication of Clarke’s novel, was another opportunity for Nolan to explore the human condition against the backdrop of Australian history – a subject which had permeated his oeuvre since he painted the Ned Kelly series 30 years earlier.

The rough, sometimes child-like drawings in Nolan’s Natural Life series evocatively captured the brutality faced by the convicts in Clarke’s novel. His sympathetic portrayal of convicts was at times at odds with the views of his contemporaries, reflecting a complex emotional state informed by personal upheavals and a deep concern about the human toll of twentieth century conflicts.

These works were presented together at Canberra Museum + Gallery for the first time in 20 years in 2024. For the Term of His Natural Life presents the opportunity for museums and galleries to tell both national and regional convict stories.

KEY THEMES: Convicts and Australian identity; Prologue Book 1 – The Sea, 1827; Book 2 – Macquarie Harbour, 1833; Book 3 – Port Arthur, 1838; Book 4 – Norfolk Island, 1846; and epilogue, Illustrating an Australian mythology.

Visitors are advised that this exhibition contains adult themes.