Solar split by Barrie Goddard, 1970

Transcript

The title of the artwork is Solar split by Barrie Goddard. It was made in 1970. The artwork is made of synthetic polymer paint on canvas. It is approximately 2 metres high by 2 metres wide and hung as a diamond with each corner of the work in the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions. The work has a thin silver aluminium frame. 

In the centre of the artwork, a large circle of two muted colours appears to be touching to the edges of the painting. Between the outer circle and the corners of the diamond, the colour of the background is dark grey.

The colour in the top half of the circle is blue and fades as it gets towards the middle. 

Towards the top of this section, there are two symbols like a V shape, loosely drawn with squiggly lines. They are placed above and below each other. The top V shape is blue, and the bottom V shape is purple. 

The colour in the bottom half of the circle is purple and fades as it gets towards the middle. 

In the middle of the circle and on top of where the blue and purple faded colours meet, is an orange oval placed horizontally. On top of this oval is a dark blue outline of a diamond. The lines of this diamond are loosely drawn and thick. It is outlined in a light blue line. On each flat edge of this diamond, there is a fine squiggly line alternating in blue and purple, which extends to the edge of the orange oval. 

In the corner, at the 3’o’clock position, the artist has signed his full name in capital letters, as well as the date of the artwork’s creation, ‘JAN 1970’ in a light purple paint. 

Barrie Goddard is widely regarded as one of South Australia’s foremost landscape artists. He taught at the South Australian School of Art from 1963 to 1996 and was appointed Head of Painting in 1985. A significant contributor to the Hard-Edge movement in Australia, his paintings are held in numerous public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Australia. Across more than six decades, Goddard has established an extensive body of work exploring a range of themes and disciplines, underpinned by a sustained interest in our impact on the natural world and the interaction of colour and form. 

This artwork is currently in the collection of the University of Sydney Union.