Norman Lindsay – Australia\’s Most Acclaimed Artist

Norman Lindsay is probably Australia’s best known and most famous artist. Often controversial, particularly in the 1930s, he was a prolific artist, cartoonist, author and sculptor.

The Lindsay family comprised ten children, of whom five were to become artists in their own right. Norman was born in 1879 in country Victoria, Australia and showed exceptional ability in drawing from quite an early age. His older brother Lionel had left home to work in Melbourne and Norman joined him when he was only sixteen to begin his career. These early days in Melbourne are recounted in his novel, Rooms and Houses.

In 1901, Norman and Lionel moved to Sydney, NSW, to work for the Bulletin newspaper and magazine, an association that continued almost to his death in 1969. He made his home at Faulconbridge, in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, where he bought a stone cottage on extensive grounds, which he renamed Springwood.

Lindsay had two marriages and five children. One son, Jack, set up a successful publishing house in England and became a noted author himself. A daughter Honey (Helen) was to convert the printmaking studio in the grounds of Springwood into a house for herself.

Known for his energy and capacity for work, Norman would usually work on different projects in various mediums at the same time. He worked quickly and so produced a prolific amount of work. When several of his paintings were deliberately destroyed by fire in the US, he simply said ”I’ll do some more” and proceeded to do so. He was capable of completing a watercolor painting before he had his breakfast.

As a break from his frenetic working pace, he would often build model ships, having been inspired after seeing intricate models while in London. His models were true to scale and detail and he even made lead figures for them, from oil paint tubes. In addition to all these pursuits, he found the time to build the additions to his home, design and decorate furniture, build roman columns and concrete planters for the garden. House parties were a popular pastime and he frequently had a houseful of friends and models.

His first book was completed in 1913 and his famous children’s book The Magic Pudding was published in 1918. The Magic Pudding is still in print, and is as popular today as it was then. It has been translated into four languages and is regarded as a literary classic. He wrote several more novels and made propaganda and recruitment posters for the government during World War I.

By the 1920s, Lindsay had become most proficient and prolific in a variety of mediums, including pen and ink, etching, watercolors, woodcuts and sculpture. His style developed into a mix of fantasy and Bohemia, much criticized in the 1930s as indecent and blasphemous. His Bulletin cartoons were distinctly politically incorrect and often disrespectful, but the frankness and vitality of his work was an expression of his own personality.

The former home of Norman Lindsay at Faulconbridge is now a museum dedicated to the man and his craft. Many of his original works are housed there, in the house and the gardens, which are open for visitors seven days a week.

Norman Lindsay provides you the unique works of art that will make your home unique. When you include Norman Lindsay paintings in your home decor, you will add an extra level of classic elegance and beauty easily and effortlessly.