Blog
Ivor Hele Australian Artist
It is not often I come across a new artist that knocks my socks off. I mean someone I never heard of before.... at all. Ivor Hele was one of the most productive Australian artists in their history completing more commissioned works than any other artist in the country to that time. He is primarily known as a war artist stationed in North Africa and then New Guinea during WWII, He later drew with Australian troops in Korea. After the war, though he became a bit of a recluse, doing commissioned portraits ( Winning the top Australian prize for portrature, The Archibald prize, five times ) and many drawings and paintings of his second wife, all nudes from what I have seen. These intimate drawings seem to be viewed as a release from depicting what must have been the horrors of war in his earlier career. Little is seen of his work outside of Australia from what I can dig up.
His drawing especially appeals to me. I see a very lithe, languid and sensuous drawing style in much of his portraits of single figures. In his war drawings a very earthy workman like quality shows up where the toil and energy expended in the scene are very evident. His drawing style most reminds me of D. Cornwell, F. Brangwyn, N. Fechin and R. Fawcett
I can find only two published works curently available:
1.) Ivor Hele, A Productive Artists published 2002 Wakefield Press
Focusing on his post war figure work
2.) Ivor Hele The Heroic Figure published 1997 AWM
Published by the Australian War Memorial Which holds the bulk of his war art.










8 Responses to Ivor Hele Australian Artist
Leave a Comment