Painting

Oil on board

Kevin Connor’s works powerfully represent the effort of living. The beauty of his painting and drawing lies in the sensitivity with which he has portrayed the vulnerability of being human. Connor has frequently depicted fragile figures set against severe, urban landscapes.

In Summer Morning Connor has represented two people in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Although the bridge and scene are intentionally ugly, Summer Morning is a strikingly romantic painting. You cannot imagine the couple apart. If either figure were removed from the picture it would not work.

Summer Morning belongs to Connor’s Haymarket series, which he begun in 1963. The Haymarket paintings were typified by isolated figures in inner Sydney settings. In this series the figures were rendered which fluid brushy marks against linier backgrounds.