The Finale (1930) – SOLD

A beautiful watercolour full of sumptuous colour and activity, “The Finale” is inspired by Norman Lindsay’s love of the theatrical.

Depicting a crescendo moment, Lindsay portrays a debonair Cavalier who commands the attention of the ensembled cast and audience as he basks in the pleasure and triumph of his final accolade. The cavalier holds the hand of a young damsel, who coyly joins him to revel and share in the golden moment.

This watercolour also displays Lindsay’s incredible skill with the watercolour medium, and his careful and daring application of watercolour paint pigments, a technique he emulated from the great Australian watercolourist William Blamire Young.

Norman always completed a detailed pencil drawing of every work before embarking on the watercolour and he carefully calculated the order in which he would drop his watercolour pigments into the preliminary watercolour wash, so that the colours would remain beautiful, vibrant and clear. Painted when he was 51 years old “The Finale” is a fine and detailed example of Lindsay’s watercolour technique, both in its freshness, lush colour, and detailed subject matter.

The subject is typical of Lindsay with an emphasis on the dramatic, and showing his fascination with the female form and feminine mystique.

Lindsay’s skill at depicting drapery and fine fabrics is also very evident in this work. He often embellished his models with beautiful gowns and headpieces to evoke a sense of drama and to heighten the emotion and beauty of his compositions.

Watercolours by Norman Lindsay of this detail, size and excellent condition very rarely surface for sale and this is an excellent example of his mastery of watercolour.