Humour of the Heart – Michael Leunig

(Image: Field Figure Steve Lopes oil on board, 30 x 40cm)

DATES
Exhibition dates: Feb 18, – Mar 8, 2021
Official opening: Feb 21, 3 pm – 5 pm, 2021

Steve Lopes’ interest in the tension between figure and landscape remains at the heart of the artist’s latest work. A woman crouches in front of an abandoned swing set; a barefoot man goes on his morning run; a lone lady meanders through a thicket of trees. Using his signature expressive brushstrokes and rich colour palette, Lopes breathes life into the stories of these figures, and the seaside town of Queenscliff in which they are at times depicted, presenting what is perhaps, his boldest, most confident body of work yet.

Steve Lopes is an Australian painter and printmaker, known predominantly for his figurative paintings and portraits. He has been a finalist in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize, Black Swan Prize and Percival Portrait Painting Prize. In 2018 Lopes was the recipient of the esteemed Gallipoli Art Prize. He has studied, worked and exhibited locally and internationally, with over 35 solo exhibitions across Australia, London and Hong Kong. Lopes’ work is held in the National Gallery of Australia, the Parliament House Collection and other public institutions and private