Sir Sidney Nolan
Sir Sidney Nolan, (1917-91). Australian painter, whose works were inspired by Australian folklore and landscapes. Nolan was born in Melbourne, the son of a tram driver. Largely self-taught, he became a full-time painter in 1938 and gave an exhibition of abstracts in 1940. He painted his first Australian landscapes during army service in World War II and in 1946 became famous with his Ned Kelly series, which depict the out-law in an intentionally naive style. He followed this success with a series based on the first explorers of the Australian interior. In the early 1950s he travelled widely in Europe and Africa. Despite settling in London in 1954, he continued to specialize in Australian subjects. He also designed for the stage and produced illustrations for books, including a volume of his own poetry. Nolan was knighted in 1981.
