Fred Cress Australian , 1938-2009

Lennox St. Gallery is pleased to offer, for private sale, Intimacy, an important painting by renowned Australian artist, Fred Cress (1938-2009).

Fred Cress, in the early 1990s, purchased a farmhouse in the south of France. The rural landscape, with its sweeping views and pastoral tranquility, would later become a defining influence in his works, punctuating into the ironic and humorous narrative of his figurative works.

Intimacy (1998) is a fascinating work that interrogates the complexities of human connection, and the Artist/Muse relationship, heightened in the context of a private, almost secluded space. The scene, most likely set in an outbuilding on Cress’s French property, sees the artist caught in a moment of deep, almost obsessive interaction with the subject of the painting.

The painting is given its force through the contrast between the two figures — the artist, a man with a thick, solid physique, dressed in modest clothing, and the subject, a woman whose slender, nude form is sharply contrasted by the artist's bulk. Her hair is long and curls at the tips, light in colour, cascading down her shoulders against his hair. Dark, scraggly, and oily. A wildness that contrasts with her serene composure. The woman's gaze is averted, her eyes turned to the side, suggesting an evasive quality, while the artist's gaze is unyielding, fixed firmly on her. This tension — the stillness of the subject versus the intensity of the observer — creates a powerful and intimate moment of voyeurism, longing, and the complexity of human relationships.

Through this juxtaposition, Cress explores the complex interplay between a physical presence and psychological distance, creating a scene that is both deeply personal and enigmatic. The rural, intimate setting allows the viewer to reflect on the dynamics of privacy, vulnerability, and the rawness of human interaction.