Author(s): Patrick McCaughey

Art | Summer Reading Guide 2024/25

A generous and insightful glimpse into the private life and creative process of a giant of Australian landscape painting Fred Williams kept a daily diary from 1963 until his death in 1982. Disciplined and meticulous, he recorded life in the studio, family life and his contact with artists, dealers and the art world-a page per day. At the beginning and end of each year, Williams would reflect on his progress, noting the ups and downs and plan for the coming year. The diaries contain studied reflections on his own art and offer an intimate picture of a major Australian artist at work. He maps out his work-small representations of what will become notable and important artworks-and makes comments about his contemporaries, with the occasional sharp judgement and snatch of art-world gossip, all notably without malice. The 1960s were crucial years for Williams. He moved from being a well-regarded painter to becoming a major Australian artist. Colour reproductions of his extraordinary paintings reveal their evolution and the struggles behind their making in his studio. The Diaries of Fred Williams is a generous and insightful glimpse into the private life and creative process of a giant of Australian landscape painting.