Russell Drysdale Easel Sculpture

One of the most important and distinctive Australian artists of the 20th Century, Sir Russell Drysdale, came to West Wyalong in 1949 with his lawyer friend John Nagle (who was working on a case here). Drysdale made sketches in court to pass the time. He also made a sketch of the Main Street while standing in front of the Tattersall’s Hotel, which became the subject of one of his most powerful paintings “West Wyalong”. He was inspired to paint “West Wyalong” while standing outside under the verandah of the hotel at half-past six in the evening, and with everyone gone home for tea recalls how deserted the street was with the exception of a light coming from the Greek café down the street. You can see the bronze and stainless steel bas-relief sculpture based on Sir Russell Drysdale’s 1949 painting of the town’s main street outside the Tattersall Hotel. The bas-relief, commissioned by Bland Shire Council from Sydney artists “Gillie and Marc”, was sponsored by the local Barrick Cowal Gold Mine and is in the form of a painting (rendered in bronze) on an easel. It sits on the corner of the hotel from which the artist actually sketched the famous silent street scene.