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Neptune's Playground

Date1998

Object number00032411

NamePainting

MediumOil on canvas, framed

DimensionsOverall: 1130 x 1450 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Kevin Weldon

Terms

DescriptionAn oil painting by Ian Hansen titled 'Neptune's Playground'. The seascape depicts the rolling waves of the Tasman Sea. The painting was made from a sketch done in the Tasman Sea when Ian Hansen was sailing on the yacht ENCHANTRESS on a delivery voyage from Auckland, New Zealand to Sydney in August/September 1997. The painting was inspired by a sketch of conditions on the voyage on 9 September.HistoryIan Hansen is a popular late 20th century maritime artist working in Australia. His work is quite traditional in representation and form, his choice of subjects ranging from ship portraits to historical reconstructions of maritime events. Born in South Australia in 1948 Hansen joined the Navy aged 15, serving for 12 years. This nutured his long standing love of maritime painting. He won his first award in the local art competition 'Wide Bay and Burnett District Art Award' aged 13 with a watercolour he painted when he was 11. On leaving the Navy he pursued a career as an artist specialising in maritime views. Although he had no formal art training he studied the works of noted maritime artists and often visited John Allcot's studio in North Sydney to watch him at work. Hansen's traditional approach has similarly been appreciated by many of the everyday names in Australian shipping which have collected his work: Howard Smith, Burns Philp, Adelaide Steamship Co., ACTA, P&O and the Botany Bay Shipping lines. This seascape 'Neptune's Playground' is a departure from the representational historical works and ship portraits which form the basis of Ian Hansen's work. Based on sketches depicting conditions in the TasmanSea in September 1997 Hansen depicts the rolling waves encountered on the voyage. It is an interpretation of the vastness of the oceans and the power of nature as Hansen saw it - it is a seascape with focal elements such as the albatross in the distance. Ian Hansen is a keen sailor. He owns a boat named Kaylee (after his wife) which he sails regularly on Sydney Harbour and along the NSW coastline. SignificanceNeptune's Playground represents the work of popular maritime artist Ian Hansen and also the keen eye of a sailor depicting the rolling waves and dangerous beauty of the Tasman Sea.