David Alfaro Siqueiros
David Alfaro Siqueiros was a Mexican muralist who used pyroxylin, automotive coatings, and other industrial materials in dynamic public paintings.
Painter
Sidney Nolan
Sidney Nolan was an Australian painter known for figurative works and landscapes in fast-drying commercial enamel, especially Ripolin paint.
Sidney Nolan quick facts
Early in his career, Nolan experimented with Surrealism and abstraction before becoming known for his Ned Kelly series and Australian landscapes.
| Full name | Sidney Robert Nolan |
|---|---|
| Born | April 22, 1917 · Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | November 28, 1992 · London, England |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Movements | Angry Penguins and Australian modernism |
| Paint types | Enamel paint (including Ripolin, originally manufactured for architectural and marine uses) |
| Other media | — |
| Other materials | — |
| Painting surfaces | Painting board · Wood · Plywood · Canvas · Paper · Cardboard |
| Painting methods | Fast, fluid application of Ripolin enamel to hardboard for flat, vivid surfaces |
| Common subjects | Ned Kelly, Australian landscapes, drought, explorers, suburban life, mythology, and history |
| Notable works | Footballer · Flour lumper, Dimboola · Wimmera (from Mt Arapiles) |
Sources: National Gallery of Victoria, NGV: Footballer, NGV: Flour lumper, Dimboola, NGV: Wimmera (from Mt Arapiles), IMMA: Gallipoli, Sidney Nolan Trust: Untitled, and Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Paint types used by Sidney Nolan
Nolan used Ripolin, a commercial enamel, in his 1940s Wimmera paintings; the NGV identifies it in Flour lumper, Dimboola, as its paint medium.
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Enamel paint
The National Gallery of Victoria records Flour lumper, Dimboola (1943) as enamel paint on cardboard and notes Nolan’s preference for Ripolin. Other NGV records document enamel on wood and canvas, so he used the industrial coating across several supports for distinct Australian subjects.
Sources: NGV: Flour lumper, Dimboola, NGV: Dimboola.; National Gallery of Victoria: Sidney Nolan; NGV: Footballer
Painting surfaces used by Sidney Nolan
Sidney Nolan's documented works use painting board and wood; examples clarify whether each is the painted ground, support, or part of the object.
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Painting Board
Nolan painted on rigid boards for selected scenes and series, using the stable support for direct, simplified compositions. Museum records identify board-based works alongside his paintings on wood, cardboard, and canvas, documenting the panel format across individual works. The catalog specifies this panel material.
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Wood
Nolan used wood panels for paintings and constructions, including works associated with his Ned Kelly imagery. The rigid surface differs from cardboard and canvas, and NGV collection records document enamel on wood in selected works. The record identifies the panel as part of the painted construction.
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Plywood
Plywood supports selected painted works and constructions by Nolan. The layered manufactured panel offers a rigid base for his simplified forms and repeated motifs. Collection records identify plywood as the support in individual works. Its grain contributes to the finished surface.
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Canvas
Canvas supports Nolan’s paintings as well as his works on cardboard and wood. The flexible textile provides a conventional picture surface for enamel scenes, and museum records document canvas for selected works in his output. The collection entry identifies canvas as the work’s immediate support.
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Paper
Nolan’s drawings and studies use paper, supporting preparatory marks and compact compositions. These sheets differ from the rigid boards and cardboard of his enamel paintings. Museum records identify paper in specific works on this flexible support. Their role remains preparatory or sheet-based.
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Cardboard
Nolan painted on cardboard, including the NGV’s Flour lumper, Dimboola (1943), recorded as enamel on cardboard. The lightweight sheet carries a direct image with a matte industrial finish, distinct from the wood and canvas supports documented elsewhere. The record identifies the panel as part of the painted construction.
Sources: National Gallery of Victoria, NGV: Footballer, NGV: Flour lumper, Dimboola, NGV: Wimmera (from Mt Arapiles), IMMA: Gallipoli.
Painters similar to Sidney Nolan
Nolan's use of commercial enamel links him to modern painters exploring coatings, fast-drying paint, and nontraditional supports in figurative work.
Mohamed Melehi
Moroccan painter Mohamed Melehi helped shape modern abstraction with bold wave forms, using industrial lacquer, alkyd, acrylic, and oil in different works.