Profile - Ida Montague

"Ida Montague's life - first in Denmark, then as an opal and gem merchant in Sydney, and later a cattle grazier’s wife and business partner in Far North Queensland - enables her to draw on a number of cultural perspectives and brings a refreshing Scandinavian point of view to her paintings which are full of surprising pictorial idioms. 

The artist's Danish heritage is reflected in the clear lines, attention to detail and fascinating mix of robust colour that produces vibrant pieces in which we recognise revitalised but still iconic Australian subject matter. The stark aesthetic of Montague’s paintings are filled with bold contrast and her playful use of flat planes of colour and negative space reveal a unique illusion of form. 

Through Montague’s critical lens we are the beneficiaries of her uncompromising clarity – which demands we change our perspective of the Australian outback from idyllic representation to an abstract realism. No longer red dust landscapes but a tapestry of movement - through them we can hear the whack of the polo stick, thunder of hooves or cattle call. 

The result of this startlingly original artist’s work is the emotional reverberation ignited within her audience as we recognise an artistic shift of paradigm, as Montague injects new life into familiar subjects – the human face, a game of polo or the cattlemen of the north."