Aphorisms
Margaret Preston
ETT Imprint
‘Art never improves, only changes’ – Margaret Preston.
In the early 20th century, Margaret Preston (1875–1963) produced some of Australia’s most iconic modern compositions of local landscapes and native flora. Best known as an explorer of colour and pattern, she elevated the status of the still life genre by treating it as a ‘laboratory table’. Originally only appearing in the limited edition ‘Recent Paintings 1929,’ Preston’s 92 aphorisms are presented here in the original design of the first edition alongside ten of her woodcuts representing the latter phase in her career. This compilation provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind and output of an artist who expressed a unique vision of Australia’s natural world through the language of geometry, motif and pattern.
