Noah Grosz

Born in 1970 into an artistic family, Noah Grosz completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts at La Trobe University, majoring in Painting, Printmaking, and Sculpture. He won the Castlemaine State Festival Arts Prize, secured an Australia Council Art Start Grant, exhibited at Diane Tanzer Gallery and other notable Melbourne galleries, had a major sculptural work acquired by the Bendigo Art Gallery, and today he continues to create painted and sculpted works for exhibitions and private commissions.

Exploring both 2D and 3D practices, Noah feels continuously challenged and inspired, encouraging his evolution as an artist. When not painting or sculpting, Noah has worked at the Garage Art bronze casting foundry, sculpting, mould-making and casting, as a technician at Bendigo Art Gallery, and as an art handler and technician at the National Gallery of Victoria. Currently, Noah is a full-time artist, working in his studio on the Bellarine Peninsula, on beautiful Wadawurung Country.

Noah’s current practice extends to classical bronze sculptures exploring the unique fauna of Australia, to intensely coloured, otherworldly painted landscapes, expounding the beauty and wonder of our ancient continent.  For Noah art is a way of honouring nature and drawing attention to what might be lost without our mindful care and reverence.

Sculpture

Noah’s bronze sculptures reflect his deep love of the natural environment, especially Australia’s unique wildlife. In these works, he employs classical sculpting techniques and a naturalistic style to capture the beauty, strength and character of our distinctive indigenous animals: “I think of each animal I create as an individual, with its own story and character. As a child I was always enchanted by museum dioramas of animals in their natural habitat, and these memories continue to be a source of inspiration.”

Noah’s motivation to create these bronze works comes primarily from his love and concern for the natural world, but he has also drawn inspiration from other, historical sources. As a young sculptor, he developed a fondness for the whimsical cold painted bronze subjects of Franz Bergman’s foundry. His works were created in Vienna in the 19^th century, the home city of Noah’s grandfather, artist Frank Grosz. While working as an art handler at the NGV, Noah discovered the intricate work of Joachim Matthias Wendt, a Danish silversmith who worked as a master jeweller in 19^th century Adelaide. In his role at the gallery, Noah built archival boxes to house several of these delicate Australian animal sculptures and became intrigued by their fine sculpting and jewel-like quality. These artists and Noah’s own observations of the natural world help him to immortalise our furry and feathered friends in an everlasting form, becoming treasured heirlooms for their owners.

Noah’s bronze works are small number editions and he also accepts unique commissions.

Painting

This series of works reflect the awe and reverence Noah feels for the diverse terrains of our timeless continent.  Inspired by regular camping trips and bushwalks, Noah seeks to evoke a specific place, time of day and atmosphere in each chosen scene. Just as many birds attract mates with brightly coloured feathers, Noah uses an exaggerated colour palette to entice the viewer, drawing attention to features of the landscape and encouraging us to focus on the magic of the natural world. Noah’s work also harks back to the bright colours favoured by European Impressionist painters, and the sublime romantic landscapes of artists like Caspar David Friedrich. Unlike Friedrich, Noah does not include human figures in his works which may distract from their otherworldly quality. Rather he invites the viewer to enter the landscape and share his sense of wonder at the dynamic energy of Nature that surrounds us every day.

To enquire about Noah's available paintings, please contact sharyn@manyunggallery.com.au