"Children Playing by the Seaside"
Oil on Board
39.5x44cm
Signed Lower Left
Prov: Deutscher-Menzies 2006 Private Collection Adelaide
$8,000-12,000
Developed in the early 1970s, the Garden in the Wilderness series represents a well-known and important phase in the work of David Boyd. Created during a period of renewed focus on landscape and personal memory, these paintings reflect Boyd’s interest in combining observation with a more imaginative and symbolic approach to subject matter. A member of the influential Boyd family of artists and a signatory to the Antipodean Manifesto, Boyd remained committed to figurative painting throughout his career. His work often draws on themes of belief, morality and human experience, expressed through a distinctive style marked by luminous colour and richly worked surfaces.
Within the Garden in the Wilderness series, Boyd turned to scenes of children set within garden and landscape settings. While these subjects appear gentle and familiar, they carry a deeper sense of meaning. The garden becomes more than a physical place, suggesting a space between order and the natural world, while the children introduce themes of innocence, play and change.
Paintings from this series are among Boyd’s most recognisable, combining narrative elements with a strong sense of atmosphere. Together, they demonstrate his ability to create works that are both accessible and layered, where everyday imagery is used to explore broader ideas about memory, growth and the passage of time.
