Bee-stung Lips

Barbara Hanrahan works on paper 1960-1991

A Flinders University Museum of Art exhibition curated by Nic Brown

Exhibition guide

Sex, beauty & the stage

Becoming plant, becoming animal

Domestic comforts & anxieties

Celestial bodies & the afterlife

Sex, beauty & the stage

Barbara Hanrahan produced a body of work informed by British and American popular culture of the 1960s and 1970s, a period when she lived predominantly in London (between 1964 and 1977). The ideas conveyed here speak to sexual politics, ideals of beauty, and performance, as they relate to consumer, media and popular culture. Song lyrics and 1950s rock ‘n’ roll icons such as Buddy Holly feature in her work, which plays with the hero and sex symbol status of male rock stars in tandem with sexualised female groupies. In addition to music, Hanrahan was influenced by carnivals from her travel through Mexico and Spain, which saw the inclusion of domino masks (thin masks across the eyes) and mask-like faces in her work. She maintained a curiosity with 19th century circus as evident by imagery of performers such as acrobats, clowns, tightrope walkers, as well as stage-like curtains and arenas in her prints. Hanrahan was also informed by 1970s second wave feminism. She considers the performance of beauty and her compositions parody 1950s newsprint and early 1960s television commercials that promulgate time-consuming beauty routines and ideals for women - for the pleasure of men - to achieve love or social acceptance.

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Fat folk fade faster, 1985

Adelaide

etching, yellow and black inks on paper

50.8 x 35.5 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

No fat women in Canada now!, 1985

Adelaide

etching, black, red and yellow inks on paper

36.9 x 49.4 cm (plate), artist's proof

Gift of Jo Steele 1997

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 972G28}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Alec Bolton (printer)

Australia 1926 – 1996

Brindabella Press (publisher)

1972 – 1996 (organisation)

Beauty and beast, 1989, published 1990 for the portfolio Twelve linocuts: a suite of prints

Canberra

linocut, ink on cream paper

38.3 x 22.5 cm (image), ed 93/100

Flinders University Museum of Art, Adelaide 2978.011}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Beauty and bunyip, 1977

London

screenprint, colour inks on cream paper

20 x 14.2 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Smile, 1987

Adelaide

linocut, ink on paper

55.8 x 37 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Box of beauty, 1976

London

lithograph, red, green and black inks on paper

61.6 x 46.3 cm (image), ed 5/8

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Men and women, 1977

London

screenprint, colour inks on cream paper

65 x 44 cm (image), ed 17/24

Gift of Jo Steele 1998

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 981G9}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Beauty and wowsers, 1964

London

hand-coloured etching with plate tone, black, yellow and red inks on paper; linocut, red and green inks on paper

61.2 x 47.9 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

The ant queen, 1985

Adelaide

etching, blue, yellow and pink inks on paper

61.8 x 45.4 cm (image), ed 6/25

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Beauty and Bob, 1964

London

lithograph, black and red inks on paper

63 x 51 cm (image), ed 1/6

Gift of Jo Steele 1996

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 962G10}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Untitled, c1980s

hand-coloured etching, colour inks on paper

22 x 15 cm (plate), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Run rabbit run, 1978, printed 1989

Melbourne

hand-coloured etching, colour inks on paper

25.7 x 30.4 cm (plate), ed 23/25

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Little men, 1988

Melbourne

linocut, ink on paper

70.2 x 47.5 cm (image), ed 10/10

Gift of Jo Steele 1997

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 972G36}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

I love you pin-up, 1977

London

screenprint, colour inks on paper

54.4 x 39.7 cm (image), ed 18/25

Gift of Jo Steele 1997

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 972G9}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Sweet dreams, 1964

London

etching with plate tone, black and red inks on paper

61 x 33 cm (image), ed 9/40

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Touch dancing, 1983

Adelaide

etching, aquatint with plate tone, ink on paper

40 x 41.5 cm (plate), ed 9/45

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Miss Meek, Valentino, the General, 1976

London

pen and gouache on paper

70.6 x 57.1 cm (image)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Passion house, 1983

Adelaide

etching and drypoint with plate tone, blue ink on paper

33.5 x 31.5 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Untitled, 1983

Adelaide

gouache on grey paper

36.5 x 53.6 cm (image)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Waiting room, 1975

London

screenprint, red, green and black inks on paper

42 x 62.6 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Spirit dancer, 1990

Melbourne

etching with plate tone, ink on paper

29.8 x 19.6 cm (plate), ed 4/25

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Performance, 1989

Melbourne

etching with plate tone, ink on paper

23.7 x 14.7 cm (plate), ed 6/25

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Dear Miss Ethel Barringer, 1975

London

etching with plate tone, ink on paper

61 x 44 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

The General gives up all for Mata Hari, 1976

London

lithograph, black, orange and yellow inks on paper

57 x 46 cm (image), artist's proof

Gift of Jo Steele 1996

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 962G42}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Rock me mama, 1983

Adelaide

hand-coloured etching, colour inks on paper

35.3 x 25.5 cm (plate), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Homage to Buddy Holly, 1966

London

etching with plate tone, black, red and yellow inks on cream paper

61.8 x 47.2 cm (plate)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Moss-haired girl, 1977

London

screenprint, colour inks on paper

63.3 x 33.1 cm (image), ed 10/11

Gift of Jonathan P. Steele

Flinders University Museum of Art, Adelaide 5769}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Vanishing lady, 1984

Adelaide

gouache on paper

53.6 x 36 cm (image)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Acrobat, 1982

London

screenprint, colour inks on paper

35.8 x 30 cm (image), ed 12/30

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Vanishing act, 1989

Melbourne

hand-coloured linocut, colour inks on cream paper

49.4 x 35 cm (image), ed 11/13

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Daisy Carnival blues, 1977

London

screenprint, colour inks on paper

45 x 55.4 cm (image), ed 6/40

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Cabinet of curiosities, 1990

Melbourne

hand-coloured etching with plate tone, red and black inks on cream paper

46.1 x 34 cm (plate), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

The puppet-master, 1985-88

Adelaide

pastel, gouache and synthetic polymer paint on paper

71.6 x 53.4 cm (image)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Untitled, 1985-88

Adelaide

gouache and pastel on paper

54.5 x 36.8 cm (image)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

The puppet-master, 1989

Melbourne

linocut, black, red and green inks on buff paper

62.2 x 42.5 cm (image, irreg.), ed 4/20

Private collection, Adelaide}

Domestic comforts & anxieties

Ongoing concerns in Barbara Hanrahan’s practice include social expectations for women relating to the institution of marriage and motherhood, as well as the interconnection of family members and cycles of generations. She explores these concepts through imagery that speaks to dreaming and fantasy, as well as memory and memorialisation, in both the private sphere of the mind and intimate domestic spaces of the home. In this way, iconography specific to the home and family feature in her work. Hanrahan’s ancestors and immediate family are often depicted, with a focus on her mother Ronda, father Bob (who died when the artist was one), and grandmother Iris Pearl who was key in raising the artist as a child. Cosy floral curtains, wallpaper, sensual chaise lounges and the awkward marital bed, as well as flourishes of cottage garden flowers and lively domestic animals (birds, cats, chickens and the artist’s childhood dog, Tinker) populate these compositions. Images of family members from different time periods are overlaid with the artist’s school photographs. Escapist mothers fly against a backdrop of 1960s pop songs, while Hanrahan’s grandmother - depicted as a young woman - fantasizes about future and past weddings. In these works the innocence and play of children under the warmth of the sun is rendered in contrast to the anxieties, daydreams and complexities of adulthood.

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Untitled, 1983

Adelaide

gouache and synthetic polymer paint on paper

76 x 56.7 cm (image & paper, irreg.)}

^{Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Untitled, 1982

London

screenprint, colour inks on cream paper

27.7 x 22.8 cm (image, irreg.)}

^{Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Flying mother, 1976

London

screenprint, colour inks on paper

59 x 48 cm (image), ed 19/27}

^{Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Girl with a doll, 1990

Melbourne

hand-coloured etching, colour inks on paper

15 x 11 cm (plate), ed 13/30

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Untitled, early 1980s

etching, ink on paper

39 x 48 cm (image)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Springtime mother, 1989

Melbourne

hand-coloured etching, colour inks on paper

10 x 10 cm (plate), ed 21/60

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Generations, 1991

Melbourne

etching, black and yellow inks on paper

25.6 x 20.7 cm (plate), ed 5/20

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Baby doll, 1978

London

screenprint, colour inks on cream paper

28 x 17.5 cm (image), ed 6/33

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Doll kewpie, 1983

Adelaide

hand-coloured etching with plate tone, colour inks on paper

50.3 x 32.8 cm (plate), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Birth, 1986

Adelaide

linocut, ink on paper

57.8 x 40.5 cm (image, irreg.), ed 16/25

Gift of Jonathan P. Steele

Flinders University Museum of Art, Adelaide 5768}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Small woman, 1983

Adelaide

linocut, ink on paper

22.9 x 20.7 cm (image, irreg.), ed 3/35

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Dolly's one true love, 1984

Adelaide

etching and aquatint, colour inks on paper

60 x 42 cm (plate), ed 3/25

Gift of Jo Steele 1997

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 972G25}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Red shoes, 1982

London

screenprint, colour inks on paper

54.9 x 40.8 cm (image), ed 7/15

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Bride, 1985

Adelaide

etching, colour inks on cream paper

56.4 x 45.4 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Alec Bolton (printer)

Australia 1926 – 1996

Brindabella Press (publisher)

1972 – 1996 (organisation)

Mother and child, 1989, published 1990 from the portfolio Twelve linocuts: a suite of prints

Canberra

linocut, ink on cream paper

41 x 30 cm (image), ed 93/100

Flinders University Museum of Art, Adelaide 2978.010}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Automatic man, 1968

London

pen, gouache and found collage on paper

65.5 x 52.6 cm (image, irreg.)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Heavenly twins, 1984

Adelaide

pencil and gouache on paper

49.5 x 29.5 cm (image)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Untitled, c1978

London

hand-coloured screenprint, colour inks on cream paper

37.1 x 33.4 cm (image & paper), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Schoolgirl, 1968

London

pen, gouache and found collage on paper

76 x 42 cm (image, irreg.)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Untitled, 1971

London

pen, gouache, screenprint and collage on cream board

74.1 x 53.8 cm (image, irreg. & board)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Untitled, c1977

linocut, ink on paper

15.5 x 13.6 cm (image & paper)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Untitled, c1977

linocut, ink on paper

15.5 x 13.8 cm (image & paper)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Mother 1933, 1976

London

screenprint, colour inks on paper

79 x 58.2 cm (image)

Gift of Jo Steele 1998

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 981G5}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Snapshot, 1982

London

screenprint, colour inks on paper

75.4 x 53.8 cm (image), artist's proof

Flinders University Museum of Art, Adelaide 2830}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Snapshot, 1978

Adelaide

hand-coloured etching, colour inks on paper

35.2 x 25.4 cm (plate), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Mother and father, 1977

London

screenprint, colour inks on paper

71.5 x 49.5 cm (image), artist's proof

Gift of Jo Steele 1998

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 981G13}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Michael and me and the sun, 1964

London

etching, blue ink on paper

50.5 x 39.3 cm (plate), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Wedding night 1977

London

screenprint, colour inks on buff paper

64.5 x 46.7 cm (image), ed 2/17

Flinders University Museum of Art, Adelaide 5770}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

My family, 1978

Adelaide

etching, ink on cream paper

56.1 x 40.5 cm (image, irreg.), ed 5/10

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Iris in her garden, c1982

London

hand-coloured etching, printed from 6 plates, colour inks on paper

42 x 40.5 cm (image, irreg.), ed 4/35

Flinders University Museum of Art, Adelaide 1847}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Dog of darkness, 1978

Adelaide

hand-coloured etching with plate tone, colour inks on paper

35.5 x 25.3 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Reece, 1982

London

screenprint, colour inks on cream paper

29.2 x 24.2 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Ancestors, 1984

Adelaide

pen and gouache on grey paper

29 x 23.5 cm (image)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Iris pearl dreams of a wedding, 1977

London

screenprint, colour inks on buff paper

71 x 51.7 cm (image, irreg.), ed 17/30

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Wedding dreams in the park, 1981

London

screenprint, colour inks on paper

71.5 x 45.5 cm (image), ed 16/30

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Birdcage woman, 1960

Adelaide

etching, aquatint and drypoint, ink on paper

31.2 x 11 cm (plate)

Gift of Barbara Hanrahan 1990

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 905G74}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Dreamer, 1961-62, printed 1989

Melbourne

drypoint and aquatint, ink on paper

29.8 x 19.4 cm (plate), artist's proof

Gift of Barbara Hanrahan 1990

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 905G88}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Two girlfriends in a garden, 1975

London

etching, aquatint, soft-ground etching and foul-biting with plate tone, ink on cream paper

44.7 x 35.5 cm (image), ed 2/4

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Dreaming woman, 1961-62, printed 1989

Melbourne

drypoint, ink on paper

21.5 x 14 cm (plate), artist's proof

Gift of Barbara Hanrahan 1990

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 905G89}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Dream people, 1975, reprinted 1989

Melbourne

hand-coloured etching, colour inks on paper

51 x 43 cm (plate), ed 1/35

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

The children, 1978

Adelaide

hand-coloured etching with plate tone, colour inks on cream paper

35.5 x 25.5 cm (plate), ed 19/25

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Children and the sun, 1990

Melbourne

hand-coloured etching, colour inks on paper

15 x 8.7 cm (plate), ed 7/25

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Child, 1983

Adelaide

wood engraving, ink on paper

13 x 7.6 cm (image), ed 45/80

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Girls and birds, 1988

Adelaide

hand-coloured linocut, colour inks on cream paper

30 x 50 cm (image), ed 1/35

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Rose Street girls, 1988

Adelaide

hand-coloured etching, colour inks on cream paper

50.6 x 45.5 cm (image), ed 4/6

Private collection, Adelaide}

Becoming plant, becoming animal

An enduring love of the natural world, with a focus on the home garden, is evident in Barbara Hanrahan’s practice. She explores intimate and entangled relations between humans, plants and animals that speak of care for the environment and its inhabitants, as well as the fragility of life. Here, figures are depicted either holding or surrounded by domestic animals - pets, such as cats, dogs and chickens - while birds act as guardians and perch in nests of hair instead of tree branches. Insect fauna including honeybees, butterflies, and dragonflies swarm Earth mother-like characters that embrace and nurture the abundance of nature’s ecosystems. This rich interconnection provides a striking contrast to today’s rapidly declining populations of animal species and habitat loss as a result of anthropogenic climate change and agriculture. Other compositions depict naked women partially transformed into trees, moths and fish, or riding giant roosters, whereas children are situated within gardens that grow giant flora. Many works feature Hanrahan’s ubiquitous sunflower imagery, which reference the poem ‘Ah! Sun-flower’ by the English mystic, poet and artist William Blake (1757–1827). First published in his anthology Songs of experience (1794), the poem alludes to the weariness of mortality and the desire for ‘sweet’ timelessness in the afterlife. The fragility of existence is also conveyed through the metaphor of the ephemeral flower, where figures seem composed entirely of plant material: cottage garden blooms such as zinnia, poppies, star flowers and California fuchsia.

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Girl, cat, bird, 1989

Melbourne

wood engraving, ink on paper

12.9 x 7.6 cm (image), ed 61/80

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Boy and girl, 1987

Adelaide

linocut, ink on paper

73 x 54.5 cm (image, irreg.), artist's proof 2

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Dancing in the garden, 1989

Melbourne

relief etching, ink on paper

14.6 x 8.6 cm (image, irreg.), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Girl in a forest, 1983, printed 1990

Melbourne

hand-coloured etching, colour inks on paper

25.4 x 20.4 cm (plate), ed 2/25

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Girl with dogs, 1989

Melbourne

linocut, black and red inks on paper

62.5 x 36.5 cm (image, irreg.), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Untitled, 1985

Adelaide

pastel and synthetic polymer paint on paper

80 x 59 cm (image & paper)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Girl with a cat, 1988

Adelaide

linocut, ink on paper

71.5 x 51.1 cm (image, irreg.), ed 20/35

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Rooster, 1962

Adelaide

linocut, ink on paper

14.8 x 12.5 cm (image, irreg.)

Gift of Barbara Hanrahan 1990

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 905G11}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Woman and bird, 1960

Adelaide

etching, aquatint and drypoint with plate tone on cream paper

22.5 x 20.5 cm (plate)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Animal, 1962

Adelaide

linocut, ink on paper

14.6 x 16.6 cm (image, irreg.)

Gift of Barbara Hanrahan 1990

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 905G93}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Alec Bolton (printer)

Australia 1926 – 1996

Brindabella Press (publisher)

1972 – 1996 (organisation)

Rooster girls, 1989, published 1990 from the portfolio Twelve linocuts: a suite of prints

Canberra

linocut, ink on cream paper

43 x 31 cm (image), ed 93/100

Flinders University Museum of Art, Adelaide 2978.007}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Twin heads, 1960

Adelaide

drypoint with plate tone, ink on paper

15.5 x 11 cm (plate)

Gift of Barbara Hanrahan 1990

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 905G83}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Moth, 1977

London

screenprint, colour inks on cream paper

11 x 7.2 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Cat-woman, 1977

London

screenprint, colour inks on cream paper

10.9 x 7.1 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Mermaid, 1977

London

screenprint, colour inks on cream paper

11 x 7.2 cm (image), ed 6/22

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Alec Bolton (printer)

Australia 1926 – 1996

Brindabella Press (publisher)

1972 – 1996 (organisation)

Tiger lady, 1989, published 1990 from the portfolio Twelve linocuts: a suite of prints

Canberra

linocut, ink on cream paper

43 x 29.6 cm (image), ed 93/100

Flinders University Museum of Art, Adelaide 2978.005}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Girl with birds, 1988

Adelaide

hand-coloured linocut, colour inks on paper

60 x 43.6 cm (image), ed 6/12

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Cat lady, 1977

London

wood engraving, ink on paper

13 x 7.8 cm (image), ed 42/45

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Woman tree, 1989

Melbourne

hand-coloured etching, colour inks on paper

12.3 x 5.6 cm (plate), ed 11/55

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Animals, 1962

Adelaide

linocut, black and orange inks on paper

37.5 x 12 cm (image, irreg.), ed 42/45

Gift of Barbara Hanrahan 1990

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 905G94}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Girl with birds, 1976

London

screenprint, colour inks on paper

50 x 34 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Summertime girls, 1991

Melbourne

hand-coloured etching, colour inks on paper

34.8 x 50.8 cm (plate), ed 5/30

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Girl with a bird on her head, 1960

Adelaide

linocut, ink on paper

37.6 x 26 cm (image)

Gift of Barbara Hanrahan 1990

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Springtime, 1989

Melbourne

etching with plate tone, ink on paper

30.5 x 22.8 cm (plate), ed 7/60

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

His heart did hope, 1983

Adelaide

wood engraving, ink on paper

12.6 x 7.7 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Misericordia!, 1982

London

wood engraving, ink on paper; screenprint, red ink on paper

24.7 x 12.5 cm (image, irreg.), ed 12/24

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Green singer, 1983

Adelaide

wood engraving, ink on paper

13 x 7.7 cm (image), ed 3/35

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Tree of life, 1989

Melbourne

woodcut, ink on paper

38.9 x 29.5 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

The orange tree, 1983

Adelaide

wood engraving, ink on cream paper

6.2 x 7.6 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Rain garden, 1982

London

screenprint, colour inks on paper

28.9 x 26.1 cm (image), ed 16/24

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Flora, 1970

London

pencil, gouache and clear varnish on board

56 x 36.2 cm (image)

Shirley Cameron Wilson Bequest Fund 2007

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 20072D5}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Conversation with flowers, 1974

London

etching with plate tone, ink on cream paper

49.3 x 37.2 cm (plate), ed 2/30

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Untitled, 1974

London

pen and gouache on cream paper

70.5 x 55 cm (image, irreg.)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Earth mother, 1975

London

etching with plate tone, red ink on paper

58.5 x 45.6 cm (image), artist's proof}

^{Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Earth mother, 1982

London

etching with plate tone, red ink on paper

26.3 x 19.7 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

The race, 1974

London

etching, ink on paper

40.1 x 20 cm (image), ed of 20}

^{Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Floral figure, 1974

London

linocut, ink on yellow paper

44.5 x 32 cm (image), ed 2/9

Gift of Philip and Barbara Fargher 2007

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 20075G38}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Botanical man, 1966

London

etching with plate tone, ink on paper

49.6 x 39.6 cm (plate), artist's proof}

^{Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Figures on a head, 1973

London

etching, aquatint and drypoint, ink on paper

49.8 x 33.1 cm (plate), ed 10/12

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Dolly, c1977

London

screenprint, colour inks on paper

32 x 35.2 cm (image & paper), artist's proof}

^{Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

The beloved, 1974

London

etching with plate tone, ink on paper

49.3 x 29 cm (plate), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

Celestial bodies & the afterlife

Throughout her practice Barbara Hanrahan maintained a fascination with life, death and the world beyond. An ongoing motif, the ‘eye of God’ – an image of a giant eye – which her partner Jo Steele refers to as ‘the feeling of … God’, populates many of the artist’s compositions. Such works are often accompanied by celestial imagery including the sun, moon and stars and reflect Hanrahan’s enduring love of the written and visual works of English mystic, artist and poet William Blake (1757-1827), for whom the ‘eye’s of God’ were ‘Angels of the Divine Presence’. Blake utilised celestial bodies and natural entities symbolically throughout his career to explore the interconnected themes of earthly experience and eternal life. This inspired Hanrahan, who, with the resurgence of a cancer diagnosis in the late 1980s, produced a significant body of work that focused on angels. Angelic beings and other characters represented throughout her work, are at times marked with a sinuous motif between the eyes. This recurring spiritual iconography is comparable with the visual code, ‘WU’, utilised by the mystic and pioneering abstract artist Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) and which for Klint represents the ‘essence of all human spirit’. Another motif for Hanrahan is the recurrent depiction of homely curtains, which for the artist, acts as a portal to what Steele describes as the ‘mystery beyond death’.

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Sun and moon, 1989

Melbourne

etching with plate tone, ink on paper

50.5 x 36.1 cm (plate), ed 7/35

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Under the eye of God, 1975

Adelaide

etching, black, yellow and orange inks on paper; relief etching, orange ink on paper

62.8 x 45.5 cm (plate), artist's proof

Gift of Jo Steele 1996

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 962G37}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

The eye of God, 1974

London

hand-coloured linocut, colour inks on buff paper

51 x 38 cm (image), artist's proof

Flinders University Museum of Art, Adelaide 1846}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

The eye of God I, 1964

London

lithograph, ink on paper

76.5 x 48 cm (image)

Gift of Jo Steele 1996

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 962G13}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Untitled, 1988

Adelaide

gouache on board

76.9 x 51.4 cm (image & board)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Ah sunflower, 1962

Adelaide

llinocut, ink on paper

30.2 x 28 cm (image)

Gift of Barbara Hanrahan 1990

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 905G92}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Moon girl, 1990

Melbourne

hand-coloured etching, colour inks on paper

31.5 x 17 cm (plate), ed 13/25

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Women and the moon, 1989

Melbourne

linocut, red and black inks on paper

46.9 x 34.5 cm (image), ed 5/14

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Tyger! Tyger!, 1962

Adelaide

linocut, brown ink on paper

40.5 x 36.8 cm (image, irreg.)

Gift of Barbara Hanrahan 1990

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 905G117}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

The sun is up, 1983

Adelaide

wood engraving, ink on cream paper

6.3 x 9.1 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Break of day, 1983

Adelaide

wood engraving, ink on cream paper

2.5 x 7.6 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Man in the Moon, 1982

London

screenprint, colour inks on cream paper

70 x 52 cm (image), artist's proof

Gift of Jonathan P. Steele

Flinders University Museum of Art, Adelaide 5767}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

To see a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower, 1962

Adelaide

linocut, ink on cream paper

36.4 x 23.5 cm (image, irreg.)

Gift of Barbara Hanrahan 1990

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 905G115}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Boy and the moon, 1990

relief etching, ink on paper

24.5 x 17.8 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Girl and the moon, 1990

Melbourne

hand-coloured etching, yellow, blue and black inks on paper

25.7 x 20.6 cm (plate), ed 4/25

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Angels in the garden, 1989

Melbourne

etching with plate tone, ink on paper

50.5 x 40.8 cm (image), ed 19/25

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Angels and children, 1989

Melbourne

relief etching, ink on paper

25.9 x 22.2 cm (image), ed 13/25

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Angel, 1975

London

etching, yellow and blue inks on cream paper

35.5 x 18.3 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Adam and Eve, 1977

London

wood engraving, ink on paper

23.8 x 15 cm (image), ed 17/35

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Eve, 1989

Melbourne

hand-coloured etching, colour inks on paper

12.5 x 5.6 cm (image), ed 7/55

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Sweethearts of Jesus, 1989

Melbourne

etching, ink on paper

58.5 x 42.2 cm (plate), ed 5/25

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Memento mori, 1976

London

screenprint, colour inks on paper

60.4 x 42.4 cm (image), ed 6/23

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Untitled, 1989

Melbourne

pencil, gouache and synthetic polymer paint on paper

73.6 x 54.5 cm (image & paper)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Under the earth, 1974

London

lithograph, black, pink and orange inks on paper

55.5 x 50.5 cm (image)

Gift of Jo Steele 1998

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 981G1}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Untitled, 1983

Adelaide

gouache on paper

76.5 x 57.2 cm (image & paper)

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Meeting with a snake, 1990

Melbourne

hand-coloured etching with plate tone, colour inks on paper

24.5 x 18.2 cm (plate), ed 2/20

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

The angel, 1989-90

Melbourne

hand-coloured etching, colour inks on paper

34.8 x 22 cm (plate), ed 3/30

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

There is from great eternity..., 1989

Melbourne

etching, ink on cream paper

50 x 33.7 cm (image), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Angels and children, 1989

Melbourne

hand-coloured etching, colour inks on cream paper

25.5 x 22 cm (plate), ed 3/25

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Tell me! Tell me!, 1989

Melbourne

etching with plate tone, ink on paper

30.7 x 22.8 cm (plate), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Small angel, 1989

Melbourne

relief etching, ink on paper

15.2 x 8.8 cm (plate), ed 6/50

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

Wistful angel, 1989

Melbourne

hand-coloured etching with plate tone, colour inks on paper

9.9 x 4 cm (plate), artist's proof

Private collection, Adelaide}

^{Barbara Hanrahan

Australia 1939 – 1991

Jonathan P Steele (collaborating printer)

Australia 1939 –

The angel, 1991

Melbourne

linocut, ink on paper

68.5 x 48.5 cm (image), ed 2/20

Private collection, Adelaide}