Nick Cave by Howard Arkley NGV Australia

Howard Arkley was a prominent Australian artist who painted in the medium of spray paint. His paintings of suburban houses in Melbourne’s outer East put him on the map of as one of Australia’s most innovative contemporary artists. Arkleys’ signature style set him apart from other artists of the early 80’s who predominately worked in thick oil paint. Instead, Arkley preferred the idea that his works looked like they had just come out of a glossy magazine page, instead of the dripping, built up layering of tactile paint works popular at the time.