Ken Done (Australian, b.1940) Sydney Night I

titled, dated and inscribed 'SYNDEY NIGHT I/1994/WYNNE PRIZE ENTRANT 1995' (to the stretcher verso) oil, acrylic and enamel on canvas Unframed: 182.5 x 167 cm. (71 3/4 x 66 1/2 in.)Provenance: With Ken Done Gallery, New South Wales, 2000, where purchased by the family of the present ownerNotes: While Ken Done is widely celebrated for his hyper-saturated, sun-drenched palette, Sydney Night I marks a deliberate departure into nocturnal restraint. An expansive blackness dominates the canvas, shifting the tone from his typical daytime exuberance to quiet contemplation. Rather than rendering the Sydney Harbour Bridge as a solid mass, Done delineates its structure through delicate, etched white lines. This skeletal treatment gives the bridge a blueprint-like quality as it arcs across a dark sky, subtly populated by the faint outlines of an aeroplane and clouds. The lower register of the composition is equally minimalist, punctuated by jewel-like flecks of primary pigment. These sparse, horizontal dashes of red, yellow, and blue capture the distant glimmer of city lights, passing ferries, and their fractured reflections across the black water. Anchored by the stark white sail of the Opera House emerging from the gloom, the work strips away Done's trademark chromatic intensity to reveal a strong structural confidence, capturing the luminosity of the harbour after dark.