Michael Shannon Enter a
feeling, not
a gallery.
Choose a mood and the room itself answers — the light cools or warms, the air changes pace, and only the works that carry that feeling step forward from the dark. Everything else recedes into shadow.
Michael Shannon
Early Life, Family and Training Born near Kapunda, South Australia, in 1927, Michael Shannon was the youngest son of a farming family. His early years were shaped by the rural landscape of his birthplace, an environment that would later inform his appreciation for the natural world. Though his family roots were tied to the soil, his interests began to drift toward the structured lines of architecture from a young age. In 1945, at the
age of eighteen, Shannon moved to Melbourne to enroll at the National Gallery School. This period marked the beginning of his formal immersion into the technical demands of painting. During his time at the school, he came under the instruction of William Dargie. He sought to broaden his perspective by studying part time with George Bell, a move that allowed him to engage with different pedagogical approaches while pursuing his primary…