William Robinson Equestrian self-portrait

This self-portrait, now in the QUT Art Collection, Brisbane, was an unexpected winner of the Archibald Prize.

In this painting, William Robinson conjures traditional equestrian portraits and their association with aristocracy and privilege. He sits awkwardly astride a horse, without reins or bridle, looking uncertain. The work can be seen to parody both the pretentiousness that can arise in a highly sought-after annual art prize, and the self-important Archibald portraits from previous decades.

Robinson, whose influences include the works of Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse and Paul Cézanne, was a student at Brisbane’s Central Technical College in the 1950s. He drew inspiration from his cherished farm animals and the lush rainforest of Queensland’s Scenic Rim region, where he was living at the time.