In context

Archibald Prize 2012 portraits

• Benjamin Hedstrom Annandale band meeting

• Garry Shead Martin Sharp and his magic theatre

• Michael Vale Night of the wolverine – a portrait of Dave Graney and Clare Moore

Collection connections

• Nicolas de Largillière Portrait of an officer c1714-c15

• François Boucher A young lady holding a pug dog mid 1740s

• Grace Cossington Smith The sock knitter 1915

Questions and activities

• Write down what you can see in these compositions. Describe the scene in each painting. What does each environment suggest about the subject? What do the objects that have been included tell us about the sitter’s world?

• Assess the body language and facial expressions of the subjects. Do you think their expressions communicate a story? What do you think the sitters were thinking while posing for these portraits?

• Survey all the finalist artworks in the Archibald Prize 2012 and locate other multiple portraits.