William Dobell
(Australia, England 24 Sep 1899–13 May 1970)
- Title
- Self portrait
- Year
- 1932
- Media category
- Painting
- Materials used
- oil on wood panel
- Dimensions
-
35.0 x 27.0cm board; 54.0 x 46.0 x 6.0cm frame
- Signature & date
- Signed and dated l.l. corner, white oil "WILLIAM DOBELL 1932".
- Credit
- Purchased with assistance from the Trustees of the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation 1985
- Accession number
- 399.1985
- Copyright
- © Courtesy Sir William Dobell Art Foundation.
- Location
- 20th & 21st c Australian art
- Further information
This self portrait was painted three years after William Dobell arrived in London as recipient of the 1929 New South Wales Society of Artists Travelling Art Scholarship. Prior to painting this work, Dobell had visited Holland and studied
Rembrandt and Van Gogh in 1930, and travelled to Belgium to study the work of the Dutch masters in 1931.'Self portrait' represents a daring act of self-exposure. Its significance lies in Dobell’s successful attempt to define the self without glamour, bravado or artifice. Though small in size, this portrait has an intensity of presence. It was produced during a period when the impoverished artist often painted on small scraps of panel or strawboard.
- Bibliography (18)
-
Anne Gray (Australia, b.1947) (Author), Face: Australian portraits 1880-1960, Canberra, 2010, 144 (colour illus.).
Look Apr 2007, Apr 2007, 43 (colour illus.).
Ross Searle (Australia) (Author), Andrew Sayers (Australia, b.1957) (Author), To look within: self portraits in Australia, Brisbane, 2004, 6 (colour illus., detail), 24, 25 (colour illus.).
Jane Hylton (b.1950) (Author), William Dobell: portraits in context, Kent Town, 2003, 2 (colour illus.), 14, 19, 22, 41 (colour illus.).
Meryl Ryan (Australia) (Author), Well connected: Dobell and company, Lake Macquarie, 2001, front cover brochure insert (illus.), inside brochure insert (illus.). cat.no. 1; brochure insert not paginated
'Yours sincerely: William Dobell' by Judith White, pg. 56-59., Australian art collector Apr 2000-Jun 2000, Apr 2000-Jun 2000, 59.
Lou Klepac (Australia; Croatia, b.1936) (Author), Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Bruce James (Australia) (Author), John McDonald (Australia, b.1961) (Author), Peter Pinson (Australia, b.1943) (Author), Gavin Fry (Author), Sasha Grishin AM (Australia) (Author), Deborah Hart (South Africa; United Kingdom; Australia, b.1959) (Author), Australian painters of the twentieth century, Roseville, 2000, 79 (colour illus.).
Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Australian art: in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Domain, 2000, 187 (colour illus.), 300.
Outrage Mar 1997, Mar 1997, 3 (colour illus.), 36 (colour illus.), 37-39.
Look Feb 1997, Feb 1997, 13 (colour illus.).
Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Hendrik Kolenberg (Netherlands; Australia) (Author), Peter Raissis (Australia) (Author), Prue Davidson (Australia) (Author), Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940) (Author), William Dobell - the painter's progress, Sydney, 1997, 24, 32, 33 (colour illus.), 144. cat.no. 4a
William Dobell: the painters progress 1997, 1997, cover (illus.).
'William Dobell 1899-1970 The Painter's Progress'., State of the arts Dec 1996-Mar 1997, Dec 1996-Mar 1997, 7 (illus.).
Mary Eagle (Australia, b.1944) (Author), Australian Modern Painting Between the Wars 1914-1939, Sydney, 1989, 150, 151 (colour illus.). plate no. 112
Sam Neill (Australia; New Zealand, b.1947) (Author), Celebrity choice: Sam Neill, Domain, 1987, (colour illus.). catalogue entry; no catalogue entry; not paginated
'William Dobell's Self-portrait' by Deborah Edwards, pg. 17., Look Sep 1986, Sep 1986, 17 (illus.).
Brian Adams (Australia) (Author), Portrait of an artist: A biography of William Dobell, Melbourne, 1983, 64 (illus.).
Author Unknown (Author), The Art of William Dobell, Sydney, 1946, 18, 86 (illus.).
- Exhibition history (14)
-
Celebrity Choice - Sam Neill, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 08 Jan 1987–08 Feb 1987.
Great gifts, great patrons, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 17 Aug 1994–19 Oct 1994.
William Dobell the painter's progress (1997-1998), Art Gallery of New South Wales, 14 Feb 1997–27 Apr 1997.
William Dobell the painter's progress (1997-1998), Newcastle Region Art Gallery, 07 May 1997–06 Jul 1997.
William Dobell the painter's progress (1997-1998), Museum of Modern Art at Heide, 29 Jul 1997–21 Sep 1997.
William Dobell the painter's progress (1997-1998), Queensland Art Gallery, 25 Oct 1997–07 Dec 1997.
William Dobell the painter's progress (1997-1998), Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, 08 Jan 1998–01 Mar 1998.
Australian icons: twenty artists from the collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 04 Aug 2000–03 Dec 2000.
Wellconnected - Dobell & Company, Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, 12 May 2001–17 Jun 2001.
Well connected: Dobell & company, Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, 12 May 2001–17 Jun 2001.
To look within: Self portraits in Australia, University of Queensland Art Museum, 16 Apr 2004–20 Jun 2004.
To look within: Self portraits in Australia, National Portrait Gallery [Old Parliament House], 09 Jul 2004–19 Sep 2004.
Australian modern masterpieces from the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, 05 Oct 2011–27 Nov 2011.
Australian modern masterpieces from the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Newcastle Region Art Gallery, 10 Dec 2011–04 Mar 2012.
