Self Portrait (With The Benefit of Hindsight)
Sam Cranstoun
- Sitter: Sam, Georgia & Matthew Cranstoun
- Medium: Oil on board
- Dimensions: 30 x 20 cm
- Representation: Milani Gallery
- Category: No specific categories
2020 Highly Commended
About the artwork
In contemporary psychology there is a practice that involves picturing yourself as a child, and applying the kindness, patience and affection that you would to an infant version of yourself. Sam says, “This practice is something that has brought a great deal of comfort to me in recent years, and this painting is from a series that quite literally applies that concept. By reflecting on ourselves and those close to us as children and treating them with the sensitivity demanded by children, I know my sister and I have both been able to process the anxieties and complexities of modern life. This has felt far more pressing in a post-COVID moment.”
About the sitter
The subjects of this portrait are the artist Sam Cranstoun, with his sister Georgia Cranstoun, and his brother Matthew Cranstoun. The painting is inspired by a family photograph of the three siblings as children.
About the artist
Sam Cranstoun’s multidisciplinary practice traverses a variety of mediums, including collage, sculpture, painting, drawing, watercolour, sculpture and video. His work focusses on historical figures, events and images as a way of exploring how history and current affairs are shaped and how we respond. Cranstoun has exhibited throughout Australia, and often focuses on narratives surrounding Brisbane and its inhabitants.
