Self Portrait
Bronwyn Hill
- Sitter: Bronwyn Hill
- Medium: Oil on Canvas
- Dimensions: 91cm x 122cm
- Representation: Lethbridge Gallery and Flinders Lane Gallery
About the artwork
In presenting this finely painted portrait of herself by depicting her painting clothes on a hanger, Bronwyn Hill pushes the boundaries of self-portraiture and shows the expanded definition of contemporary portraiture.
Instead of a prominent face we see the clothes that the artist wears when she paints, the build up from many years of work. The portrait is about identity and questioning the value we put on our careers and interests, allowing them to define us.
Bronwyn Hill often uses her own image in her work to portray a narrative or translate an emotion. This work looks beyond physical likeness and instead at the bare summary of the artist’s life.
The work came about when she was working on some studies of her painting clothes. “I was startled by how surreal it felt to see the clothes that I wear every day coming to life on the canvas in front of me, a feeling that I would have expected to feel painting my own portrait.
“This had me thinking a lot about identity and why I felt more of a link to some ragged old clothes than I do to my face. I’ve never felt weird about painting my likeness. I recognise my siblings and my parents in the facial features, but I’ve never really seen myself.”
About the artist
Bronwyn Hill is a Brisbane based painter whose practice predominantly focuses on portraiture and figurative representation. Recognised for her photo-real oil paintings full of poetic narratives and gentle observation, her work often explores ideas of self-analysis and introspection. She has had solo exhibitions at Lethbridge Gallery in Brisbane and Melbourne’s Flinders Lane Gallery. She has been represented in many prizes, including the Brisbane Portrait Prize.
