Portrait of Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Bolton AO Cit WA (left)
Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Bolton AO Cit WA Story Frame Drawings (right)
Mary MOORE
2008 | oil on marine ply | accession numbers 809 - 810
purchased by the Art Board 2008 - Murdoch University Art Collection
© the artist

Mary MOORE

born 1957, Perth, Western Australia
lives and works Fremantle, Western Australia
 
 
Western Australian based painter, Mary Moore, is one of the nation’s most respected portraitists.

Moore began formal visual arts training at age 15 when she enrolled to study at Claremont Art School, Western Australia. She later studied at Western Australian Institute of Technology (now known as Curtin University of Technology) before continuing further studies abroad at the Royal College of Art, London.

In 2001 she won the prestigious Portia Geach Prize for an outstanding self portrait and in the same year her work was featured in the National Portrait Gallery’s exhibition titled Intimate Portraits.

In recent times, Moore has undertaken significant commissions to paint portraits of eminent Australians. These included two major commissions for the National Portrait Gallery to paint the late Elizabeth Jolley AO in 2003 and a double portrait of the late Sir Charles Court AK, KCMG, OBE and his son, Richard Court AC in 2005.

In the initial developmental stages of this commission, Moore utilised a combination of photographs and life drawing sittings with Professor Bolton as reference points to create the final portrait.

The finished painting depicts Professor Bolton at home, seated in his favourite chair. Rather than opting for a formal portrayal, Moore depicts the Professor in a relaxed pose. He is pictured gazing outward with hand gestures providing intimation that he is articulating a thought midway through conversation – a distinctive Bolton mannerism.

The composition and content of this painting isn’t solely informed by the artist’s visual observations of her subject. Moore conversed with Professor Bolton, his family and close friends over an 18 month period as a means to develop a deeper understanding of this fascinating individual and his remarkable life.

Like many of Moore’s paintings, this is an analogous portrait with 42 emblematic carvings featured within the gilded frame. This symbolic frame provides added biographical support to the central painted image of Professor Bolton.

The narratives captured through these carvings reflect episodes and objects from Professor Bolton’s personal and professional life including his favourite hat, a ring which was a 20th wedding anniversary gift from his beloved wife, Carol, and the Murdoch University crest, symbolising his significant and enduring commitment to the University.

Exhibited concurrently as an important component of the portrait are 44 small drawings, framed in a chronological grid formation. The majority of these drawings are companion images to a carving within the painting’s frame. Each drawing features a descriptive narrative hand written underneath the image, that further enhances the experience of the painting and understanding of the subject’s amazing life.

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