The_Hon_E.G._Whitlam

<i>The Hon E.G. Whitlam</i>

The Hon E.G. Whitlam

1972 painting by Clifton Pugh

The Hon E.G. Whitlam is a 1972 portrait painting by Australian artist Clifton Pugh. The painting depicts Gough Whitlam, 21st Prime Minister of Australia. The painting was awarded the 1972 Archibald Prize.[1] Pugh had won the same prize the year before for a portrait of Australia's 18th Prime Minister John McEwen.[2]

Quick Facts The Hon E.G. Whitlam, Artist ...

Art critic Sasha Grishin describes the painting as "outstanding for its vibrancy, expressive characterisation and energetic brushwork."[3]

Pugh was sometimes described by contemporaries as "the court painter to the [Australian] Labor Party (ALP)."[4] Pugh started the work before Whitlam was elected the ALP Prime Minister in 1972. He told journalist Laurie Oakes that Whitlam "keeps a cover on himself and seldom relaxes. I’m having a hard job to decide just how to paint him, to decide what sort of man he really is."[5]

In the end, after a dozen false starts, [Pugh] decided Whitlam was strong and confident, though with an eye more on a place in history than on the present, and painted him that way

— Laurie Oakes, [5]

After Whitlam's dismissal from office by the Governor-General, Whitlam refused to sit for an official portrait to sit in Parliament House[citation needed] and requested that Pugh's portrait be hung instead. This offer was accepted and the portrait remains part of the Parliament House collection.[6]

References

  1. [1]
    "The Hon EG Whitlam". Archibald Prize. Art Gallery of New South Wales. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  2. [2]
    "Sir John McEwen". Archibald Prize. Art Gallery of New South Wales. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  3. [3]
    Grishin, Sasha (29 October 2018). "How (not) to paint a prime minister". Grishin's Art Blog (GAB). Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  4. [4]
    "Portraits of a more relaxed time for those on the hill". Sydney Morning Herald. 9 December 2005. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  5. [5]
    Oakes, Laurie (24 October 2014). "Gough Whitlam: Portrait of a risk taker". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  6. [6]
    "Historic Memorials Collection". Parliament House. Retrieved 28 August 2020.


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