Portrait of the observer – Martin Shaw
Portrait of the observer … Martin Shaw, reflected here in his intriguing artwork, says people interpret it according to their own experiences.
Bob Hawke thought the blue figure was Ned Kelly. John Laws thought it symbolised the economy. And to Cathy Freeman, it represented someone unwise and uncaring.
We’ll never know who’s right. The artist Martin Shaw, who painted Three Well Known Australians in barely a day in 1982, banks on the mystery surrounding the figures’ identity for the painting’s longevity. And for 25 years, the canvas has toured Australia continuously, piquing people’s curiosity.
Giving a colour print of the painting and its title as a guide, Shaw wrote to hundreds of famous people asking them to guess who the figures were. The responses hang alongside the painting in an exhibition at Parliament House in Canberra.
Ned Kelly came up often for the boxy blue figure on the left. Not only was it the former prime minister’s guess back in 1993, it’s been the suggestion of many members of the public who, over the years, have recorded their opinions in binder books Shaw calls yearbooks. To the artist, the yearbooks – which chronicle the occupations, addresses and the guesses of generations of Australians – are the real work of art.
“They’re a national portrait,” Shaw says. “They’re like a passing parade. Each generation in Australia chooses different names for the images. The books are a social commentary of the changing times in Australia.”
And has anyone correctly guessed all three identities? That, the 54-year-old artist would not say, nor plans to tell before he dies. The exhibition at Parliament House continues until the end of February 2008.