In the 1970s, Robinson was influenced by the work of French artist Pierre Bonnard. He studied Bonnard’s approach to painting: his luminous colour, his compositional devices and his ability to imbue ordinary aspects of daily life with poetic feeling. Robinson’s early interiors reflect the comforts and security of family life in suburban Brisbane.
Sophie in her bedroom 1974 By 1975, Bill and Shirley Robinson had acquired a variety of livestock on their Birkdale property, including dogs, chooks, cows and goats. This inspired a change in direction from interior scenes, to paintings and drawings of farmyard activities, including humorous interpretations of animal life. Robinson’s paintings of the time captured the whimsical behaviour of the animals, and the chaos and disarray of the farmyard.
Chookyard 1979
Goats, cows and chooks 1980
Goats 1982-83
Birkdale farm construction with willy wagtail 1983-84
Josephine, Rosie and others 1984 |
