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William Robinson / Australia b.1936 / Four seasons 1987 / Oil on canvas / 4 panels: 137.5 x 188cm each / Commissioned 1987 with funds from the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited on the occasion of Australia’s Bicentenary 1988 / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © William Robinson
William RobinsonFour seasons 1987
Not Currently on Display
Four seasons is based on careful observation of the eucalypt and subtropical rainforests growing on the artist’s Beechmont property, in the Canungra region of the Gold Coast hinterland. William Robinson represents seasonal changes as well as different times of the day. He takes us on a journey through the landscape, beginning at dawn in the first panel of the painting, and continuing through to sunset in the last panel.
The first painting represents dawn and Spring, with the night sky pushing to the left. The second work is moving into a dry, early Summer, still windy and with bushfires. The third canvas shows Summer, with a thunderstorm just having moved over, leaving a rainbow. The last painting depicts the artist and his wife Shirley riding into the sunset. A flight of black cockatoos comes into the sky, leaving the storm in the distance, and life is renewed ready for Winter.
William Robinson was born in 1936 in suburban Brisbane. As a young man he was interested in art and music, and in 1954 trained as a primary school teacher at the Queensland Teachers’ College. He was subsequently awarded a scholarship to Brisbane’s Central Technical College (now the Queensland University of Technology), where he studied art from 1955 to 1956. Although he did not make a career of music, it has remained an important part of his life and music was integral to his painting practice. After completing his studies, Robinson began a long career as an arts educator in 1957, including running the painting department at the Brisbane College of Advanced Education (now the Queensland University of Technology) from 1982 until 1989.
In 1984, Robinson moved his family to a large farm at Beechmont in the mountainous Gold Coast hinterland, a region of immense natural beauty. The move gave rise to a new body of work, marking a personal breakthrough in his career and inspiring him to explore new artistic territory. He began to work on a much larger scale and painted panoramas of the sky, mountains, rainforests and water, exploring the landscape as a powerful, emotive force.
Discussion Questions
Think about the artist’s use of perspective, reflections and different viewpoints. How does Robinson manipulate the landscape he has depicted?
Classroom Activities
1. Choose one panel of William Robinson’s Four seasons and imagine stepping inside this scene. Describe what would you see, hear, smell and feel.
2. Sketch a scene at a particular time of day. Try sketching from unexpected different points of view. Choose colours to best illustrate the time of day.