Selected works from RMIT Culture collections and International Collections

Heather Shimmen

Portrait of W. Shakespeare, 1979 Gouache, charcoal and collage on arches paper

72.5 x 55.5 cm

Acquired by the RMIT School of Art, c. 1979 RMIT University Art Collection

Heather Shimmen, Portrait of W. Shakespeare, 1979

We all know Shakespeare’s iconic portrait. It’s place in cultural memory is resolute. I love how Heather Shimmen manipulates the facial features, limbs, and the overall aesthetic to create this grotesque, unenviable portrait of the playwright. I was drawn to it because it reminded me of portraits by my favourite artist, Francis Bacon. His grotesque paintings encompass ideas of perceptions and self-identity. To me, this painting is a brilliant departure from the realistic portraiture that dominated the past. It leads me to questions about cultural memory, and how the narratives of huge historical figures change and evolve over time to the point where we will never really know what is true, or what has been formulated over the centuries.

Claude Monet, Woman with a Parasol, Madame Monet and Her Son, 1875 Oil on Canvas 100 x 82 cm Original from the National Gallery of Art

Digitally enhanced by RawPixel https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.61379.html

Claude Monet, Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son, 1875

This painting is so gorgeous and colourful. I feel as if the subjects are inviting me to go on a picnic with them on a lovely Spring afternoon. Looking at this painting is like a calm escape from the chaos of the outside world, and impressionism is almost always a win in my book. There is a certain dreaminess to this painting that I just adore, and it could easily be a shot from a Jane Austen adaptation film. The low angle and the dark shadow also remind me of old family photos – people and places I have never, and will never, meet or experience.

Sidney Nolan, Red Figures,1940

The boldness of this painting is striking. The colours leap out, forcing you to stare at the mess of lines, and the figures they form. I feel as if I’m witnessing a fight –between strangers or siblings, maybe even a war scene. The brush strokes are steadfast, almost violent. This commitment to line and stroke reminds me of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring’s work, and their bold, unapologetic nature. Their incredible joint exhibition at the NGV was the last time I’d had the pleasure of walking through a physical gallery since the pandemic. I think that’s why I was so drawn to this image – recalling great artists and yearning for those sorely missed in-person artistic experiences.

Sidney Nolan Red Figures, 1940 Oil paint on board

375 x 510 cm

Purchased by the RMIT School of Art, 1978 Edward Collection, RMIT University Art Collection