Robert Kinnear (1851—1935)

oil on canvas
102.2 x 75.0
No. 27 in 1934 exhibition
Gift of Mrs Everard Baillieu, 1986
La Trobe Picture Collection, State Library of Victoria

Robert Kinnear was born near Stawell in 1851.

Robert Kinnear was a champion runner and won the Stawell Gift foot race in 1883, at the age of 32, a remarkable achievement. He ran the 130-yard course with a handicap of 14 yards, in 12 seconds, a clear three yards ahead of his nearest competitor. He lived for many years at the Ebenezer Mission. When it closed he and his wife continued to live within the Mission grounds.

Robert Kinnear was the oldest sitter and was very nearly blind at the time of sitting. The portrait was painted in the local hall at Antwerp, the nearest town to the Mission. It was painted over several days and seems to have been an extremely difficult experience for both sitter and artist:

"The most worrying days painting I have ever had. The experience trying too for the old man, who in spite of the stove almost against his back, shivered with cold sometimes"

On completion, the artist was reportedly less than happy with the result and his catalogue stated that it was to be painted again. However, the relaxed seated pose belies the difficulty of its execution.