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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

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Howard Taylor

1988 (printed 2001)
John Austin

gelatin silver photograph, selenium toned on paper (sheet: 40.2 cm x 30.4 cm, image: 35.0 cm x 23.8 cm)

Howard Taylor AM (1918-2001), painter, sculptor, graphic artist and teacher, trained in England before the war, which he spent largely as a prisoner in Stalag Luft III. In 1951 he was appointed as a teacher at Perth Technical College, and for many years he continued to teach part-time. Through the 1960s and 70s he concentrated on sculpture and executed a number of major public commissions in Perth. During the 1980s he turned to pastels and paintings. Taylor was renowned for his slow and impeccable craftsmanship, and his work is powerfully evocative of long and patient observation of natural phenomena. Taylor was awarded two honorary doctorates, and the WA State Government named him a living treasure and citizen of the year in 1999 and 2000. In an obituary, Daniel Thomas commented that 'after the death of the very different and much more erratic Arthur Boyd, Taylor was our best artist of any kind.'

This photograph was made at Taylor's studio on March 18, 1988, while he was designing the sculpture that was a gift from the people of Western Australia to the New Parliament House in Canberra. Austin writes that he 'had finished photographing, and turned to ask Howard if he wanted a coffee brought from the house. Howard had already stopped sort-of-not-quite-posing and had returned to concentrating on the design. I made this image very quickly with the last frame in my Rolleiflex. Realising I was on to something good at last I quickly reloaded and made another 8 exposures, these 8 images are, of course, boring. Some things are just given.'

The back view of the artist echoes art critic Ben Genocchio's perception of the 'real emotion, mystery and intrigue' of Taylor's late work, and his own modesty, expressed in the idea that art, when not the result of practical procedures, is 'simply the old fumble . . . [t]he more intangible aspects are not encouraged . . . suspect - known [but] kept quiet.'

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2001
© John Austin

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

Artist and subject

John Austin (age 44 in 1988)

Howard Taylor AO (age 70 in 1988)

Subject professions

Visual arts and crafts

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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

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The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

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