The Hon. Henry Gullett MLC 1905

Julian Ashton painted The Hon. Henry Gullett MLC with oils, and it feels like a really direct, no-nonsense kind of painting. The brushstrokes are pretty visible, especially in the face and hands, where you can see Ashton layering different tones to build up the form. It’s not about hiding the process, but showing it. And the colours are quite earthy, lots of browns and greys, but with these little pops of red in the cheeks and around the edges that keep it alive. Look at the way the light catches his forehead - it’s almost sculptural. It reminds me a bit of some of those Sargent portraits, where you get a sense of the person’s presence, their weight and authority, but also a kind of vulnerability. Ashton’s work feels like a conversation with the past, a way of keeping these ideas about painting and representation alive. It shows that art is an ongoing process.