William and Shirley, flora and fauna 1985 William Robinson William and Shirley, flora and fauna 1985 Oil on canvas 126 x 187cm Purchased 1985 Queensland Art Gallery Full screen Detail 1 Detail 2 Every landscape is created by its observers. Without them it is merely country. Here William and Shirley Robinson gaze steadily back at us. They seem in the landscape but not of it. Their position in the painting irresistibly recalls Thomas Gainsborough's celebrated painting Mr and Mrs Andrews 1750 (NGA London), which above all others proclaimed the proprietorship of the English gentry over their domains. William and Shirley 'bear witness' to their Beechmont property in the traditional way, but they share its title with the forest and animals. This is a gentle but purposeful parody of English landscapes, for a new environment. Back to Beechmont | Next painting Print friendly version