New Turnbull portrait fails to capture 'inner life' of former prime minister

Jude Rae's official portrait of the former PM is ‘ultimately superficial’ and ‘photographic’, despite the one-time Member for Wentworth calling the artist ‘a joy’ to work with.

The official prime ministerial portrait of Malcolm Turnbull is unveiled at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Jude Rae is a talented painter, but this is a not a good portrait.

Even though there were apparently five sittings, and I have no doubt that the artist spent a reasonable amount of time with her subject, with the former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, the result ends up looking photographic and ultimately superficial.

The choice of a standing and yet only three-quarter view was an unhappy one, losing the poise of sitting without gaining the dignity of a full-length standing posture.

The outstretched hands, a momentary gesture, are suitable for the camera but not for a painting which should represent a deeper synthesis of the subject through time.

And thus not surprisingly the face too is painfully shallow, the expression directed outward, as though meeting a constituent, not inward revealing something of the real man. It’s unfortunate, especially in an official portrait intended for posterity, to fail so completely to evoke anything of the inner life of a complex and interesting statesman.

Jude Rae‘s portrait of Malcolm Turnbull.

Turnbull unveils his portrait at Parliament

By Bianca Farmakis

Reflecting on the portrait sessions, the former prime minister labelled Rae “a great artist” and a “joy” to work with, noting the sittings were conducted in her Redfern studio.

Turnbull, who notably resides in Point Piper primarily, also made a quip that the studio was “conveniently” located next to the train station.

“Democracy and the rule of law is under challenge around the world. We should not assume our own is immune and while we celebrate our parliamentary democracy we must never cease to keep it in good repair,” he concluded in a statement.

Rae said of her sessions with the former prime minister that he was a “smart and very engaging person”, opting for the standing pose “because it felt natural to him.” Seeking to display an “animated feature and expression”, Rae said the gesture aimed to reflect an “admirably open and rational approach to his public life.”

Artist Jude Rae, winner of the Portia Geach Memorial Award, with her work Self Portrait 2008 (The Year My Husband Left) at the SH Ervin Gallery in Sydney.

The Historic Memorials Committee commissioned the Sydney-based artist, marking her fourth entry into the Historic Memorials Collection. Her previous portraits include Anna Burke, Linda Burney, and former governor-general, David Hurley.