Margaret submitted this work to the 1980 Archibald Prize, the work one of 30 shortlisted works. Famously, the newly appointed trustees considered that there were no worthy entries and did not award the Prize for that year. Yet the shortlisting meant that Margaret’s work was exhibited alongside some of the best-known artists in Australia. The Bulletin described the work as a “haunting self-portrait”, Woodward “wispily shy, nervously anguished, yet radiating an inner strength. A human being is captured here, not a glossy impersonal image.”

Margaret painted many self-portraits throughout her life. While some were simply titled Self-Portrait there were others such as The Rocking Chair (self-portrait) (2007) and Circle to Line (self-portrait) (2008) where Margaret places the focus upon an object within the work as central to its meaning. This 1980 self-portrait exhibits an experimentation with technique, positioning of the figure within the picture plane and wariness of placing the focus upon herself. The work explores her ability to create vibrant hues, the background colours clean, providing a halo for her central figure.

Painted during her year of studying for her teaching diploma, it was a period when Margaret was beginning to enjoy some success. Exhibiting with one woman shows at both the Holdsworth Galleries in Sydney and the Greenhill Galleries in Adelaide and Perth and reviewers beginning to take notice, she was more than worthy of being a subject for the Archibald Prize. There is a suggestion of her study of Cezanne, particularly the portraits of his wife, the strong vibrant colouring of the face, the stern gaze and the connection between the figure and the background. There is a tension between the two, Margaret employing her lessons in abstraction to infuse her work with the methods of her idol.

Exhibitions and Competitions

Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney, 1980.

References

The Bulletin, March 1981, p.78.