How a puddle inspired William Robinson to transform the Australian landscape
The recent death of revered Queensland artist William Robinson was a huge loss but we still have his wonderful works to remember him by as a new exhibition demonstrates.
William Robinson has long been one of Australia’s most revered artists, but few would know how a simple puddle left in the wake of a summer storm led him to develop his much-loved and award-winning signature style.
All is revealed in a new exhibition of his work, William Robinson: Reflections, now on at the William Robinson Gallery, Old Government House, until August 30, 2026. It’s a particularly timely exhibition in light of his recent death.
Following Robinson’s passing at the age of 89 on August 26, QUT respectfully delayed the opening of this exhibition at the artist’s eponymous gallery, located at the centre of the university’s Gardens Point campus.
According to Vanessa Van Ooyen, director of QUT Galleries and Museums, Robinson’s passing has transformed the exhibition into something far more poignant than originally conceived.
“Reflections was conceived to celebrate a profound moment in the life and career of William Robinson, tracing water as a recurring motif throughout his practice,” Van Ooyen says. “However, the exhibition now carries deeper significance as both an artistic exploration and a meditation on the artist’s enduring legacy. The exhibition presents Robinson’s treatment of water as subject and metaphor, while serving as a fitting tribute to a master who helped define Australian landscape painting.”
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Robinson won the Archibald Prize for portraiture twice (Equestrian self-portrait in 1987 and Self-portrait with stunned mullet in 1995) and the Wynne Prize for landscape in 1990 and 1996.
“After a late-afternoon Queensland storm, Bill gazed into a rainwater puddle and saw the moon and night sky mirrored perfectly on its surface. In that instant – looking down yet seeing up – he discovered a radical new way of seeing,” explains Van Ooyen. “He told us that this revelation led him to abandon traditional linear perspective in favour of simultaneous, inverted viewpoints, a technique that would become his signature.
“Water pervades his practice not as mere subject matter but as an organising principle. It appears as creeks threading through rainforest, mist dissolving into its canopy, ocean merging with horizon and mirror-like surfaces that double the visible world. These aqueous forms generate the conceptual framework through which Robinson explores interconnected themes that define his artistic vision.”
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Featuring works that span glistening creek beds, misty rainforests and turbulent seas, Reflections highlights how this singular moment of clarity evolved into a deeply personal and poetic vision of the Australian landscape.
QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Sheil says the new exhibition is an opportunity for the people of Queensland to reflect on the life and work of one of Australia’s most significant contemporary artists.
“William Robinson shaped the way we see our landscapes, expressed through both painting and printmaking,” Prof Sheil says. “He was a visionary artist and a cherished member of the QUT community, whose generosity as a teacher and mentor has left an enduring mark on Australian art.
“Through the William Robinson Gallery, his work continues to inspire future generations as a legacy to Queensland and Australia.”
Reflections marks the 18th exhibition at the William Robinson Gallery since its opening in 2009. A richly illustrated catalogue will accompany the show, featuring an essay by Van Ooyen on selected key works, while a new range of exhibition merchandise will also be available.
William Robinson: Reflections continues at the William Robinson Gallery, Old Government House, QUT Gardens Point campus until August 30, 2026.