Archer Davies
Tracing a link between the great Masters such as Titian, Velasquez and Manet, Archer Davies paints ‘from life’, drawing inspiration from a fascination with historical portraiture, still life and cinema.
“My work can be best understood as a contemporary continuation of art historical traditions. My painting aims for a tension between a beautiful surface of colour and brushwork and the intimacy and psychological depth of the human subject.” Archer Davies, 2024
Embodied in a style that is both gestural and realistic, his paintings are intended as a seductive visual poem. Staged theatrical compositions are reminiscent of a cinematic mise-en-scene, where the protagonists exist in their own mysterious world. Narrative threads are woven in a gentle, poetic way rather than a linear ‘story’, intentionally leaving interpretation open for the viewer.
Born in Maleny, Queensland, Davies graduated from Queensland College of Art in 2010 with a Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting) with First Class Honours. He was twice awarded the Griffith Award for Academic Excellence in 2011 and 2014. Archer has been a finalist in a number of prizes including The Kilgour Prize (2021), The Percival Portrait Prize (2019, 2014), the Rick Amor Self Portrait Prize (2018) and the Churchie Emerging Emerging Art Prize (2014).
Download CV