Artist Paul Newton has unveiled his latest work – a portrait of Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President and Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB. Source: The Record.
Newton, one of Australia’s most celebrated portraitists, is known for his remarkable ability to reveal the essence of his subjects through light, tone, and expression.
His works hang in the National Portrait Gallery of Australia, Parliament House, Canberra, and numerous international collections from Columbia University to the United States Supreme Court.
His sitters have included figures as diverse as Pope Benedict XVI, Bob Hawke and Hugh Jackman, but it is in his ecclesial portraits — most notably those of Cardinals Edward Clancy and George Pell — that his sensitivity to faith and vocation most powerfully emerges.
Speaking about the new work, Newton described the process of painting Archbishop Costelloe as “a privilege and a joy.” He explained that, as with all his portraits, his goal was not simply to achieve physical likeness, but to portray something of the sitter’s inner life — “to capture on canvas something of the essence, the spirit, the faith of the person”.
“From my earliest days at art school I was drawn to the human figure and to portraiture,” Newton said.
“In painting the Archbishop, I wanted to reveal both the humility and quiet strength that define his ministry.”
The portrait shows Archbishop Costelloe standing in St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth, robed in the traditional black cassock trimmed with red, a silver pectoral cross resting at his chest.
The composition, Newton explained, was influenced by his conversations with the Archbishop and his time spent observing him at work and in prayer.
“What struck me most was his attentiveness — that sense of listening that is so central to his approach as a pastor,” Newton said.
“I wanted the portrait to embody that stillness, that openness to others, and to God.”
The portrait now hangs at Cathedral House in Perth and will be included in the archdiocese’s permanent collection, joining portraits of previous archbishops and significant figures in the life of the Church in Western Australia.
FULL STORY
Portrait of faith: Artist Paul Newton captures Archbishop Costelloe’s quiet strength (By Jamie O’Brien,The Record)
