REST IN PEACE: Robert McFarlane 1942-2023

One of Australia’s finest photographers and critics, the great Robert McFarlane, peacefully passed away on July 19, 2023.

Robert was born in Adelaide in 1942, and as a photographer he specialised in recording social and political issues, as well as documenting performance in film and theatre within Australia, particularly during the ’70s and ’80s. Among the prominent figures he’s photographed are Charlie Perkins, Cate Blanchett, Bob Hawke, Geoffrey Rush, Eugene Smith, Burnum Burnum, and Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop – to name a few.

Like many of his vintage, Robert’s photographic journey began as a young boy when his parents gave him a Kodak Box Brownie. After later dropping out of high school, he began working at a small ad agency where he was encouraged to pursue photography. In 1963 he moved to Sydney to work as a freelance photographer, and that year later shot his iconic image of aboriginal activist, Charles Perkins, on a Sydney bus. At the same time he was also the editor of Camera World magazine – the beginning of his lifelong career writing about photography.

As a talented writer and critic, Robert could articulate his comprehensive expertise on photography, which was always thoughtful and often deeply philosophical. His photography is masterful, yet it was through his writing that many became even more familiar with Robert, who attended exhibitions around the country to write columns for The Australian and Sydney Morning Herald.

Received Moments

Ahead of a major retrospective exhibition in 2017, the photographer shared two fundamental beliefs about photography in a Fairfax interview:

I believe in two things: First, that essentially you don’t take pictures you receive them, as in “received moments”. So the picture actually comes to you from the subject.
Second, when I am photographing in an uncontrolled situation I try and take myself to the centre of that situation and try and work my way out from there. I love trying to find the moment when you get this sense of clarity, when everything comes together.
It sort of speaks to what Lewis W. Hine, the great American photographer who documented child workers in the early 1900s, said. His work eventually provoked the instruction of child labour laws. Hine said: “I photograph what should be appreciated or changed.”
Hine’s philosophy has been much of what I have focused on in the last 50 years, I love to focus on “work” because for so many of us, work defines a great part of who we are, it can define you in a good way or a bad way.’

And even when he wasn’t writing a column, Robert would frequently attend exhibitions and launch events to support photographers.

Here is a short passage commemorating Robert by his friend, Paul McDonald, whose words likely ring true for many others:

Robert through his written and spoken words changed how I saw and understood an image. He was a gentle man, whom I met at the ACP. We often sat in the corner of the gallery with a cup of tea and he would hold court and have a deep conversation with me about each exhibition. Sipping away at my English Breakfast tea over the years he ignited a passion in me about the art of image making I never knew existed inside me.
He taught me to take my time with an image, and truly think about what it is saying. Understand its visual language and how each image can talk to each other to create an overall narrative within a space or book. I learnt so much from Robert, more than any formal qualification could give you. He was truly passionate and committed to the Australian Photography community. Without him, I personally don’t feel photography would be where it is today.

Many other tributes are flowing in from his friends and colleagues in the Australian photographic community, such as curator Sandy Edwards who describes Robert as being ‘very formative in encouraging me to be a photographer. This is a sad but wholehearted thanks to him for his contribution’.

Inside Imaging briefly spoke with Robert back in 2015 about an upcoming biographical documentary, The Still Point, which explored pictures in his archive. He was a great interview subject - it didn’t take much to generate a cracking quote. For instance, we asked him whether he was enjoying going back through his archive:

‘It’s interesting, because it’s a fairly regular process (going through the archives). I had a phone call just this morning from the National Library about acquiring some pictures I took in 1988 of black theatre. My work basically divides into social issues and performance, film and theatre. So they knew I’d photographed this amazing evening of black theatre and all the usual suspects are there – sadly about half of whom are now dead. That sort of documentation is very valuable. We’re not here forever and sadly a lot of those in the indigenous community die young.’

Robert’s work is permanently held in many collections, including The Art Gallery of NSW, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Library of Australia. Many other private collections feature Robert’s work, as well as hundreds of newspapers and magazines dated anywhere from the ’60s to today.