Ned Kelly and his dog Ned Kelly series by Max Horst

Painting on canvas of Ned Kelly by Max Horst

The painting presents a whimsical and imaginative scene that merges historical figures with native Australian wildlife. Ned Kelly, the iconic bushranger, stands at the center. His stylized form includes the unmistakable helmet and armor associated with his legend. Beside him, a dog—equally armored. The background hints at an Australian landscape—a dramatic sky transitioning from warm orange to deep red. The bold color palette amplifies the painting’s energy and surreal quality. Horst’s use of abstraction and stylization invites viewers to reimagine familiar figures.

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I am full-time contemporary Australian painter having completed a Master Degree at the European Academy of Arts in 1997. I generally paint under the name "Max Horst". Exploring the nature of people and the relationships between them, my paintings are very often short stories of small,daily moments of life. I distill these relationships through simplified forms and shapes, developing my own code of symbols - a code which is constantly changing and developing over time.In my quest for simplicity and honesty I draw much of my inspiration from cave paintings and naive art, “because I find them very honest as a form of art”.Using oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, I may mix them with drawing techniques. Natural pigments of earth colors are the base of my palette. With an intuitive preoccupation with color, form and line my work belies a carefully considered composition and an appreciation of the nature of human interaction.