Sidney Nolan (1917–1992) wove a compelling narrative around the figure of Ned Kelly, the allegedly wronged anti-hero who forged his own homemade armour and was pursued by police through the often featureless Australian bush landscape. The mythologising of Kelly did not start with Nolan’s paintings but these images remain the most enduring and instantly recognisable versions of the legend. Kelly’s stark black silhouette gave Nolan his most powerful symbol and poetic metaphor for Australians’ relationship with their land.