Robert Dickerson
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Robert Dickerson (born 1924) is a leading Australian figurative painter.
Born in the Sydney, New South Wales suburb of Hurstville, and a self-taught artist, Dickerson was a member of the Antipodeans Group of artists, formed in 1959 to oppose what they saw as the dominance of an excessively formal abstractionism in Australian art of the day. His work is represented in most major public collections.
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[edit] Early life
A working-class boy growing up in Sydney in the 1930s Depression era, Robert Dickerson's education was cut short. By the time he was 14 he had a full-time job in a factory and was learning to box. He toured for four years with the Jimmy Sharman Boxing Troupe.[1]
In The Age he says, "boxing was purely about money. I was earning 16 shillings ($A1.60) working a 44-hour week and could make two to five pounds ($A4 to $A10) if I won a fight. Minutes in the ring seemed like years, but you cope with what you have to and we needed the money – badly."[2]
Dickerson remembers drawing since the age of five, mainly aeroplanes and warships. Later the people in streetscapes became his subject matter.
He joined the RAAF as a guard and continued to sketch. Inspired by Somerset Maugham's novel The Moon and Sixpence he spent the time painting island children using tent canvas and camouflage paint.[2]
Back in Australia he resumed a life of poverty. At 30, married with three small children he shovelled coal to provide for the family, painting on weekends. Later the family lived in a caravan. He continued to find time to paint and by the end of the 1950s, his work was being noticed.[2]
He turned professional at 35 when he won 100 pounds ($200) in the 1957 Australian Women's Weekly fridge decorating competition. A small fortune then, the prize allowed him to buy more art materials and extend his techniques. Until then he had used whatever materials were available.
By the mid-1960s, Dickerson had remarried, had two more children and a drinking problem though he continued to paint. The marriage lasted eight years with three more years fighting for custody of their children. He moved to Brisbane, showing at Johnsone Gallery, travelled, exhibited – at times in London, returned to Sydney and finally settled at Nowra.
[edit] Work
The subject matter of his work centres around characters drawn from the tough background he experienced, picturing loneliness, vulnerability and isolation, the subjects of everyday life.[1]
Dickerson is a self-taught artist who refused to go to art school; he now dominates the top-end of the market. The style of his work is described as lone characters with long noses and whimsical often averted, eyes. He says it is, "the same style I've always used," and does not intend to change it.[2]
In the 1950s, art patron John Reed told Dickerson his work contained new references and a "new truth". In 1959 he joined Charles Blackman, Arthur Boyd and John Molvig, to form the Antipodeans – a group of figurative artists making a statement opposing abstractionism in their day. His works are angular and high contrast chiaroscuro in a variety of materials including paint, pastels, charcoals and other graphic media.[3]
The breakthrough to becoming one of Australia's most recognised figurative artists came in 1954 when the National Gallery of Victoria purchased Man Asleep On The Steps. His passion for breeding and racing horses was recognised when he was appointed artist-in-residence at Moonee Valley Race Club for the 2001-2002 season.[1] Dickerson is considered one of a generation of significant Australian artists who include Ray Crooke, Charles Blackman, James Gleeson, Margaret Olley and Inge King. According to the former deputy director of the National Gallery of Victoria, Frances Lindsay, this group continues to be "productive and innovative after many decades of practice as leading Australian artists".[2] His work sells for $A80,000 and up.
[edit] Personal life
Dickerson has a property in Nowra, New South Wales and a studio where he paints full-time, breeds race horses, and lives with his third wife Jennifer, who is also his manager.[2] He has several children and step children, 17 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.[2]
[edit] References
[edit] Bibliography
- Robert Dickerson – Against the Tide, Jennifer Dickerson, Pandanus Press, 1996; reprinted, Queen Street Fine Art, 2004.
- Anthologies, see Dickerson Gallery[1]
