Robert Henry Dickerson Biography
Robert Henry Dickerson was born in 1924 and was an Australian figurative painter and former member of the Antipodeans group of artists. Dickerson is one of Australia's most recognized visual artists. Dickerson was a self-taught artist who refused to go to art school. His art has been described as edgy, high-contrast chiaroscuro and executed in a range of media including paint, pastels, charcoal and other graphic media.
Dickerson began drawing at the age of five, mostly airplanes and warships. Subsequently, people in urban landscapes became his subject. He joined the Royal Australian Air Force as a guardsman and continued to draw in his spare time. Inspired by Somerset Maugham's novel, The Moon and Sixpence, he spent time painting the island children using curtain canvas and camouflage paint. Returning to Australia, he resumed a life of poverty. At age 30 he was married with three young children. He shoveled coal to provide for his family, painting on weekends.
Subsequently, the family lived in a trailer. He continued to find time to paint and by the late 1950s his work was noticed. He turned professional at 35 when he won the Australian Women's Weekly refrigerator decorating competition in 1957. A small fortune, the prize allowed him to buy more art supplies and extend his techniques. Until then, he had used all available materials. The inspiration for his art came from everyday life, drawing on themes of loneliness, vulnerability and isolation. Lonely characters with long noses and eccentric, often averted eyes feature heavily in his work. He said it was "the same style I've always used" and he had no intention of changing it. He painted full time, raised racehorses, and lived with his third wife Jennifer, who was also his business manager. His passion for horse breeding and racing was recognized when he was named artist-in-residence at the Moonee Valley Racing Club for the 2001-2002 season. He died of cancer on October 18, 2015.
