Robert Hannaford Robert Dessaix (in my studio)

Robert Hannaford had been an admirer of Robert Dessaix’s writing for some time when he happened to find himself sitting next to him on a plane. Having met Dessaix, it crystallised a desire to paint him.

Dessaix, who lives in Melbourne, is the author of Night letters and A mother’s disgrace. He sat for Hannaford on ten or so occasions during three different trips to Adelaide. ‘He was very compliant!’ says Hannaford.

Dessaix is pictured in Hannaford’s studio. ‘The glue pot just happened to be there on the corner of the table, as did the books behind him – though they worked in nicely,’ says the artist. ‘It’s my studio and not Robert’s world; he’s alien in that environment. He’s obviously sitting for a painting – all the honesty of that process is laid out.’

‘I wanted to capture the light of the studio with Robert in it. It had its difficulties like all portraits but there were no major changes to the composition.’

Born in Adelaide in 1944, Hannaford is an acclaimed portrait artist, with numerous commissions to his name, and is well known for his landscapes and nudes as well. He won the People’s Choice at the Archibald Prize in 1991/92, 1996 and 1998.

This portrait is now in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra.