Robert Hannaford Richard Maurovic

Richard Maurovic was a stockman before falling off his horse, which resulted in paraplegia. He has since become a successful artist.

Hannaford’s portrait was a commission. He was fascinated by the way that Maurovic posed for it. ‘He doesn’t have much muscular control so he actually balanced himself rather than held a pose. He has lost a lot of muscle fibre. You can see the distortions in his hands and his legs but for all that he is an exceptionally bright personality and extremely optimistic.

‘I like the composition of the painting,’ adds Hannaford, ‘the way it takes in the chair and the dais on which we had to lift his wheelchair every day. I like the way that leads your attention to focus on the personality of the sitter.’

Born in Riberton, South Australia, in 1944, Hannaford is a largely self-taught artist. Acclaimed for his portraits, he also paints landscapes and nudes and is a sculptor. He won the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize in 1990, the Fleurieu Landscape Prize in 1999 and the Archibald People’s Choice Prize in 1991, 1996 and 1998.