William Dobell - A Biographical and Critical Study

Angus and Robertson Publishers, 1981, 216 pages. Spine slightly faded, crease along vertical length of spine, previous owner's name on front endpaper, otherwise good secondhand condition.

William Dobell was an Australian portrait and landscape artist of the 20th century. Dobell won the Archibald Prize, Australia's premier award for portrait artists on three occasions. The Dobell Prize is named in his honour.

One of the astonishing things about Dobell's portraiture is his ability to adjust his style to the nature of the personality he is portraying ... If the character of his sitter is broad and generous, he paints broadly and generously. If the character is contained and inward looking, he uses brushstrokes that convey this fact. In his later portraits one has only to look at a few square inches of a painted sleeve to know what sort of person is wearing it. - James Gleeson