Anthony Quayle (1913–1989), as Falstaff, Stratford, 1951 1957
William Dobell (1899–1970)
Royal Shakespeare Company Collection
(b Newcastle, NSW, 24 Sept. 1899; d Wangi Wangi, NSW, 13 May 1970). Australian painter. In 1929 he won a travelling scholarship that enabled him to study at the Slade School, London (he also had private tuition from Orpen), and he did not return to Australia until 1938. By this time his style had changed from the carefully studied, solidly constructed naturalism of his early works to a much looser and more Expressionist manner, sometimes with a satirical air. The rich colours and textures were influenced by art he saw on his travels in Europe, particularly the paintings of Soutine. He immediately acquired a circle of admiring patrons in Sydney, and in 1944 he became a household name in Australia when he was involved in a cause célèbre for modernism.
Text source: The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford University Press)
