For many years local artist Angus McDonald observed Professor Marcia Langton AO from a distance with a mixture of admiration and deep respect.
The trail-blazing Indigenous academic and advocate was, in McDonald’s eyes, ‘a towering figure’ and a ‘trail blazer’.
So there was much excitement, and perhaps even a hint of fear, when Professor Langton accepted the artist’s invitation to paint her portrait for the Archibald Prize.
The result was a striking portrait that reveals a side of the subject that the public rarely gets to see.
That it captivated those who saw it was clearly demonstrated last week when the painting won the People’s Choice Award, a coveted prize that is voted on by tens of thousands of art lovers across the country.
But as grateful as McDonald is for the honour, getting to know Professor Langton as a person was the ultimate win.
‘It was a privilege for Marcia Langton to agree to sit with me – that was definitely the highlight of the whole process,’ McDonald told The Echo.
‘I spent a day with her in Melbourne which was amazing.
‘We spoke a lot and I was really struck by this incredible person… battle-hardened by 50 years of struggle… the criticism, the blow-back… it’s hardened her. But the great thing was to find out about the other side. Warm, generous, hospitable… she’s a lovely person.’
For McDonald, portraiture is about much more than just coming up with a good likeness of the subject.
It’s as much about conveying who they are as a person.
‘It definitely informs the way I’m doing the portrait, having a sense of who they are, the humanity,’ he says.
McDonald is already working on his entry for the 2025 prize but is keeping the subject’s identity under wraps for now.
‘I do have a subject in mind… we’ve gotten together for a sitting,’ he says.
‘It’s someone else that I respect and admire…’
If this year’s entry is anything to go by, the next entry will not only shine but will shine a light into the world of another remarkable human being.
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