Respect means more than Anh’s dough
THE first Anh Do heard about Jack Charles was that he was an “esteemed actor, former heroin addict and jailbird, member of the stolen generation, gay man and latter-day indigenous activist”.
The painter, comedian and author would later capture Charles in paint, in a session many saw from the comfort of their living rooms while watching ABC TV’s Anh’s Brush with Fame.
The result has now gone on to capture the public’s heart, announced yesterday as this year’s Archibald Prize People’s Choice award at the NSW Art Gallery.
“Jack’s a special human being, to be through everything he has been through and to become a well-loved, wellrespected mentor. I find him inspirational,” Do said.
“Jack is a member of the stolen generation, taken away from his mum at a very young age and Jack shared with me the fact that he spent a lot of his life searching for his mother, or the love of a mother, and how it was an impossible void to fill.
“Hence I stuck the image of a unicorn and its mother in the painting – a unicorn being a creature impossible to find.”
Despite sharing the sad parts of his life story as he was painted, Charles said the experience in Do’s “sexy little Sydney studio” had been a “hoot”.
“I count him as one of the best extractors of information, from his engaging smile, wit, genuine interest and listening to the dribs and drabs of my story, my reason for living,” he said in a statement. “I’m extremely chuffed to be counted as one of Anh Do’s mates.”
Do will receive a $3500 cash prize for the win, though at the end of the day he said what mattered most was whether Charles liked the finished product.
“I was happy with the painting when I finished and then I showed Jack and, more importantly, he was happy. And now that people like it as well – icing on the cake,” he said.