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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2009 > June > 01 > Entry
Robert Dale Anderson 1949-2009
Robert Dale Anderson, artist and art lecturer at the University of Texas, died unexpectedly at his home Sunday afternoon, a spokeswoman with UT’s College of Fine Arts confirmed today.
Anderson was 60 years old. No cause of death was given, though natural causes were suspected, the spokesperson said.
Anderson’s intricate, detailed graphic drawings combined a kind of obsessive articulation and composition but had a wholly original sense of fantastical subject matter. Biomorphic forms inhabited complex tableaux that seemed both utterly classical and also distinctly futuristic.
“Everything that Bob did he did at an intense level,” said Ken Hale, artist and senior associate dean of UT’s College of Fine Arts. “He taught with intensity, he played with intensity and he collected friends with great enthusiasm. Added to these characteristics were four plus decades of intense studio practice. Bob was an artist who created images of great intensity. Even in a small 8” X 10” pencil drawing there is a universe of information.”
In a recent artist statement, Anderson wrote: “What is realized through silent contemplation is content that polite society does its best to hide - decay, disease, death, dementia, and chaos: the dark side. Siding within the traditions of the erotic, carnivalesque, fantastic, surrealistic, and psychedelic we find malignant growth and movement, a rotting world turned upside down in disorder, twisted grotesque bodies, beautiful monsters and decaying ruins.”
Anderson was represented by Conduit Gallery in Dallas and D. Berman Gallery in Austin. His work is in countless private collections as well as in the collections of the Blanton Museum of Art, the Ransom Center and Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
Born in Glendale California in 1949, Anderson received his M.F.A. and B.F.A. at California State University at Long Beach. He moved to Austin in 1988 when he joined the faculty the University of Texas.
Anderson is survived by a sister, Thalia Larson, of California, and his companion, Peggy Linehan, of Austin.
“Bob was a natural networker,” said Hale. “His friends are located from coast to coast and beyond. He reached out constantly to give information to his friends and to stay connected. Bob was a supporter of his colleagues and a mentor to his students. He attended every opening he could. If there was one thing you could count on, it was that you could not count on what Bob was going to say or do.”
Memorial services are pending.
‘After Party,’ graphite on paper, 2004.
Comments
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By Deborah Menn Chetwood
June 10, 2009 8:10 AM | Link to this
Bob was the type of person that leaves lasting impressions on the people he encounters. I had him for a teacher and when I talk about my time at school, memories of Bob and that summer class are always on the top of the list. He will be sorely missed to say the least.
By Carlos Cazares
June 5, 2009 11:35 AM | Link to this
I never met Bob Anderson, but my best friend took a workshop with him at Frogman’s last summer and told me ow much of a great man he was. I have nothing but pure respect and admiration for him.
R.I.P Bob Andersn
through your work and dedication you will always be alive! Long Live lithography and Lng Live Bob Anderson!
By Reed Posey
June 4, 2009 12:52 PM | Link to this
Everyone who knew Bob was better off for having known him. I’m no exception. In my art and my outlook, I recognize his influence and feel his presence often. He was a leader by example, and the example he left of a life well-lived, a legacy beyond his art, makes my heart feel light. Part of him will live on grandly and actively in everything he taught all of us, and our conscious thoughts of him will be a celebration of his life.
By Polly Husted
June 2, 2009 5:50 PM | Link to this
What a stunning person. Anytime our paths crossed at gallery openings, I’d learn important things about art, philosophy, you name it. Inordinately kind, he just jumps in your heart, and stays there. The legacy he leaves to his many students reaches far and wide, high praise indeed to this gifted man.
By laura
June 2, 2009 3:17 PM | Link to this
i was friends with Bob briefly around 1988. He was a mystery and we walked around the UT area and talked a bit. I had an interest in possibly dating him but that seemed to scare him. We lost touch and I always meant to go back and say hi, but didn’t.
By Cauleen
June 2, 2009 2:51 PM | Link to this
Bob sent me to swimming holes, let me film him in his studio, laughed at my jokes, and shared his ideas about art with me. Now living in California, when I think of Bob, which is not infrequent, I think about belonging. He had a way of making everyone feel included. I treasured his empathy. And I, like all of his great many friends in Austin, will miss him greatly.
By JER
June 2, 2009 10:08 AM | Link to this
I “met” Bob Anderson in 1995/96 or so. I never met him in person though: we collaborated on internet art projects through the organization Sito, BAZ was one of the early and influential members there. I call him “BAZ” because that’s how I knew him, by his internet nickname. The internet was a lot smaller then, I was a lot younger also and I realize now how lucky I was to meet someone like Bob early on. I thought the internet would be filled with people like him: smart, innovative, cool, insightful and more. I now realize how rare individuals like him are, not just on the Web but in the world, his early passing is a loss for us all.
By Luke Savisky
June 1, 2009 5:28 PM | Link to this
Bob’s long, lanky presence always exuded a deep thoughtfulness and a deep kindness that could immediately put me in a calmer state of mind. What a shock to hear of this. The last time I saw him was, of course, at an art opening, supporting the work of young artists and peers, as he often did. I think I can safely say that he was truly beloved in the art and education communities. Condolences to all that knew him. We will miss him dearly.
By Camille Lyons
June 1, 2009 3:53 PM | Link to this
I knew more about Bob from his life on Facebook than from the years that I was involved in art. I could tell that he was loved by students and respected by the faculty at UT. His intense brain like drawings were labyrinths that could be scary at times if I went there, but beautiful and fertile too. Bob went too soon, but I think his death was foreshadowed by words and phrases that he posted on various sites. I will miss you Bob.
By David Wyatt
June 1, 2009 2:03 PM | Link to this
Bob was a great teacher, artist, and person. I was fortunate enough to have him as a professor in the early 90s. He will be sorely missed.