graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm
This latest drawing represents an image of Jimmy Mackay, who was chosen for selection as a member of the Australia squad as featured in the FKS-published ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ collectors’ stamp album (from which original source came the image, enlarged as a monochrome photocopy, that served as the visual reference for the processing of the drawing) & honoured as one of his country's streamlined six-man cohort in the Panini 'Munchen '74' album.
Subsequently, & in the real world, our portrait subject was also chosen as a squad member for the tournament itself, where he went on to appear in all three of the Australians' matches (although he was in fact Scottish-born, this 'prior nationality' being common to a number of those immigrants representing Australia at the ’74 World Cup: see also Peter Wilson – English - & Manfred Schaefer – German - as depicted earlier), eliminated as they were at the conclusion of the first round group stage.
In common with the vast majority of those who played at the
1974 World Cup Finals, Mackay is another of whom I had no recollection (as,
indeed, applies to any of Australia’s matches, which obviously passed by televisually
unseen at the time), making his appearance, relatively recently, only via the
medium of the sticker/album, although his image now of course enjoys equal
billing amongst those featured in the drawing project. He passed away, aged 54,
in 1998.
