Born in Springs in the then Transvaal, Robert Brooks came under the sway of the assertive Brian Bradshaw at Rhodes University in the early 1960s. Taking cues from his teacher, Brooks developed a painterly and spirited style, characterised by meandering and expressive outlines, recognisable locations, compact or off-kilter perspectives, and vivid, oily colour contrasts. His output is typically bold, large in scale, opulent, often kitsch, teeming with drama or incident, and swiped thick with rich colour. A founding member of the influential Grahamstown Group in 1964, Brooks lectured at Rhodes between 1967 and 1972, headed the Department of Photography at the Tech until 1980, and in 1981 finally replaced Bradshaw as head of Fine Arts back at Rhodes. He retired in 1997.