This colour study of Robert and his hematologist, Dr. Ross Langley is set in an office or examining room with an assistant visible in the background. This gives the sense that this is a routine check-up. The doctor is a serious-minded professional who contrasts in size and age with the emaciated patient. Both men wear glasses which gives them a point of similarity. The doctor’s touch creates a bond between them.

In his book, Illness & Healing, Robert compares the relationship between doctor and patient to that between a parent and a child, or that between a priest and a lay person. One has the authority that comes with special knowledge; the other awaits a verdict. The medical team are grouped on one side of the patient; a distant window is on the other. Robert created a large charcoal drawing of the same subject. In the charcoal drawing all the background elements were eliminated to focus attention entirely on doctor and patient.