Fans of the cryptic crosswords appearing in The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald will bring recollections of many hours spent wrestling with words to find solutions planned out by the puzzle creator, DA.

More recent initiates, fans of SBS television’s Letters and Numbers will have more to go on: a face and a full name to put to the initials.

This man is David Astle, and he is the subject of a large scale portrait by Melbourne artist Amanda Marburg, which is a finalist in this years 90th installment of the prestigious Archibald Prize. Marburg’s art practice has long relied on painstaking reproduction, in oil on linen, of plasticine sculptures she makes of her subjects.

The Archibald continues at the Art Gallery of New South Wales until 26 June, before going on tour around Australia.

Amanda Marburg’s image is used courtesy the artist, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and Rex Irwin Art Dealer.