Down on His Luck
Encyclopedia
Down on His Luck is an 1889 painting by Frederick McCubbin
. It depicts a seemingly disheartened swagman
, sitting by a campfire sadly brooding over his misfortune. According to an 1889 review, "The face tells of hardships, keen and blighting in their influence, but there is a nonchalant and slightly cynical expression, which proclaims the absence of all self-pity." The background is a forest glade painted in subdued tones.
The artist's model was Louis Abrahams, an unsuccessful gold
prospector who was a friend of the artist. The scene was staged near the Box Hill artists' camp
in Victoria, but it is thought that McCubbin would have made additional studies of Abrahams under studio conditions.
The painting was owned by William Fergusson
until 1896, when it was purchased by the Art Gallery of Western Australia
in Perth
.
Frederick McCubbin
Frederick McCubbin was an Australian painter who was prominent in the Heidelberg School, one of the more important periods in Australia's visual arts history....
. It depicts a seemingly disheartened swagman
Swagman
A swagman is an old Australian and New Zealand term describing an underclass of transient temporary workers, who travelled by foot from farm to farm carrying the traditional swag...
, sitting by a campfire sadly brooding over his misfortune. According to an 1889 review, "The face tells of hardships, keen and blighting in their influence, but there is a nonchalant and slightly cynical expression, which proclaims the absence of all self-pity." The background is a forest glade painted in subdued tones.
The artist's model was Louis Abrahams, an unsuccessful gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
prospector who was a friend of the artist. The scene was staged near the Box Hill artists' camp
Box Hill artists' camp
The Box Hill artists’ camp was a site in Box Hill, Victoria, Australia favoured for plein air painting in the late 1880s by a group of artists who were part of a movement that later became known as the Heidelberg School....
in Victoria, but it is thought that McCubbin would have made additional studies of Abrahams under studio conditions.
The painting was owned by William Fergusson
William Fergusson
Sir William Fergusson, 1st Baronet FRCS FRS was a Scottish surgeon.-Biography:William Fergusson son of James Fergusson of Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire, was born at Prestonpans, East Lothian on 20 March 1808, and was educated first at Lochmaben and afterwards at the high school and University of...
until 1896, when it was purchased by the Art Gallery of Western Australia
Art Gallery of Western Australia
The Art Gallery of Western Australia is a public gallery that is part of the Perth Cultural Centre, in Perth, Western Australia. It is located near the Western Australian Museum and State Library of Western Australia...
in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
.