Lot 65

Private collection, Melbourne c.1950s
Thence by descent

During the 1930s a stronger awareness of modern art developments began to emerge in Australia. Danila Vassilieff was well acquainted with figurative expressionism and other modernist trends, absorbing them naturally throughout his extensive travels. While many artists of this period made Australians conscious of our great country towns, Danila Vassilieff was one of the first to look for human scenes in more metropolitan areas.
Returning to Australia in 1935 after years abroad, Vassilieff settled briefly in Fitzroy, Melbourne. Regularly painting the everyday life on the impoverished streets of this inner-city suburb, he recorded children playing in the streets, dogs running down a cobbled laneway and ladies chatting on a street corner. With the application of a subdued palette, from the pale blue sky to the golden tones of the workers' cottage bricks, Vassilieff invites the viewer to look down the street towards what is seemingly the Fitzroy Town Hall peering over the roofs in the distance, viewed from Moor Street.
The architectural detail of the buildings and cottages owes something to Vassilieff's skills as a draftsman and engineer, while his delicate handling of the brush and deep tonal understanding reveal a talented hand with a strong understanding of the social realism of the day.

Lucy Foster
Senior Specialist, Fine Art