'On the Wallay Track' Artwork Response

On the Wallaby Track Response

On the Wallaby Track is a realistic painting that captures a struggling family. It was painted in 1896 by Frederick McCubbin.  In the foreground there is a women holding a baby, slumping against a tree and in the middle ground a man is cooking over a flame. In the background there is a blue tent hidden behind a bush.

On the Wallaby Track is a fantastic piece of artwork that has a lot of detail.

I find the colours to be very interesting. I like the use of pink, orange and yellow in the background. It makes me think that it is a sunset or a sunrise. The colours in the foreground are mixes of greens, yellows and browns. The colour choices impact the mood greatly, with the brighter colours lightning the otherwise gloomy painting.

I think the family in the painting has been through alot. When I first viewed this painting I thought the family were camping; after viewing the painting more closely I realized that the family looks very stressed. I began wondering are they really just camping? I now think that the family is staying there longer than I first thought because of the tired look upon the woman's face and her clothes look as though they haven’t been washed in a while.

Overall On the Wallaby Track is a very complex painting that has an intriguing story to tell. I recommend for everyone to go to this website to see more of his fantastic paintings: http://www.the-athenaeum.org/