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Text title: Down On His Luck

Text Type: Painting

Composer:  Fred McCubbin

The painting “Down on His Luck” by Fred McCubbin, portrays a lonely swagman sitting by a campfire in the bush.

The predominant is that of loneliness and the lack of connection to others that the swagman is experiencing.  However, there is also sense of belonging to this place and the bush environment.

The feeling of disconnection or lack of belonging is shown of the swagman which allows us to see him averted eyes, slumped position, worn-out clothes and his expression of sadness and loneliness. This emphasizes that he has lack of connection to others and society.

However, the painting manages to convey a sense of connection or belonging to place.  In painting we see the swagman sitting by a camp fire in the Australian bush landscape. The warm, earthy and golden tones used in portraying both the swagman and the bush around him, conveys a sense of peace, harmony and belonging to this place. 

McCubbin has managed to convey a real sense of beauty in the bush landscape that makes it appear more of a sanctuary than a place of desolation. In creating this image, it reinforces that feeling that the swagman has a sense of belonging in this bush landscape.