Allegro con brio, Bourke St. West 1890

Tom Roberts painted *Allegro con brio, Bourke St. West* with oil on canvas using brushes. The visible brushwork lends the painting a sense of spontaneity, capturing the energy of a bustling city street. Roberts has used the properties of oil paint to create depth and texture: thick impasto in some areas gives way to thin, translucent washes in others. Look at the smoke billowing from the factory chimneys in the background. These mark the transition from an agrarian economy to the industrial revolution. The painting acknowledges the labour and the social environment, depicting the life of the working class. The composition is divided into distinct zones, from the frenetic activity in the foreground to the more distant streetscape. Notice the rows of horse-drawn carriages. They speak of the transportation methods available to the upper classes and the labor required to maintain them. By paying attention to the materials, techniques, and social context, we can understand the full meaning of the artwork. This challenges any division between fine art and the broader context of cultural production.