A Break Away! 1891

Editor: Tom Roberts’ 1891 painting, *A Break Away!*, feels…dusty. And chaotic! All that ochre and movement makes it feel almost cinematic. What captures your eye in this scene? Curator: Dusty is right! It's got that searing Australian light practically burning off the canvas. I think it is so great, how he's caught the moment that things threaten to get out of control; but just look how everything pulls back together. Like a cracking yarn that magically comes good in the end. And that swirling dust—makes me sneeze just looking at it! Ever get the feeling a painting's trying to tell you something not just about what’s depicted, but about the very act of looking? Editor: Definitely! It's almost overwhelming. I’m intrigued by the lone rider though, trying to contain the flock. Curator: Isn’t he brilliant? Balanced on the brink, connecting wildness and order! Notice how Roberts doesn't give us sharp detail there. He leaves so much open. He leaves room to bring our own anxieties about what holds everything together. Does he fill you with confidence? Or do you fear everything is about to boil over? Editor: I'm not sure, actually. Maybe a bit of both. The scene does give a lot of narrative opportunity, doesn’t it? Thanks! It really makes me think about that balance and precariousness of the everyday, of wildness and order. Curator: Exactly! It's like he bottled a feeling rather than just painted a scene. Wonderful piece, this; Roberts has you feel the dryness, feel the sheep, taste the anxiety, see hope.