Going Home 1889

Tom Roberts created this oil painting, *Going Home*, probably in the 1880s while studying in Europe. It shows a couple walking arm in arm, under an umbrella, in what is probably London or Paris. Roberts was part of a generation of Australian artists who travelled to Europe to hone their skills, so this work fits into the context of late 19th-century art education. But it also reveals how those artists brought new perspectives back home. The hazy brushstrokes and muted colours evoke a sense of urban life, but also a sense of the fleeting moment. It's reminiscent of impressionism, but its intimate subject, a working-class couple walking together on the street, points to a different set of social and cultural values. To understand this painting fully, we can delve into Roberts's biography, his influences, and the art market of the time. Ultimately, this little painting reminds us that art is always made within, and in response to, a particular social and institutional context.