The Sunny South (painting)

The Sunny South is a 1887 painting by the Australian artist Tom Roberts.[1] The painting depicts a group of boys swimming naked at Ricketts Point at Beaumaris, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne.[2]

The Sunny South
ArtistTom Roberts
Year1887
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions30.8 cm × 61.4 cm (12.1 in × 24.2 in)
LocationNational Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

The painting was acquired by the National Gallery of Victoria in 1940 with funds from the Felton Bequest.[1]

The title appears to be a triple entendre. The title refers to the popular show titled The Sunny South, which was a popular play first produced in Melbourne by George Darrell and starring Essie Jenyns in 1883,[3] four years before the painting was finished, then taken to London. Ricketts Point, Beaumaris, is a seaside suburb to the south of Melbourne particularly popular during summertime. The third reference could be to the exposed backside of the central figure in the painting.

References
  1. "The Sunny South". Collection. National Gallery of Victoria. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  2. "The Sunny South". Coastal Arts Trail. Bayside City Council. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  3. Poorten, Helen M. Van Der, "Darrell, George Frederick Price (1851–1921)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 23 September 2018


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