Full details of each lot are displayed, except the lot number, estimate and price. You must be a subscriber to view lot numbers, estimates and prices.
Ellis Silas, (1885-1972), a portrait of a working man, oil on…
This site contains only a limited number of works of art sold in Australia and New Zealand, and is not representative of the art market for any artist. For a comprehensive art database visit our specialist site, Australian Art Sales Digest which includes over 400,000 works auctioned in Australia and New Zealand by over 30,000 artists, covering the period from the early 1970s to the present day.
Sale Title:
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Melbourne
Date:
8-Aug-2022
Lot No.
***
Description:
Ellis Silas, (1885-1972), a portrait of a working man, oil on canvas, signed and dated 1914 lower left, 94 x 72 cm. Provenance: The Estate of the late Hylton Grimmer. Other Notes: in juxtaposing a fit, strong working man with the recruiting poster on the wall behind him, Silas here represents a prominent theme in the early stages of the first World War: the need for the Allies' working men to become fighting men., Comparison with photographs of Silas suggests that this is a self-portrait. Silas, who is known to have been patriotic, joined the Australian Imperial Force in October 1914, the year this work was painted. If this is a self-portrait, it seems likely to be associated with that event. The poster depicted appears to be French (the word 'Patria' – mostly commonly seen in this context in the phrase, 'Pro patria', 'For one's country' – being spelled here in French, 'Patrie'), suggesting that Silas, like many others, was moved to action by the fate of Belgium and France in August and September 1914., some months later, Silas was amongst those who went ashore at Gallipoli early in the morning of 25 April, 1915, following which he became one of the very few artists to paint works depicting the Gallipoli campaign from first-hand experience., dimensions: 94 x 72 cm, medium: oil on canvas. Provenance: The Estate of the late Hylton Grimmer
Estimate:
***
Price:
***
Category:
Art: Oil Paintings and Acrylics