Down on His Luck
 | |
| Artist | Frederick McCubbin |
|---|---|
| Year | 1889 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 114.5 cm × 152.8 cm (45.1 in × 60.2 in) |
| Location | Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth |
Down on His Luck is an 1889 painting by the Australian artist Frederick McCubbin. It depicts a seemingly disheartened swagman, sitting by a campfire sadly brooding over his misfortune. According to an 1889 review, "The face tells of hardships, keen and blighting in their influence, but there is a nonchalant and slightly cynical expression, which proclaims the absence of all self-pity ... McCubbin's picture is thoroughly Australian in spirit." The surrounding bush is painted in subdued tones, reflecting his somber and contemplative mood.[1]
The artist's model was Louis Abrahams, a friend and successful tobaccanist in Melbourne who earlier supplied the cigar box lids for the famous 9 by 5 Impression Exhibition. The scene was staged near the Box Hill artists' camp outside Melbourne, but it is thought that McCubbin would have made additional studies of Abrahams under studio conditions.[1]
The painting was owned by William Fergusson up to 1986 until it was purchased by the Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth.[1]