Vic O’Connor was an instrumental member of Melbourne’s social realist group. This group, which also included Noel Counihan and Yosl Bergner, rallied against the art establishment, pursuing a progressive political agenda. Their fundamental belief was that art and politics ought not be separated. 

This political edge pervades O’Connor’s work. Influenced by a childhood spent working at Melbourne’s Victoria Markets, he depicted the hard work, comradeship and poverty associated with market life. 

In ‘Going Home’, O’Connor envisions a shadowy urban strip, occupied only by a lone figure with his back to us. The work is evocative, recalling the tiring journey home after a long day’s work. O’Connor’s vision is neither overly sentimental nor didactic, choosing instead to highlight the reality of those often forgotten by the mainstream. 

A notable figure in Australia’s artistic and political life, O’Connor is represented in numerous regional, institutional and public collections including at the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. For collectors of Modernist Australian art, as well as those invested in politics and the underdog, O’Connor is enriching. 
 

Vic O'CONNOR (1918 - 2010)
'Going Home' 1980
linocut
Edition of 9
Image Size: 18 x 21 cm
Dimensions: 38 x 29 cm
Signed: Signed, titled, dated and editioned in margin
Comes with Letter of Provenance
inscribed in margin: 7 9 Stage I, Going Home North Melbourne V.G O Connor 1949/80.
 
Condition: Excellent
 
© The Artist or Assignee