The Street Urchin – SOLD

Robert Dickerson’s dramatic and elegantly simple works possess a poignant and haunting beauty that have fascinated collectors for decades.

This excellent large pastel, “The Street Urchin”, has a touching autobiographical connection with the artist because the setting is the streets and terrace houses of working class inner-city Sydney, around the then, tough working-class Surrey Hills area, where Dickerson grew up during the tough Depression era of the 1930’s .

As a child, Robert worked with his siblings in his father’s backyard sheet metal factory, making funnels and mirror backs for big stores. One of his jobs was to make the deliveries to the stores, and then afterwards the streets would be his, free to explore. He loved the city laneways – they were his playground and a place he could escape from the confines and commitments of home.

Jenny Dickerson, wife of Robert Dickerson, in her book about Robert, records that Robert would: “… wander round the terraces and back alleys watching sun and shadows dance off city buildings. He knew every lane and back way home, and he knew the pubs to avoid where there were drunks and fights outside.” On his city wanders, Robert also visited the State Gallery of NSW and the museum, sometimes sketching the exhibits, which was the start of his interest in art and drawing.

“The Street Urchin” with it’s beautiful colour, boldness of line, and emotional impact, would be a noteworthy acquisition for any collector.