Town Hall, Swanston Street c1945

Summary

Born in Melbourne, Charles Salis Lloyd (1902-c1960) studied at the National Gallery Art School with Bernard Hall, winning the student prize in 1918. The influence of late Australian impressionism is evident in the work of this painter of landscapes, portraits and still lifes. This oil on canvas painting, made around 1945, offers a view south-east across Swanston Street to the Melbourne Town Hall, which abuts the Athenaeum, where Lloyd held regular exhibitions of his paintings. The strong late-afternoon light and dramatic, cloud-swept sky are a 'natural' corollary to the thronging pedestrians and motorised traffic viewed from an elevated perspective. These elements are held in an off-kilter balance across a diagonally bisected canvas, creating an energised scene of mid-century Melbourne.