Painting Saving Giuliano

This painting was initially inspired by a photograph taken by the American photographer Dorothea Lange in 1939 — specifically, an image of Chris Adolph’s younger children. When I first saw it, something about their expressions, the setting, the rawness of it — it all struck a deep chord. It immediately brought to mind Australia’s own Depression-era struggles. Times when food was scarce… and rabbits, for many, became a vital source of protein and survival. That parallel between American and Australian hardship became the emotional starting point for this piece.
My creative process always begins with drawing. I start traditionally, by hand. But when it comes to composing the final image, I shift into Photoshop. Not because it’s digital — but because it’s fast, efficient, and allows me to experiment with structure and light.

In this composition, I’ve built a horizontal triangular structure. Unlike the vertical, pyramidal compositions often used during the Renaissance to suggest hierarchy or ascension, my triangle lies on its side — more grounded, more human, more rooted in the earth. I wanted it to feel solid, weighty — like the lives I’m referencing.

I’ve always been drawn to symbolism. And here, the scarecrow and the circling black crows aren’t just there for atmosphere — they carry clear symbolic weight: hunger, threat, survival, even death. But they also hint at resilience — standing tall in the field despite everything.

Stylistically, I wanted this painting to echo the feel of the old MGM films — that grandeur of PANAVISION. So, I lit my subjects from outside the frame, using two light sources. It gives the scene a kind of theatrical drama — a cinematic tension — as if they’re on a stage but unaware they’re being watched.