In his manuscript memoir, Thake recalled once seeing a 'poor old Abo' busking in a squalid Melbourne laneway as the rain poured down. For a 'social realist' artist, this image in itself would have been sufficient, but for Thake there was also an element of wry incongruity. The man was playing a popular song of the era - Springtime in the Rockies - evoking images of springtime, sunshine, mountain scenery and sentimental romance which could not have been more at odds with his miserable circumstances.
Springtime in the Rockies (full image) |
