Afternoon at Forty Baskets

In Afternoon at Forty Baskets, Olena Vigovska renders the quiet splendour of Sydney Harbour at dusk with lyrical intensity and compositional assurance. The iconic foreshore at Forty Baskets Beach is framed by a sinuous, flame-toned angophora whose twisting trunk and outstretched limbs arc protectively across the canvas. Its sculptural presence anchors the foreground, the bark articulated in rich ochres, russets, and cool greys that contrast against the soft radiance of the sky.

Beyond the rocky shoreline, moored yachts rest on luminous, glassy water, their masts punctuating a horizon washed in peach, gold, and fading violet. The distant headlands dissolve into warm atmospheric haze, suggesting the last light slipping behind the harbour’s contours. Vigovska’s brushwork shifts from expressive and textured in the rocks and tree roots to fluid and reflective across the water’s surface, creating a tactile dialogue between land and sea.

The composition guides the viewer from the intimate detail of weathered sandstone and exposed roots into an expansive harbour vista. Through a refined interplay of warm and cool tonal harmonies, Afternoon at Forty Baskets captures both the geological character and the contemplative stillness of this beloved coastal enclave—an ode to place, light, and the enduring drama of the Australian shoreline.