Sultry noon [Central Station, Brisbane] 1931

Throughout the 1930s, Queensland artists and their southern contemporaries were increasingly drawn to depict images of modern life. In Brisbane, Vida Lahey painted the symbols of modernity she observed around her, such as the Grey Street Bridge under construction and Central Station.

This painting is a fine example of the light-filled vistas Lahey captured during this period, with the arcs of the railway terminal, train tracks and cloud formations creating dynamism within the composition. The developing city skyline is featured in the left middle distance and includes the station clock tower, the Brisbane Fire Brigade Station bell tower (demolished in 1950), the People’s Palace tower, the then-recently opened City Hall clock tower, and the Canberra Hotel (demolished in 1987). The view to the right depicts the old Trades Hall (demolished in 1967) and the Brisbane Gymnasium, which sat above the high rock cutting to the west of King Edward Park and Jacob’s Ladder and was demolished in 1938.

In October 1932, the art critic for the Age described Lahey’s painting as ‘a wonderfully sound and carefully considered study of tone values in full sunlight’.