Twenty Minutes Past Three 1886

Tom Roberts captured this quiet scene with oil on canvas. Though undated, we can situate Roberts within the Heidelberg School, an impressionist movement of Australian painters in the late 19th century. Here, Roberts gives us an interior scene, a woman illuminated by lamplight, standing in a room with deep red walls. The gaze of the woman is directed away from the viewer, and, combined with the title of the painting, establishes a narrative quality of waiting or anticipation. Is she waiting for a lover, a husband, or perhaps news from a distant land? Roberts creates a portrait of domesticity and femininity that resonates with the historical period. During this era, the roles of women were often confined to the domestic sphere, and their identities intricately linked to their relationships and family life. Consider how the use of light enhances this, casting a warm glow on her figure while obscuring her face, adding an element of mystery to her identity. It reflects the complex interplay between visibility and concealment.