In the 1910s and 1920s, Grace Cossington Smith, a quiet young woman from a well-to-do and conservative background was at the vanguard of the modern movement in Australia, creating images which were considered ‘ultra-modern’. After initial art studies with Antonio Datillio Rubbo in Sydney, in 1912-14 she travelled to England and Germany with her family and on her return began painting in earnest while resuming her studies at Rubbo’s school. There she was affectionately nicknamed ‘Mrs Van Gogh’ by her teacher for her enthusiasm for this artist and she began pursuing an advanced post-impressionist style.