‘A Letter to Danila’ is a new text by artist Domenico de Clario, designed, printed and published in Yarra by Sonntag Press.

The publication accompanies a body of work paying homage to the life and work of Russian-born painter Danila Vassilieff, who settled in Australia in 1935 and was befriended by members of the 'Heide Circle'.

Vassilieff is perhaps best known for his depictions of early twentieth century suburban life in the working-class communities of Collingwood and Fitzroy.

Through these paintings, Vassilieff is credited with redirecting Australian modernism towards the expressive figurative tradition of Russian folk art, influencing a generation of rebellious young artists including Joy Hester, Arthur Boyd, Linda Bryans, Albert Tucker, Charles Blackman, and Sidney Nolan. When de Clario first encountered Vassilieff’s paintings as a high school student, they summoned memories and sensations of arriving with his family from Italy in 1956 and settling in Smith St, Fitzroy.

Establishing a post-humous dialogue with Vassilieff six decades later, ‘A Letter to Danila’ weaves connections between their shared journeys of migration and navigating creative life in Australia.

Release Date: Wednesday 15 September 2021

Publication details:
Edition of 300
148 x 210mm
32 pages
ISBN: 978-0-646-84752-8
Author: Domenico de Clario
Designer: Alex Ward
Editorial management: Brigid Moriarty
Copy editor: Sarah Gory

Domenico de Clario is represented by MARS Gallery, Melbourne. For copies of the publication, please contact the gallery.

For more information, visit the Sonntag Press website.

This project was supported by a City of Yarra Small Project Grant.