About the Program

In 1988, the Junior School at Kew welcomed a number of leading Melbourne artists and craftsworkers who displayed their talents and involved students in the production of artworks for permanent display around the School. In 1988, the Artist in Residence was Yugoslavian born artist Mark Strizic whose mural Fantasia For Paint and Brush was unveiled by Mrs Lorraine Elliott, then Carey parent and Vice-President of the Victorian Branch of the Liberal Party, on April 28th.

"Painting and music sometimes come together, perhaps a composer is influenced by a painting or a colour'', said Mark. "Some painters listen to music while painting, and may also hear, in their mind's ear, music coming out of their work."

The title of the work alludes to music, a composition in which form is subservient to fancy. The birds, animals, and vegetation are somewhat fanciful, and reveal the paint and its tools of application.

Mark explained that he aimed to show the young viewer how the picture was made, to deliberately show the brush mark and the textures of different brushes, the swish of the painting knife, the varied qualities of the lines used.

The mural was originally on display in the entrance foyer of the Steele Wing in the Junior School, Kew.

About the Artist

Mark Strizic (1928–2012) was a Croatian-born Australian photographer and artist best known for his influential role in documenting post-war Melbourne and its evolving urban landscape. After migrating to Australia in 1950, he became a key figure in mid-20th-century Australian photography, producing a body of work that combined documentary clarity with a strong artistic sensibility.

Strizic worked across architectural, industrial, and portrait photography, and collaborated frequently with architect and writer Robin Boyd on projects that captured the transformation of Australian modernist design. His images are notable for their precise composition, graphic strength, and attention to light and structure, often reflecting both the optimism and disruption of rapid urban change.

His work has been widely exhibited and is held in major collections including the National Gallery of Victoria and the National Gallery of Australia. Strizic’s photographs remain an important visual record of post-war Australian cultural and architectural history, as well as a significant contribution to the development of photography as an art form in Australia.