The Yellow Automobile

The painting by H.C. Hardwicke is quite clearly all about speed and the essence of automobile racing and driving. We can see a dark country road with a brown, muddy track and a tree lined backdrop with blurred green foliage, all of which is hard to identify as the automobile is travelling at great speed. The bright yellow automobile itself also echoes this speed with its coarse brush strokes and the angle at which the automobile has been painted, pointing forward and onward. There can be no doubt that the driver is in a hurry and the dark country lane will not deter him. Interestingly we see no headlights which even heightens the danger and energy of the painting. The driver throws safety to the wind and he intends to arrive at his location, wherever that may be, as fast as possible. The painting seems to raise more questions than answer them. Where is the driver going? Is he in a race or is he driving for his own pleasure? Will he reach his destination and will he win? We are only onlookers of this one moment in time as the automobile races past us and we feel the elation of the driver’s speed.