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Harald Vike is primarily known for his works depicting the Australian countryside. Born in 1906, he was one of six children in the Gallis family. As a child his family relocated to the Norwegian town of Vike and it is believed that this is where he took his name.
In 1927 Vike travelled to Australia for the first time and proceeded to spend six months in the west of the country, before returning to Norway. It seems that he grew rather fond of his time in Australia as he returned in 1929, deciding to settle in Perth. Vike had always had a keen interest in art, and his move to Australia sparked his desire to pursue his artistic talents; enrolling in the W.R. Linton Institute of Art which he was able to subsidise through his boxing career.
Vike's surrounding landscape and those who inhabited it became the prevailing theme of his paintings, earning him the 'West Australian Society of Arts' prize for landscape watercolours.
After World War II Vike became an illustrator for the Australian Post, but continued to paint in his free time producing works much like the present paintings.
A number of Vike's works are held in both public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Australia and the Holmes à Court Gallery.