Book Description

Australia's distinctive landscape and sunny climate gave Australian Impressionism an intensity and radiance remarkable even in the international setting as the genre swept through the world's art communities during the second half of the 19th century. This book focuses on the first 15 years of the movement and follows five artists step-by-step. The story told in the Spring 2007 exhibition and in this catalog focuses on Charles Conder, Fred McCubbin, Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton, and Jane Sutherland. The material includes several thematic subjects, such as portraiture by Roberts and Streeton, and European symbolism. The art sometimes is anecdotal and contains a narrative. Australian plein air painters were interested in the way light evoked a particular emotion or mood and how to capture a fleeting moment within a short amount of time. These young artists saw themselves as leaders against the forces of conservatism and parochialism and stayed current with what was happening on the world stage. In response to a scathing review of their first exhibition, they wrote to the critic that they were 'working towards the development... of a great school of painting in Australia.' Among many lasting contributions of these painters, Jane Sutherland advanced the professional standing of women artists of her time.