Stalagmites, Burragalong Cavern

This painting depicts a cavern in the Abercrombie Caves, located in the Central West region of New South Wales. Martens spent a week living and painting in the caves, and in this work, the artist’s easel is shown set up in the cave while he sketches.

For Martens, or for anyone in Australia in 1843, to paint in situ was relatively unusual. The dark palette of browns and greys, and the rough, impressionistic brushwork of the foreground and rock formations effectively capture the gloom of the limestone cave.