Arthur Streeton: 12 works

'Evening Standard, 17th August 1889 During the summer of 1888-1889 a young Arthur Streeton travelled by train to the beautiful surrounds of Heidelberg, 12 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. There Streeton managed to secure the homestead Mount Eagle after striking up an acquaintance with the brother-in-law of artist David Davies which enabled him to live, paint and teach in the area for the following two years.'

'Streeton did not portray subjects of life on the land with the figure playing a dominant role, as did Frederick McCubbin or Tom Roberts, but he did paint many images of masculine labour, such as the men blasting the tunnel in Fire's on 1891 and the surveyor in A surveyor's camp 1896.'

'Arthur Streeton painted this landscape at the Eaglemont Homestead near Heidelberg during the summer of 1890, when he was only 22 years old.'

'Arthur Streeton's visions of the landscape have defined an image of Australia. 'Fire's on' in particular is considered his greatest evocation of the country's heat and sunlight.'

'Painted three years after Arthur Streeton first visited Sydney, 'The railway station, Redfern' is an atmospheric study of rain and light.'

'International influences on Streeton's choice of subject matter and his evocative approach, include French and British Impressionism as well as the decorative, asymmetrical design and flattened picture plane of Japanese woodcuts. Streeton continued to experiment with these elements throughout the mid-1890s in his numerous paintings of Sydney Harbour and decorative panels on the subject of Sirius Cove completed whilst he was staying at nearby Curlew Camp.'

'In December 1892 Arthur Streeton moved from Melbourne to Sydney to join his friend Tom Roberts who was living at Curlew Camp at Sirius Cove near Mosman. Streeton spent the next four years based at this camp.'

'When he had finished it, I doubt whether Streeton was aware of the importance of his accomplishment. (L. Lindsay, 'Streeton's Australian work', in S. Smith, B. Stevens & C. Jones (eds), The Art of Arthur Streeton, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1919, p. 14-15) Text © National Gallery of Victoria, Australia'

'Streeton shows Amiens lying peacefully amongst green trees, with the great Cathedral in the distance.'

'Streeton was employed to produce at least 25 drawings and watercolours, and one large painting of a battle scene or other Australian Imperial Force involvement. In just over six months he was prolific, producing numerous drawings and watercolour studies on site, and completed works in his studio in London.'

'Official war artist Arthur Streeton paints the Australian troops advancing through a broken landscape of ruined buildings. His familiarity the brilliant light of the Australian sun is evident in his depiction of the countryside, which is set in contrast to the gloomy blackness of the tunnel entrance.'

'After the battle of Hamel on 4 July 1918, official war artist Arthur Streeton produced a number of sketches looking across the town of Corbie towards Le Hamel. These sketches of the Somme Valley, with its leafy, green trees and meandering river, later became the basis for Streeton's depiction of the ferocious opening artillery barrage of the 8 August battle on the Somme.'