McCulloch, Alan (editor) / Henshaw, John.

The Golden Age of Australian Painting – Impressionism and the Heidelberg School.

Melbourne, Lansdowne Press, 1969. 26 cm x 31 cm. 196 pages. 110 colour illustrations on 94 tipped-in plates and 36 mononchrome illustrtions. Hardcover [publisher’s original maroon cloth] with gilt lettering on spine. With marvelously illustrated and slipcase with titling to front board. Extremely Rare / Very good+ condition with only minor signs of external wear. Stunning illustrations in excellent condition. Interior near perfect. Discreet bookseller’s label on front pastedown. Binding firm and strong and bookblock tight and square. Slipcase shows some shelfwear but is in good condition.

Includes, for example, the following: Australian Impressionist Painting / Biographies – Louis Abrahams – Julian Ashton – Rupert Bunny -Charles Conder – E. Philips Fox – Frederick McCubbin – Tom Roberts – John Russell – Arthur Streeton – Walter Withers / Notes / Bibliograhy / Index etc.

Impressionism was an international phenomenon. During the 19th century artists around the world, from Europe, to North America and Australia, stepped outside the studio to paint directly in front of their subject: natural or urban.
The work of French artists such as Monet is only the best known form of Impressionism today; in the 19th century the term ‘Impressionist’ encompassed numerous styles. There were many local interpretations, all deriving from the practice of painting en plein air (in the open air) – and Australia was no exception. Painting out of doors was linked to ideas of national identity in many countries; in Australia it went hand-in-hand with a sense among the non-Indigenous population of a nation coming of age. The swift, open brushwork that ‘plein-air’ painting required lent itself well to capturing the energy of Australia’s modern, cosmopolitan cities, and embracing the unique qualities of the awe-inspiring landscapes beyond and the pioneering way-of- life which was hinting at the potential bucolic richness of the rural country, but also of the sometimes harsh environmnent unique to Australia.
During the 1880s a group of artists in Australia – principally Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and Charles Conder – established painting camps on what were then the outskirts of ‘Marvellous Melbourne,’ as it was known, was one of the richest cities in the world, and fast becoming the second largest in the British Empire. They aimed for ‘truth to nature’ and worked in the open air, sketching quickly, applying their paint rapidly and capturing instantaneous impressions. The resulting oil sketches, which they considered to be finished works of art, were exhibited in their groundbreaking 9 by 5 Impression Exhibition, held in Melbourne in August 1889. This much-loved group of Australian artists has been referred to as the Heidelberg School, after the site of one of their painting camps at Eaglemont, near Heidelberg. Many of the works of the Australian Impressionists remain the most iconic and popular images in Australian culture.
(‘Australia’s Impressionists,’ National Gallery, UK website)
This magnificently produced work tells the story of these extraordinary Australian artists’ work and influences through beautifully told biographies and stunning reproductions of the works. Their works are visual representations of nascent love of country and a burgeoning national identity in a disctinct and young country, albeit tied to European traditions.

• Keywords: 19th Century · Art · Art – Rare · Artists · Australia · Australian Art · Australian History · Australian Impressionism · Catalogue Four – International Art · Illustrated Books · Impressionism · Inanna Modern – Art Books · Landscape Painting · New South Wales · Painting
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9780701800109
• Inventory Number: 120323AB

EUR 275,--