She-oak and Sunlight

Have you heard of the Australian artist Tom Roberts? Today, thanks to the National Gallery of Victoria, you can find out about him in DailyArt.  :)

Vibrant and intense, She-oak and Sunlight celebrates the piercing light and dry heat of the Australian countryside. Depicting a cluster of sunburnt trees on ocher soil, with a backdrop of saturated sky blue, the work’s vivid palette captures the harsh contrasts of the Australian landscape in a typically Impressionist style. 

She-oak and Sunlight was one of a number of works Roberts presented in 1889 at The 9 by 5 Impression Exhibition at Buxton’s Rooms, Melbourne. Larger than the standard 9 x 5 inch format, this piece was priced at 2 guineas, rather than the average 1 guinea. Of all the works shown in the exhibition, She-oak and Sunlight (or No. 19 as it was known in the exhibition) was one of the first to be singled out by critics: "No. 19, She-oak and Sunlight,  is considered by those competent to judge to be a very strong bit of work, but the ignorant will find the sheoak rather too 'germy.' It's brown tinge shows up well against the golden tinge of the burnt-up grass." 

P.S. Just as the country itself, Australian culture is so diverse! See many different faces of Australian art!