,ANDSCAPE ART IN AUSTRALIA 



OF Australian art as a distinct school with a national cha- 

 racter, and to some extent uninfluenced by the older schools 

 of painting, it may of a truth be said to be in the making. 

 Like the young nation peopling this vast island-continent of 

 Australia it is of strong and vigorous growth, and already bids fair to 

 take a recognized place in the not far distant future among the art 

 schools of the world. Seventy years ago there was little or no art in' 

 Australia. Art Galleries such as are now distributed throughout the 

 length and breadth of the Commonwealth were non-existent. The 

 settlers' energies were fully occupied in opening-up and developing the 

 country, the art collector and connoisseur were practically unknown, 

 and as to the artist well, he simply wasn't wanted. Happily this is 

 now changed, as a visit to any of the Australian Art Galleries will 

 amply demonstrate, and afford abundant proof that Australia already 

 can justly lay claim to possess a distinctly national art. 

 Art in Australia owes much to its early exponents, of whom special re- 

 ference should be made to N. Chavalier, E. A. Cooke, S. T. Gill, G. F. 

 Angas, and Louis Buvelot, examples of whose work are to be found both 

 in public and private collections. Of these many are excellent in their 

 way, but somehow fail to impress one as do the works of the men who 

 succeeded Buvelot, who may not inaptly be designated the last of the 

 pioneer painters. It is to this younger generation, freeing itself from 

 some of the traditions of older schools and going to nature direct for 

 inspiration, enthusiastic, and actuated by love for art and earnestness of 

 purpose, that we look for the creating of a national or Australian school 

 of painting. 



In any mention of the painters of to-day in Australia a foremost place 

 must be accorded to the late Walter Withers. Receiving his early art 

 training in England, he came to Australia whilst yet in his 'teens, and 

 soon established a reputation. He was awarded the first Wynne Art 

 Prize in Sydney in i 897, and in i 900 again secured the coveted prize 

 for the best Australian landscape. 



Then we have David Davies who for some years has been working in 

 the old country, and who is represented in the Melbourne National 

 Art Gallery by an excellent Moonrise ; and E. Philips Fox, born at 

 Melbourne in 1865, whose fine canvas, The Landing of Capt. Cook, at 

 Botany Bay, worthily represents him in the'National Gallery, Victoria, 

 where there are also several excellent portraits by him ; he is also re- 

 presented in the South Australian and Sydney Art Galleries. It is as a 

 portrait and genre painter that Fox is more widely known. 

 George W. Lambert was born in Russia, but came to Australia as a boy, 

 and received his first lessons in painting from Julian Ashton at Sydney. 

 He lived for some time in the Bush and painted it with remarkable 

 skill. His work is to be seen in most of the National Collections 



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