Arthur Ernest Streeton and Autumn

'Autumn' (1889) by Arthur Ernest Streeton; Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat, Australia

I had an extremely difficult time finding a painting for today. I decided to use Australian landscape painter Arthur Streeton, even though the Wikipedia page says that his date of death is 1 September 1943. I usually rely on Wikipedia but Safran-Arts mentions September 2, 1943, and that is good enough for me. Otherwise I might have ended up with a painting by an artist that I didn't like at all. In any case, I like this painting and the brightness of the colours. The Wikipedia page shows more of Streeton's paintings and I like these too. I had never heard of this painter but he appears to be no minor artist. His paintings are amongst the most collectible of Australian painters. Streeton was one of the founders of the Heidelberg School, an Australian art movement that has been described as Australian Impressionism. By looking at today's painting, you can see why. The painting 'Autumn' was purchased by the Art Gallery of Ballarat in 1948, and prior to its acquisition, the canvas was cut into two smaller scenes. Eventually they decided against making two paintings out of one. I have no idea why they were even contemplating making two paintings out of one. It must have something to do with size. Anyway, this is one of Streeton's early works and it is one of the few paintings in which he depicts a woman at work. He sometimes named his paintings after works by his favourite poets and this painting is probably named after Keats' ode 'To Autumn'. I like this painting because it is a bit vague in form and there's no uniformity in the depiction of the trees. It gives a sense of a warm day in late summer turning into autumn. Just like the weather here in Amsterdam.

George Washington Thomas Lambert and Miss Helen Beauclerk

'Miss Helen Beauclerk' (1914) by George Washington Thomas Lambert;
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

I had never heard of the Australian painter George Washington Lambert, born on 13 September 1873 and died on 29 May 1930. In fact, I don't know Australian art at all. Lambert was a portrait painter and became a war artist during the First World War. When I googled the images of his paintings, it was the painting of Miss Helen Beauclerk that stood out for me. Helen de Vere Beauclerk (1892-1969) was a British writer. Lambert captured her face beautifully and emphasized the hands, something that he started to do with all his sitters. In this particular painting he shows Helen putting on her gloves, while stroking with her bare hand the gloved index finger on the other hand. I think it's a beautiful painting.

Ernest William Christmas and Kilauea Caldera

'Kilauea Caldera' (1816-18) by Ernest William Christmas; Private Collection

Maybe a more extensive search would have come up with another artist, because I struggled again to find one, but I am satisfied with the Australian painter Ernest William Christmas, born on January 28, 1863. I had never heard of him before and am not familiar with Australian art at all. In that respect alone, it is nice to show a painting of Christmas in this post. He was born in Australia but travelled the world. He became a landscape painter, with a particular interest in lakes and mountains. During his stay in Hawaii, he painted the volcano Kilauea and became a member of the Volcano School.  I find that kind of fascinating, a group of artists painting volcanos. Look at the detail on this particular painting: the two tiny figures at the front. If you are interested to know more about this painter, click here.