Australia is a country that produced excellent painters that are revered on a global scale. These painters mostly got inspiration from their surroundings because Australia is surrounded by nature. This includes rainforests, rare animals, alpine heaths, and so on. And this is why they call Australia a mega-diverse nation. An Australian native, Peter Biantes, affirmed that Australia has magnificent landscapes and these give inspiration to several painters/artists. He further stated that Australian painting ranges from the modern painting style to the traditional painting style.
Peter Biantes is an ex-executive of a health and wellness company called Wattle Health, which is located in Australia. Wattle Health is a leading Australian firm specializing in natural health products. While Peter Biantes strongly believes in using natural health products to achieve a healthy life.
Art in Australia
As stated above, Australia has a diverse collection of art and artists who make good use of Australia’s natural habitat. As a result, there are different art categories in Australia such as rare animal paintings, ocean life paintings, nature, human paintings, forest paintings, and so on.
History of Art in Australia
Australia has a long history of art and painting, even in the olden days when Aboriginals painted traditional aboriginal arts. Art in Australia can be traced back to about 30,000 years ago. The Australian art style was majorly influenced by Aboriginal arts and later on European style. The Aboriginal style is a traditional one that focuses on nature, humans, and the environment. The European style is different because it was influenced by contemporary art, impressionism, modernism, and realism. Therefore, Australian art can be divided into two: Modern Art, and Aboriginal Art.
Famous Paintings Made by Famous Painters in Australia
Painter Frederick McCubbin – The Pioneer:
The pioneer was made by Frederick McCubbin in 1904. The painting is a triptych, which has three panes that tell a unique story. It is the story of a farmer, a free selector, and his family. These people lived in the wild in Australia and tried to survive.
Reception
The Pioneer is a masterpiece painting in Australia and has been collected by Victoria‘s National Gallery. Peter Biantes describes the painting as a story on its own. This is because it depicts the struggles of Australians living in the wild. Additionally, the painting shows the relationship between the past, the present, and the future.
Spring Frost by Elioth Gruner:
This was painted in 1919 by Elioth Gruner, a native of Australia. The focus of the painting is animals and nature. While the backdrop was a farm in rural Australia. Elioth showed a group of dairy cows at dawn. This painting received an award the same year it came out. Peter Biantes acknowledged that Elioth was able to capture the earth, sky, animals, sun, and grass, in a single stunning frame.
A Break Away by Tom Roberts:
Tom Roberts, an Australian painter, outdid himself with this painting. A Break Away shows a flock of sheep thirsty for water running towards a dam to drink water. In the painting is also a herder on a horse trying to control the sheep to prevent drowning or accidents. Tom’s painting skillfully depicts the Australian spirit, nature, and the pastoral sector in those days.
Artist Arthur Street on – Golden Summer, Eaglemont:
Arthur Streeton created this painting in the summer of 1889 at the age of 21. Arthur idyllically captured Heidelberg, a rural area in Melbourne. Art critics loved the poetic, but naturalistic nature of the painting. It was one of Arthur’s best works of art. Arthur successfully blended gold and blue color to produce a natural color scheme that represents nature. Furthermore, Golden Summer is an example of art influenced by impressionism.
Painter Frederick McCubbin – Down on His Luck:
Frederick created this painting in 1889. In the painting, you can see a swagman who seemed to be disheartened by life in front of a campfire. The man was sitting down there thinking about his life. The man in the painting was Louis Abrahams, a model, successful businessman, and Frederick’s friend.
Peter Biantes observed that the painting keenly depicts the subtle cynical and nonchalant attitude of the man, and the hardships he had faced. One could sense that there is no self-pity in the countenance of the swagman sitting down. Art critics applaud Frederick’s painting for showing Australia’s natural habitat and how it reflects the man’s feelings.
Artist Tom Roberts – The Big Picture:
On the 9th of May 1901, the First Australian Commonwealth Parliament was opened. Artist Tom Roberts took inspiration from the Parliament opening to paint his art. He called it The Big Picture. It is a huge painting that captures the Parliament Building and what happened on the opening day.
If you want to check out the painting, it is at the Australian Parliament, where it’s on permanent loan. Even though the painting belongs to the Australian Collection, the country’s Parliament borrowed it in 1957.
Conclusion
On a final note, Australia is a country blessed with many talents and natural resources. Artists in Australia never lack sources of inspiration due to the beauty of the country. As an Australian himself, Peter Biantes is proud that the Australian Art world, and artists, in general, have come a long way.
