Hans HEYSEN
Germany 1877 – Australia 1968
Australia from 1884; Europe, England 1899-1903

The saplings 1904
oil on canvas
signed and dated lower right, in oil ' HANS HEYSEN 1904 - 6 '
120.5 (h) x 90.3 (w) cm
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
NGA 1993.1194
© Hans Heysen, Licensed by VISCOPY, Australia

The saplings 1904 is another work that comes from the period of time Heysen spent working at Meadows, and most likely pre-dates Mystic morn 1904. He again depicted a thicket of slender saplings, looking down on them from above. In this way this work differs from many of Heysen’s later gum tree paintings in which he emphasised the majestic grandeur of his trees by showing them from a low vantage point. Here, Heysen captured the rough texture of peeling bark and showed a path leading into the landscape past the eucalypts, towards a sunny grassed area beyond.