Sydney
LONG
Australia
1871
–
London
1955
England, Europe 1910-21; Australia 1921- 22; England 1922-25; Australia 1925-52; England from 1952
67.0 (h) x 112.5 (w) cm
signed and dated ‘SID LONG/ 1908’ lower right private collection
Landscape is a simple farm scene, one of Long’s purest rural subjects, along with his earlier Feeding time (cat 5). It is distinctly Australian and shows a girl with geese among the grassy grounds and wild flowers in front of a farmhouse, with an old cart to the right. The girl is small beside the large trees, and merges into her environment. Nonetheless, she is important, a feminine presence suggestive of the Spirit of nature.
The soft flushing tints of the sky harmonise with the russet leaves of the trees. This is an established property, perhaps the farm near Gosford, where Long’s sister and her family lived. Long, however, sought to capture the ambience of this rustic scene, to create an Australian idyll, rather than just depict a specific site; and he deliberately titled the work with the non-specific ‘Landscape’.
Everything appears to be natural and in its place, as though Long had come upon this quiet spot and revealed it to us. In the spirit of his pastorals, Long combined direct observation with an element of decoration in the treatment of the trees. An atmosphere of tranquillity and restfulness pervades the scene.
Landscape was first shown in the 1908 ‘Society of Artists exhibition’ (20).
Landscape is a simple farm scene, one of Long’s purest rural subjects, along with his earlier Feeding time (cat 5). It is distinctly Australian and shows a girl with geese among the grassy grounds and wild flowers in front of a farmhouse, with an old cart to the right. The girl is small beside the large trees, and merges into her environment. Nonetheless, she is important, a feminine presence suggestive of the Spirit of nature.
The soft flushing tints of the sky harmonise with the russet leaves of the trees. This is an established property, perhaps the farm near Gosford, where Long’s sister and her family lived. Long, however, sought to capture the ambience of this rustic scene, to create an Australian idyll, rather than just depict a specific site; and he deliberately titled the work with the non-specific ‘Landscape’.
Everything appears to be natural and in its place, as though Long had come upon this quiet spot and revealed it to us. In the spirit of his pastorals, Long combined direct observation with an element of decoration in the treatment of the trees. An atmosphere of tranquillity and restfulness pervades the scene.
Landscape was first shown in the 1908 ‘Society of Artists exhibition’ (20).
Landscape is a simple farm scene, one of Long’s purest rural subjects, along with his earlier Feeding time (cat 5). It is distinctly Australian and shows a girl with geese among the grassy grounds and wild flowers in front of a farmhouse, with an old cart to the right. The girl is small beside the large trees, and merges into her environment. Nonetheless, she is important, a feminine presence suggestive of the Spirit of nature.
The soft flushing tints of the sky harmonise with the russet leaves of the trees. This is an established property, perhaps the farm near Gosford, where Long’s sister and her family lived. Long, however, sought to capture the ambience of this rustic scene, to create an Australian idyll, rather than just depict a specific site; and he deliberately titled the work with the non-specific ‘Landscape’.
Everything appears to be natural and in its place, as though Long had come upon this quiet spot and revealed it to us. In the spirit of his pastorals, Long combined direct observation with an element of decoration in the treatment of the trees. An atmosphere of tranquillity and restfulness pervades the scene.
Landscape was first shown in the 1908 ‘Society of Artists exhibition’ (20).
