In April 1888, Roberts’ newly-met Sydney friend Charles Conder suggested they paint en plein air at one of Sydney’s ocean beaches, the popular Coogee Bay. The two artists selected a grand view, the vista from the northern headland taking in a sweeping view of the ocean and sheltered beach looking across to the bare hill bordering the southern side of the bay. Roberts selected a sole foreground figure who sits, stilled by the majesty of the scene, the tall dark sapling beside her emphasising the scale of the cliffs and the beach. Their rigidity instils a timeless quality to the work.

[add image of Conder’s version to this label]