DOI Heft:
No. 250 (February 1914)
DOI Artikel:Ashton, Jas.: Notes on some Australian landscape painters
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21209#0051
Australian Landscape Painters
NOTES ON SOME AUSTRALIAN
LANDSCAPE PAINTERS.
There is a slow-growing appreciation of the
Australian artist by those who understand and love
art for itself, yet there are still those that depreciate
art or anything else that is Australian in character
and say that there is no real art in this land. Hence
the chief thing lacking with the Australian artist
is patronage; it is the painful truth that buyers are not
so numerous as they ought to be. The average
Australian is keen in the pursuit of the " almighty
dollar " and is incapable of enjoying many of the
pleasures that art affords, but if anything in the
way of sport is going on, the Australian is there.
When, however, one considers the works of
Australia's leading artists, many of whom know of
no other light than the great glare of an Australian
sun, one cannot help feeling that there is growing
up a natural art all new and peculiar to this great
continent.
Light seems to be the end and aim of all artists
in their work, and as art is cosmopolitan, the com-
petent craftsman will paint the atmosphere that
surrounds him and that will permeate his work and
show his personality; so it is with the Australian
artist, who can paint out of doors the whole year
and therefore strives after light.
Australia is a country of blue skies and distant
horizons, but it has of course no splendid art
history like the countries of the old world.
The creative artist is ararityhere ; we have no great
schools like those of England, France and other
European countries; models are scarce to the figure
painter, and what with this drawback and the lack
of encouragement from those in a position to help
them, it is no wonder that many of our young men
who show talent as painters of the figure go to
Europe and settle there. Yet there are a few men
who, as painters of land and sea, stand out like rocks
in mid ocean.
Prominent amongst these is William Lister Lister,
president of the Royal Art Society of New South
Wales, a society which has been in existence for
more than thirty years. Mr. Lister has held the
post for the past fourteen years. He paints equally
well in oil and water-colour and his works are
known all over Australia. He is a realist, and
knows how far to go with colour; he does not
experiment in search of quality but puts the colour
on and there it remains. His works are large ; he
paints these large canvases to show the bigness of
' FAIR DROVING WEATHER " BY ALBERT J. HANSON
47
NOTES ON SOME AUSTRALIAN
LANDSCAPE PAINTERS.
There is a slow-growing appreciation of the
Australian artist by those who understand and love
art for itself, yet there are still those that depreciate
art or anything else that is Australian in character
and say that there is no real art in this land. Hence
the chief thing lacking with the Australian artist
is patronage; it is the painful truth that buyers are not
so numerous as they ought to be. The average
Australian is keen in the pursuit of the " almighty
dollar " and is incapable of enjoying many of the
pleasures that art affords, but if anything in the
way of sport is going on, the Australian is there.
When, however, one considers the works of
Australia's leading artists, many of whom know of
no other light than the great glare of an Australian
sun, one cannot help feeling that there is growing
up a natural art all new and peculiar to this great
continent.
Light seems to be the end and aim of all artists
in their work, and as art is cosmopolitan, the com-
petent craftsman will paint the atmosphere that
surrounds him and that will permeate his work and
show his personality; so it is with the Australian
artist, who can paint out of doors the whole year
and therefore strives after light.
Australia is a country of blue skies and distant
horizons, but it has of course no splendid art
history like the countries of the old world.
The creative artist is ararityhere ; we have no great
schools like those of England, France and other
European countries; models are scarce to the figure
painter, and what with this drawback and the lack
of encouragement from those in a position to help
them, it is no wonder that many of our young men
who show talent as painters of the figure go to
Europe and settle there. Yet there are a few men
who, as painters of land and sea, stand out like rocks
in mid ocean.
Prominent amongst these is William Lister Lister,
president of the Royal Art Society of New South
Wales, a society which has been in existence for
more than thirty years. Mr. Lister has held the
post for the past fourteen years. He paints equally
well in oil and water-colour and his works are
known all over Australia. He is a realist, and
knows how far to go with colour; he does not
experiment in search of quality but puts the colour
on and there it remains. His works are large ; he
paints these large canvases to show the bigness of
' FAIR DROVING WEATHER " BY ALBERT J. HANSON
47