Heidelberg School

Clara Southern, An Old Bee Farm, 1900.

The Heidelberg School was an Australian art movement of the late 19th century. The movement has latterly been described as Australian Impressionism.

The term was coined in July 1891 by local art critic Sidney Dickenson, reviewing the works of Melbourne-based artists Arthur Streeton and Walter Withers. Dickenson noted that these artists, whose works were mostly painted in the Heidelberg area, could be considered as "The Heidelberg School". Since that time, The Heidelberg School has taken on a wider meaning and covers Australian artists of the late nineteenth century who painted plein-air in the impressionist tradition. These artists were inspired by the beautiful landscapes of the Yarra and the unique light that typifies the Australian bush.

The works of these artists are notable, not only for their merits as compositions, but as part of Australia's historical record. The period immediately before Federation is the setting for many classic Australian stories of the "bush", both fact and fiction. The School's work provides a visual complement to these tales and their images have embedded themselves into Australia's historical subconscious. Many of the artworks can be seen in Australian galleries, notably the National Gallery of Victoria, the National Gallery of Australia and the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery.

History

The Australian bush, a major influence and central subject matter for the Heidelberg School artists.

The name refers to the then rural area of Heidelberg east of Melbourne where practitioners of the style found their subject matter, though usage expanded to cover other Australian artists working in similar areas. The core group painted there on several occasions at "artist's camps" in the late 1880s and early 1890s. Besides Arthur Streeton and Walter Withers, other major artists in the movement included Tom Roberts, Frederick McCubbin and Charles Conder. See below for a list of other associated artists.

9 by 5 Impression Exhibition

Main article: 9 by 5 Impression Exhibition

In August 1889, several artists of the Heidelberg School staged the 9 by 5 Impression Exhibition at Buxton's Rooms, Swanston Street, opposite the Melbourne Town Hall. The exhibition's three principal artists were Charles Conder, Tom Roberts and Arthur Streeton, with minor contributions from Frederick McCubbin, R.E. Falls, Herbert Daly, and sculptor Charles Douglas Richardson, who exhibited five sculpted impressions. Many of the 183 works included were painted on 9 by 5 inch (23 × 13 cm) cigar-box panels, scrounged from local tobacconists. The flat frames were supplied by a timber merchant and decorated by the artists, giving the works an "unconventional, avant garde look". Response from critics and the public was mixed. The most scathing review came from The Argus' James Smith, who said the 9 by 5s were "destitute of all sense of the beautiful" and "whatever influence it was likely to exercise could scarcely be otherwise than misleading and pernicious." The artists pasted up the review outside the entrance of the venue—attracting many more passing pedestrians—and responded to James Smith with a manifesto. In it they defended their freedom of choice in subject and technique, concluding:

“

It is better to give our own idea than to get a merely superficial effect, which is apt to be a repetition of what others have done before us, and may shelter us in a safe mediocrity, which, while it will not attract condemnation, could never help towards the development of what we believe will be a great school of painting in Australia.

”

The 9 by 5 Impression Exhibition is now regarded as a landmark in Australian art history. Approximately one-third of the 9 by 5s have survived, many of which are held in Australia's public collections.

Influences and style

The School's artists were clearly influenced by the international Impressionist movement, and took up many of the concepts of the group. They regularly painted plein air landscapes, as well as using art to depict daily life. They showed a keen interest in the instantaneous effects of lighting, and experimented with a variety of brushstroke techniques; McCubbin in particular used the small, contrasting blocks of strong colour that were a trademark of some Impressionist work. However, these artists should not be viewed as merely copying an international trend. Works of the Heidelberg school are generally viewed as some of the first Western art to realistically and sensitively depict the Australian landscape as it actually exists. Many earlier works look like European scenes and do not reflect the harsh sunlight, earthier colours, and distinctive vegetation of the land they painted.

Associated artists

Frederick McCubbin, The pioneer, 1904.

Artists associated with the Heidelberg School include:

• Alice Boyd
• Louis Buvelot
• Charles Conder
• David Davies
• Emanuel Phillips Fox
• Ethel Carrick Fox
• Eugene Von Guerard
• Frederick McCubbin
• Jane Price
• Charles Douglas Richardson
• Tom Roberts
• John Thomas Nightingale Rowell
• William Nicholas Rowell
• Arthur Streeton
• Clara Southern
• Jane Sutherland
• Tudor St George Tucker
• May Vale
• Walter Withers
• George Folingsby

Locations

• Heidelberg
• Bulleen
• Templestowe
• Warrandyte
• Eltham
• Research
• Diamond Creek
• Ferntree Gully
• Kallista
• Olinda
• Mount Dandenong
• Kalorama
• Silvan
• Lilydale
• Yarra Glen
• Coldstream
• Yering

Artists Trail

Main article: Heidelberg Artists Trail

Gallery

• 

  Louis Buvelot, Macedon Ranges, 1874

• 

  Julian Ashton, Evening, Merri Creek, 1882

• 

  Frederick McCubbin, The Letter, 1884

• 

  Jane Sutherland, Obstruction, 1887

• 

  Charles Conder, A holiday at Mentone, 1888

• 

  Tom Roberts, Shearing the Rams, 1888-1890

• 

  Arthur Streeton, Golden Summer, Eaglemont, 1889

• 

  Frederick McCubbin, Down on His Luck, 1889

• 

  Arthur Streeton, Sunlight Sweet, Coogee, 1890

• 

  Walter Withers, The Storm, 1896

• 

  John Longstaff, Gippsland, Sunday Night, 1898

• 

  Tom Roberts, Opening of the First Parliament, 1901

See also

• Visual arts of Australia
• Impressionism
• 9 by 5 Impression Exhibition
• Box Hill artists' camp
• Charterisville

Further reading

• Astbury, Leigh (1985). City Bushmen: The Heidelberg School and the Rural Mythology. Oxford University Press. ISBN 019554501X. 
• Gleeson, James (1976). Impressionist Painters, 1881-1930. Lansdowne Publishing. ISBN 0701809906. 
• Lane, Terence (2007). Australian Impressionism. National Gallery of Victoria. ISBN 0724102817. 
• McCulloch, Alan (1977). The Golden Age of Australian Painting: Impressionism and the Heidelberg School. Lansdowne Publishing. ISBN 070180307X. 
• Splatt, William (1989). The Heidelberg School: The Golden Summer of Australian Painting. Viking O'Neil. ISBN 0670900613. 

External resources

• In the Artist's Footsteps
• Heidelberg Artists Trail
• Heidelberg School - The Encyclopedia of Melbourne Online
• Heidelberg School - Stories from Australia's Culture Portal
• National Gallery of Victoria: Australian Impressionism Education Resource