Australia’s Impressionists

Australia’s Impressionists focuses on the paintings of Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton, Charles Conder, and John Peter Russell. All were key players in a distinctively Australian art movement that drew on influences ranging from Whistler’s subtle Nocturnes to the European tradition of plein air painting, and revealed Russell (who spent his working life in France, embedded in the avant garde) as one of the outstanding colorists of his time. This beautiful book challenges our preconceptions of what is meant by Impressionism, enriches our understanding of Australian art, and reveals the international nature of art-historical movements and exchanges in the 19th century. The story is framed by unmistakably Australian subjects and locations, by a preoccupation with light and color, and in the context of Australian identity and sense of nationhood.