Paintings done by Australian Impressionist artists were considered more natural and realistic than those of their European counterparts. They showed how transitory light in the Australian bush could be.
Here the artist applied techniques he learned in his studies, to give a delicate light effect to a small waterhole amongst a stand of trees in a paddock.
He used yellow as the mother colour, and mixed it with other colours (blue/violet), shades and tints, to tone down vividness.
The viewer’s eye focuses on the waterhole, and then travels around the painting looking for other details. A small, dark spot in the foreground could represent an animal. The two trees in the foreground frame the waterhole, and hold the painting together.
The artist has paid attention to detail. He used the soft tip of his paint brush to dab, and ‘stipple’ short strokes of paint on large areas of the canvas, thus forming grassy patches. This is in contrast to the long, smooth brushstrokes used for the tree trunks.
The mood in this painting is relaxing.
Acrylic on Masonite, date unknown. (Cleaned and framed.)
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