Catalog of an exhibition held at the National Gallery, London, December 7, 2016-March 26, 2017.

This publication focuses on the Gallery's collection of 46 Streeton works ranging from Sandrige (painted on cigar-box wood in 1884) through to his late canvas In a London garden c1934. Tracing Streeton's career, the book tells how he painted his youthful works of the 1880s and 90s alongside artist friends Charles Condor and Tom Roberts--camping in a farmhouse overlooking the Yarra River at Heidelberg, near Melbourne, and then (with Roberts) on the shores of Sydney harbour. He painted in London from 1897, before returning to spend the last two decades of his life working in Melbourne, where his late work evoked a peaceful pastoral Australia.

This publication focuses on the Gallery's collection of 46 Streeton works ranging from Sandrige (painted on cigar-box wood in 1884) through to his late canvas In a London garden c1934. Tracing Streeton's career, the book tells how he painted his youthful works of the 1880s and 90s alongside artist friends Charles Condor and Tom Roberts--camping in a farmhouse overlooking the Yarra River at Heidelberg, near Melbourne, and then (with Roberts) on the shores of Sydney harbour. He painted in London from 1897, before returning to spend the last two decades of his life working in Melbourne, where his late work evoked a peaceful pastoral Australia.

'Painting matters to Australia and Australians as it does in few other countries. It has formed our consciousness, our sense of where we come from, and who we are. It cries out for wider recognition and acknowledgement.' - Patrick McCaughey Why has Australia, an island continent with a small population, produced such original and powerful art? And why is it so little known beyond our shores? Strange Country: Why Australian Painting Matters is Patrick McCaughey's answer.

This illustrated, annotated catalogue was prepared to accompany a retrospective exhibition curated by the author, who is the assistant curator of Australian art at the National Gallery of Victoria. Presents 83 of Streeton's works and provides biographical details, a discussion of Streeton's style and method, as well as giving information about each painting. The exhibition was one of a series honouring notable historical figures in Australian art. Includes a chronology and references. Also available in paperback.

"Telling as much a social, educational, and cultural story as institutional history, this detailed account chronicles the ideological patterns, internal and countrywide conflicts, and student experiences at the University of Melbourne from 1850 to 1939. The daily life of staff, professors, and students are recounted during times of turmoil and peace in Australia, including the depression of the 1890s and World War I. The account offers a window into the pedagogical conflicts and research achievements of one of Australia's oldest continuing educational institutions."

This comprehensive survey uniquely covers both Aboriginal art and that of European Australians, providing a revealing examination of the interaction between the two. Painting, bark art, photography, rock art, sculpture, and the decorative arts are all fully explored to present the rich texture of Australian art traditions. Well-known artists such as Margaret Preston, Rover Thomas, and Sidney Nolan are all discussed, as are the natural history illustrators, Aboriginal draughtsmen, and pastellists, whose work is only now being brought to light by new research. Taking the European colonization of the continent in 1788 as his starting point, Sayers highlights important issues concerning colonial art and women artists in this fascinating new story of Australian art.

A Companion to Australian Art A Companion to Australian Art is a thorough introduction to the art produced in Australia from the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 to the early 21st century. Beginning with the colonial art made by Australia’s first European settlers, this volume presents a collection of clear and accessible essays by established art historians and emerging scholars alike. Engaging, clearly-written chapters provide fresh insights into the principal Australian art movements, considered from a variety of chronological, regional and thematic perspectives. The text seeks to provide a balanced account of historical events to help readers discover the art of Australia on their own terms and draw their own conclusions. The book begins by surveying the historiography of Australian art and exploring the history of art museums in Australia. The following chapters discuss art forms such as photography, sculpture, portraiture and landscape painting, examining the practice of art in the separate colonies before Federation, and in the Commonwealth from the early 20th century to the present day. This authoritative volume covers the last 250 years of art in Australia, including the Early Colonial, High Colonial and Federation periods as well as the successive Modernist styles of the 20th century, and considers how traditional Aboriginal art has adapted and changed over the last fifty years. The Companion to Australian Art is a valuable resource for both undergraduate and graduate students of the history of Australian artforms from colonization to postmodernism, and for general readers with an interest in the nation’s colonial art history.

"Using the work of great Australian painters and poets as an entry point, this cultural study counters the popular myth that early colonial settlers were environmentally irresponsible and offers both aesthetic and historical evidence that suggests nature always figured prominently in the Australian national consciousness. Preserving endangered species, protecting forests, maintaining public land rights, and staving off climate change were at issue in the first environmental law of Australia enacted in 1788. Parlimentary debates, personal observations, and artistic renderings explore the texture and dimensions of early Australian environmentalism."