Introducing: The Heidelberg School

The ‘Heidelberg School’ has come to be used as a general description of late-nineteenth century Australian Impressionism. However, it originally referred exclusively to the group of artists that met up in the village of Heidelberg, not far from Melbourne, between the years 1886 and 1901. These included Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton, Frederick McCubbin and Charles Conder. Up to then, earlier Australian landscape painters had emulated an English style, resulting in works that made the distinctly harsh, arid scenery look suspiciously green and pastoral. However, a growing feeling of nationhood (heightened by the country’s centenary celebrations of 1888) called for a more realistic and representative portrayal. Having trained in Europe, Roberts had absorbed the Impressionist style before returning to Australia in 1885. He and his fellow Heidelberg artists adopted this method of painting direct from nature, en plein air, in their efforts to depict the local landscape honestly. The verdant greens typical of European painting were banished, replaced by rich ochres and oranges pulsing under a harsh, dazzling Antipodean light. Collectively, they created a distinct national style that continues to influence Australian artists to this day.