Unique christmas gifts

Tom Roberts painted a substantial number of fine oil landscapes and portraits. However, his most well-known large works would be Shearing the Rams and The Big Picture. Although one may not be able to give the originals as unique holiday gifts, you are able to have a reproduction done at a reasonable price.

The painting Shearing the Rams was done to reflect a trip to a sheep station in southern New South Wales. The wool business is Australia’s first export industry and a staple of life outside the city. When it was shown, it was criticized because some didn’t feel that it fit into the description of ‘high art’. However, because the wool trade was Australia’s best export business at the time, it was a subject lots of Australian people identified with. What better way to bring a little rural life into the city as a unique holiday gift than with a reproduction of Shearing the Rams?

Tom Roberts treasured this subject of the importance of the work to Australian people. As well, the painter did works showing country people working, with a comparable image of the shearing sheds in The Golden Fleece, a drover running to catch a sheep running from the flock in A Break Away!, and males chopping trees in Wood splitters. Any of these wonderful works could be given as unique Christmas gifts in the form of a reproduction.

Many of Tom Robert’s works were landscapes that were completed on small canvases. Some of his works exhibited are the well-known 9 x 5 exhibition in Melbourne. This artist had more pieces on exhibit in this venue than anyone else.

“The Big Picture”, done by Roberts is a representation of the first sitting of the Parliament of Australia and was a huge piece. This famous painting could be presented in the form of a reproduction for a large unique Christmas gift as well.

The famous artist Tom Roberts, whose ‘Shearing the Rams’ oil painting captured Australia’s imagination, was our foremost impressionist painter.

Interesting facts about Tom Roberts:

• At the time of his famous ‘Mentone’ and ‘Bourke Street’ paintings he occupied a small studio now occupied by the Myer Emporium.
• He was born in Great Britain 1856 and only came to Australia in 1859
• Frederick McCubbin was a great friend and fellow famous artist
• He stayed at the same artist camp as Arthur Streeton, in Box Hill, Melbourne
• His most famous painting Shearing the Rams is currently on display at the NGV (National Gallery of Victoria)
  

Shearing the Rams, based on a visit to a sheep station (large farm) at Brocklesby in southern New South Wales, depicted the wool industry that had been Australia’s first export industry and a staple of rural life. At the time it was exhibited, it was criticised because many critics did not feel that it fitted the definition of ‘high art’. However, since the wool industry was Australia’s greatest export industry at the time, it was a theme which many Australian people could identify with. The painting showed a view of the shearing sheds which was not in some cases realistic. Shearing would probably have been much messier; for instance the shearer on the left has picked the ram up to move it, when normally it would have been dragged backwards.

A number of Tom Roberts’ paintings are currently hanging in the Ian Potter Centre in Melbourne. These include Shearing the Rams (see above), Coming South, MadamePfund (1887), The Sunny South (Rickett’s Point) (c.1887), “Evening, when the quiet east flashes faintly at the sun’s last look”, The Artist’s Camp Sirius Cove (see below), Mrs L.A.Abrahams, Slumbering Sea, Mentone, Louise, daughter of the Hon. L.L.Smith, and two of his cigar box paintings – By the treasury (1889).