W Lister Lister
(Australia 27 Dec 1859–06 Nov 1943)
- Title
- The golden splendour of the bush
- Year
- (circa 1906)
- Media category
- Painting
- Materials used
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
-
239.8 x 190.5cm stretcher; 266.5 x 218.0 x 10.0cm frame
- Signature & date
- Signed l.l., oil "W LISTER LISTER". Not dated.
- Credit
- Gift of public subscribers 1907
- Accession number
- 649
- Location
- 19th c Australian art
- Further information
Born in Sydney in 1859, W Lister Lister’s work was very popular in Australia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, winning the Wynne Prize seven times. Although recognised as an accomplished craftsman of large-scale works, Lister’s contemporaries criticised the lack of emotion in his paintings. In spite of his conservatism, he was an ambitious painter who, like WC Piguenit before him, was greatly inspired by the scale and magnificence of the Australian landscape.
Following the award of the Wynne Prize in 1906, enthusiasm for this painting amongst members of the public and the Royal Art Society of NSW led a group of private individuals to organise its purchase and presentation to the Gallery as a gift.
- Bibliography (12)
-
Ron Radford (Australia, b.1949) (Author), Our country: Australian Federation landscape 1900-1914, Adelaide, 2001, 64, 65 (colour illus.), 72, 154.
Wynne centenary 1897-1997: a selection of past winners from the Gallery's collection 1997, 1997, (colour illus.).
Ian Burn (Australia; United States of America, b.1939, d.1993) (Author), National life and landscape - Australian painting 1900-1940, Sydney, 1990, 26 (colour illus.), 27, 49. plate no. 14
Deborah Edwards (Australia) (Author), Two centuries of Australian painting: a selection from the Art Gallery of New South Wales, New South Wales, 1986, 24 (illus.). cat.no. 18
Lionel Lindsay (Australia, b.1874, d.1961) (Author), 150 years of Australian art, Sydney, 1938. cat.no. 12 [Gallery No. 1]
'The golden splendour of the bush"., Daily telegraph 09 Jul 1909, 09 Jul 1909, page unknown. Article concerning acquisition by AGNSW of work.
'"The golden splendour of the bush". Presented to the Art Gallery'., The Sydney Morning Herald 18 Jun 1907, 18 Jun 1907, page unknown.
'The Wynne Art Prize'; 'Royal Art Society'., Daily telegraph 14 Sep 1906, 14 Sep 1906, page unknown.
'Pictures and Painters: What the Art Gallery is doing'., Daily telegraph 28 Aug 1906, 28 Aug 1906, page unknown.
'Royal Art Society. The annual show'., Daily telegraph 25 Aug 1906, 25 Aug 1906, page unknown. Review of the Royal Art Society's 27th Annual show.
'Royal Art Society. A strong exhibition'., The Sydney Morning Herald 25 Aug 1906, 25 Aug 1906, page unknown. Review of the Royal Art Society's 27th Annual show.
The Crown Studios (Australia, active 1906) (Editor), The 100 best pictures of the Royal Art Society's Exhibition, 1906, Sydney, 1906, 7 (illus.).
- Exhibition history (3)
-
Twentieth-seventh Annual Exhibition of the Royal Art Society of New South Wales (1906), Vickery's Galleries, 26 Aug 1906–Sep 1906.
Two centuries of Australian painting, a selection from the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Orange Regional Gallery, 19 Apr 1986–15 Jun 1986.
Our country: Federation landscapes 1900-1914, Art Gallery of South Australia, 14 Sep 2001–18 Nov 2001.
