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An image of Across the black soil plains

George W Lambert

(Russia, Australia 1873–1930)

Title
Across the black soil plains
Place of origin
Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia
Year
1899
Media
Painting
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
91.6 x 305.5cm stretcher; 139.5 x 355.0 x 10.5cm frame
Signature & date
Signed and dated l.r., "Geo. W. Lambert 1899".
Credit
Purchased 1899
Accession number
550
Location
19th c Australian art
Further information

'The subject of a team hauling a load, though popular in all parts of the world had for me a more intimate significance, in that teams were our only means of transport in those days ... when the wool clips were being hauled in to Nevertire, it was not an unknown occurrence to see something like six to ten teams with heavy loads crossing Snakes Plains.'
- George Lambert 1924

Inspired by his experiences as a youth in the bush near Warren, New South Wales, Lambert began this ambitious work at the age of 26, while living with his mother at Hornsby near Sydney. He worked in a small shed in the garden and had to position the painting diagonally across it, even then unable to stretch the canvas to its full extent.

The painting was enthusiastically received as a heroic portrayal of bush life displaying Lambert's innate skill at draughtsmanship and was awarded the Wynne Prize for landscape painting for 1899. The following year he left for London with the first New South Wales Society of Artists Travelling Scholarship.

Bibliography (56)

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1901: Australian life at federation: an illustrated chronicle (2001), Aedeen Cremin (Editor), University of New South Wales (Australia), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

People and destiny: George Lambert and Federation (2001), Craig Judd (Australia, b.1957) (Author), Anne McLaughlin (Australia) (Author), Dubbo Regional Art Gallery (Australia), Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia.

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Wynne centenary 1897-1997: a selection of past winners from the Gallery's collection (1997), Helen Campbell (Australia) (Author), Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

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100 years of Australian painting (1948), Bernard Smith (Australia, b.1916, d.2011) (Author), National Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Art of Australia 1788-1941 (1941), Sydney Ure Smith (Australia, b.1887, d.1949) (Editor), Museum of Modern Art, New York (United States of America), New York, New York, United States of America.

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Exhibition history (50)

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (01 Dec 1944–17 Dec 1944), at Hamline University (United States of America), St Paul, Minnesota, United States of America.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (01 Jan 1943–29 Jan 1943), at Detroit Institiute of Arts (United States of America), Detroit, Michigan, United States of America.

The Wynne prize: an Australian landscape tradition (1987), (01 Jul 1987–26 Jul 1987), at Wagga Wagga City Art Gallery (estab. 1975), 40 Gurwood St Wagga Wagga N.S.W Australia 2650.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (01 Jun 1942–27 Jun 1942), at Wilmington Society of Fine Arts (United States of America), Wilmington, Delaware, United States of America.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (01 Oct 1941–26 Oct 1941), at National Gallery of Art, Washington (United States of America), Washington D.C, Washington, United States of America.

Across the Black Soil Plains, (01 Sep 2006–31 Jan 2007), at Dubbo Regional Art Gallery (Australia), 76 Wingewarra Street Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia 2830.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (02 Mar 1942–23 Mar 1942), at Yale University Art Gallery (United States of America), New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (03 Apr 1942–15 May 1942), at Carnegie Institute (United States of America), Department of Fine Arts Pittsburgh, United States of America.

A brush with the bush, (03 Apr 1993–31 May 1993), at Dubbo Regional Art Gallery (Australia).

The Wynne prize: an Australian landscape tradition (1987), (03 Jun 1987–20 Jun 1987), at Griffith Regional Art Gallery (estab. 1983), Banna Ave Griffith 2680.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (04 Apr 1944–07 May 1944), at San Francisco Museum of Art (United States of America), San Francisco, California, United States of America 94131.

Australian icons: twenty artists from the collection, (04 Aug 2000–03 Dec 2000), at Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Art Gallery Rd Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2000.

People and destiny: George Lambert and Federation, (04 Jan 2002–27 Jan 2002), at Albury Regional Gallery (Australia, estab. 1981), 564 Dean Street Albury, New South Wales, Australia 2640.

People and destiny: George Lambert and Federation, (05 Jul 2002–18 Aug 2002), at Bathurst Regional Art Gallery (Australia, estab. 1989), 70-78 Keppel Street Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia 2795.

People and destiny: George Lambert and Federation, (05 May 2001–12 Aug 2001), at Dubbo Regional Art Gallery (Australia), PO Box 81 Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia 2830.

The Wynne prize: an Australian landscape tradition (1987), (05 Nov 1987–13 Dec 1987), at Tamworth City Gallery (Australia, estab. 1961).

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (05 Oct 1942–02 Nov 1942), at Rochester Memorial Art Gallery (United States of America), Rochester, New York, United States of America.

People and destiny: George Lambert and Federation, (06 Apr 2002–02 Jun 2002), at Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre (Australia), PO Box 393 Gymea 2227.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (06 Feb 1945–27 Feb 1945), at Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute (United States of America), Utica, New York, United States of America.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (06 Jan 1945–27 Jan 1945), at Society Liberal Arts, Joslyn Memorial (United States of America), Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America.

The Wynne prize: an Australian landscape tradition (1987), (06 Mar 1987–29 Mar 1987), at Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery (Australia).

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (06 Sep 1942–27 Sep 1942), at Toledo Museum of Art (United States of America), Toledo, Ohio, United States of America.

The Wynne prize: an Australian landscape tradition (1987), (07 Aug 1987–06 Sep 1987), at Albury Regional Gallery (Australia, estab. 1981), 564 Dean Street Albury, New South Wales, Australia 2640.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (07 Sep 1943–08 Oct 1943), at Rockhill Nelson Gallery (United States of America), Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (08 Apr 1943–05 May 1943), at Herron Museum of Art, Indianapolis (United States of America), Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America.

People and destiny: George Lambert and Federation, (09 Feb 2002–24 Mar 2002), at Bendigo Art Gallery (Australia), 42 View Street Bendigo Victoria, Australia 3550.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (09 Mar 1945–30 Mar 1945), at Quincy Art Club (United States of America), Quincy, Illinois, United States of America.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (09 Nov 1942–07 Dec 1942), at Cleveland Museum of Art (United States of America), Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.

The Wynne prize: an Australian landscape tradition (1987), (10 Apr 1987–17 May 1987), at Orange Regional Gallery (Australia, estab. 1986), Civic Square Byng Street Orange, NSW Australia 2800.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (10 Jan 1944–07 Feb 1944), at Abilene Museum of Fine Arts (United States of America), Abilene, Texas, United States of America.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (10 Jul 1942–27 Aug 1942), at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (United States of America), Los Angeles, California, United States of America.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (12 May 1943–31 May 1943), at Fort Wayne Art School and Museum (United States of America), Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States of America.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (13 Apr 1945–04 May 1945), at Oklahoma Art Center (United States of America), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States of America.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (14 Jun 1945–05 Jul 1945), at North Texas State Teachers' College (United States of America), Denton, Texas, United States of America.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (14 May 1945–04 Jun 1945), at University of Oklahoma (United States of America), Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America.

People and destiny: George Lambert and Federation, (14 Sep 2001–28 Oct 2001), at New England Regional Art Museum (Australia, estab. 1983), Kentucky Street Armidale, New South Wales, Australia 2350.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (17 Nov 1941–31 Dec 1941), at Metropolitan Museum of Art (United States of America), Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street New York, New York, United States of America 10019.

A brush with the bush, (18 Jun 1993–18 Jul 1993), at S.H. Ervin Gallery (Australia), GPO Box 518 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2001.

The Arts Festival of the Olympic Games (1956), (18 Nov 1956–15 Dec 1956), at National Gallery of Victoria [Swanston Street] (Australia, estab. 1869, closed 1968), Swanston Street Melbourne Victoria Australia 3000.

The Wynne prize: an Australian landscape tradition (1987), (18 Sep 1987–26 Oct 1987), at Broken Hill City Art Gallery (Australia), Cnr Blende & Chloride Streets Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia 2880.

100 years of Australian painting (1948), (19 Apr 1948–17 May 1948), at Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Art Gallery Road Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2000.

The Wynne prize: an Australian landscape tradition (1987), (19 Dec 1986–01 Feb 1987), at S.H. Ervin Gallery (Australia), GPO Box 518 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2001.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (19 May 1944–16 Jun 1944), at Rosicrucian Egyptian Oriental Museum (United States of America), San Jose, California, United States of America.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (20 Oct 1943–17 Nov 1943), at Philbrook Art Museum (United States of America), Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (21 Feb 1944–20 Mar 1944), at Heard Museum, Phoenix Fine Arts Association (United States of America), Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.

A retrospective exhibition of Australian painting, (25 Sep 1953–25 Oct 1953), at Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Art Gallery Rd Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2000.

150 years of Australian art (1938), (27 Jan 1938–25 Apr 1938), at National Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Art Gallery Rd Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2000.

Art of Australia 1788-1941, (28 Nov 1943–26 Dec 1943), at Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas (United States of America), Dallas, Texas, United States of America.

George Lambert retrospective: heroes & icons, (29 Jun 2007–16 Sep 2007), at National Gallery of Australia (Australia, estab. 1982), Parkes Place Parkes Canberra Australian Capital Territory, Australia 2600.

Society of Artists Spring Exhibition (1899), (Aug 1899), at Vickery's Chambers (Australia).