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Collection

• Reproduction requests

Tom Roberts

(Australia, England 08 Mar 1856–14 Sep 1931)

Title

Bailed up

Year

1895
1927

Media

Painting

Medium

oil on canvas

Dimensions

134.5 x 182.8cm stretcher; 158.0 x 206.5 x 12.0cm frame

Signature & date

Signed and dated l.l. corner, brown/red oil "Tom Roberts/ 95=/27".

Credit

Purchased 1933

Accession number

833

Location

19th c Australian art

Further information

Australian Collection Focus
Tom Roberts, 'Bailed up', 1895/1927
by Barry Pearce

Tom Roberts was fascinated by pastoral life and found his greatest fulfillment in a series of bush-life paintings begun in 1888-90 with Shearing the rams and continued after his shift in 1891 from Melbourne to Sydney. Whilst staying at Duncan Anderson's Newstead sheep station, near Inverell in the New England tableland of northern New South Wales, Roberts conceived the idea of a bushranging picture. In it he would present an imaginary incident from the disorderly past, within an artistically modern portrayal of the Australian landscape in its highest key. Such was the beginning of 'Bailed up'.

At Newstead at the end of 1893 Roberts was already planning his second sheep-shearing painting, 'The Golden Fleece', which he would complete during the following year. Walking along the road between Newstead and Paradise, a neighbouring station owned by Russell Hughes, he found a setting for his bushranging picture. It was an isolated spot among grass trees and a forest of tall gums, a level bend on a long steep ascent, the last bad hill for travellers following the Macintyre River on their way to Inverell. This back road was not in fact a coaching route, but here was a good setting for Roberts's 'sham stick-up': a coach would have been well and truly trapped by the great log placed across the narrow climbing road; mounted bushrangers could have waited well camouflaged in the steep forest above, and a spare horse left lurking in the shadows. It was highland country, not far from where the region's last bushranger, 'Captain Thunderbolt', had died a quarter of a century earlier.

At this ideal spot for a robbery under arms, the artist, helped by the Anderson family, built a platform of timber, bark and wire in a stringy-bark tree growing below the road, so that he could set up his canvas on this 'Perch' at the level of the road. A Cobb & Co. coach then in operation between Inverell and Glen Innes was painted in town at Inverell, together with its driver Bob Bates. 'Silent Bob Bates' had a story of being robbed by Thunderbolt some three decades earlier, and it was his laconic, hard-wrung description of the quiet nature of the incident which determined the mood of Roberts's composition. Other characters were modelled by other townspeople in Inverell, and by station hands at Newstead, where the painting was completed. Roberts made tiny drawings and an oil sketch of how he wanted the scene to look before he started his big canvas, in which he set out to create the most complex painting of his career to date; complex because it was not only about the seizing of a moment in the landscape but was also intended to convey a recollection of the historical past. This particular place had engendered the artist's idea of a sudden, apparitional haunting by bushrangers.

Of the group of bush masterpieces that Roberts embarked upon between 1888 and 1898, 'Bailed up' turned out to be the most contentious. For in spite of the nationalistic fervour which might have guaranteed an enthusiastic reception for the painting when it was exhibited in Sydney and Melbourne in the 1890s, it neither succeeded in eliciting unanimous praise, nor found a willing buyer. Roberts dropped the price from £275 to 70 guineas in 1900. After all the enthusiasm and trouble he took to paint 'Bailed up', Roberts could not dispatch it into the world.

Because Roberts reworked the painting in 1927 it is now difficult to assess the validity of its reception in 1895. Nagging criticisms made by the press concerned the way the legs of the men, or the skin of the horses had been depicted, for example. Perhaps unsatisfactory pictorial resolution was sensed, turning potential collectors away. Eventually in 1928, after Roberts had substantially repainted the background landscape, 'Bailed up', price 500 guineas, was sold from an exhibition of his work at the Macquarie Galleries in Sydney. It was bought by J.W. Maund, a solicitor, amateur painter and trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Maund promptly lent it to the Gallery, which purchased it five years later.

Critical opinion about 'Bailed up' has fluctuated. Lionel Lindsay wrote warmly of it in the Macquarie Galleries exhibition catalogue, praising its rich rendering of light and comparing its subject to the prose of Henry Lawson. But more recently, in his biography of Roberts, Humphrey McQueen ventured the opinion that 'Bailed up' was ineffectual as a bushranging story and that, because of its flat, almost skyless landscape and lateral disposition of figures across the composition, it was an insipid echo of the then-fashionable, decorative, Symbolist mural style of Puvis de Chavannes. This ambiguity about 'Bailed up' as an icon of Australian art is puzzling. Why is admiration of it so tempered with caution? Is it because, notwithstanding the monumental failure of his vast Opening of the First Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, his 'Bailed up' represents the most protracted struggle in Roberts's career to realise his vision on a large scale?

Answers to these questions may be hinted at by comparing 'Bailed up' with its family of bush-life paintings. Others of the family might have had a more instant appeal. The motif of 'A break away!', for example, has the impact of an action shot filmed by a swooping helicopter. A rider tries desperately to stop a mob of sheep stampeding down to a water-hole. Suspended in heat and dust, the powerful dynamic of this composition can be read from far away. Small wonder that when 'Bailed up' was first exhibited in 1895 the press preferred Frank Mahony's bustling Australian paintings of Americanised 'cowboys' and 'outlaws', such as the cattlepiece 'Rounding up a straggler', 1889, and the mounted pursuit of bushrangers 'As in the Days of Old', 1892, both of which Roberts would have seen hanging in the collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Against such action-packed pictures, the static solemnity of 'Bailed up' seems to have worked against its general appeal; perceived perhaps as rather laid-back but artificial tableau. Yet, by considering the deceptive ease of its mood, and with a patient examination of its detail, we may appreciate 'Bailed up' as one of his greatest achievements.

The composition has been cunningly constructed with diagonals and verticals leading the eye up to, around and beyond the dramatis personae. The landscape rises to the very top of the picture - no sky as such, and no space for escape - and the gaze soon descends once more to the lower half, forced to contain itself within the flat parameters of the picture. Scanning the surface further brings forth the real richness of the work since, as much as 'Bailed up' may be about armed robbery, or landscape, or historical mythology, it is equally about the transforming process of painting.

Roberts's enormous struggles with 'Bailed up' enabled him to arrive at a majestic synthesis. Light became paint, and paint became light and we cannot tell the difference between the two, whether it is in the radiance of the shirts and hats of the figures, or the straw-coloured grass and silvery tree-trunks of the midsummer landscape. Day after day Roberts walked three kilometres uphill on the road from Paradise, where he stayed because it was closer than Newstead, climbed up a ladder to the 'Perch', and stared at the hot stillness he was setting down on his canvas which had been wired to a railing. This sense he transferred to the coach scene itself, investing the figures with an almost mystical calm. Indeed he created the feeling that time had stopped in the small, transient affairs of humankind, as an all-pervading, all-redeeming, saturating light became the most important subject of the work. The idea that we are observing a kind of fairytale incident, strangely remote from yet hypnotised by it, was carried even more tellingly into Roberts's companion bushranging picture 'In a corner on the Macintrye', painted about the same time. But nowhere in the entire history of Australian painting has such a quality been better rendered than in 'Bailed up', where the mystery of light, human incident, and experience of the Australian bush are combined with spellbinding orchestration.

The remaining question which tantalises is a technical one, and concerns the extent to which Roberts repainted 'Bailed up' in 1927. The surface of the painting - scraped, reworked, impasted, glazed, restated - is like a fossilised ocean bed, and traversing its bumps, dents and crevices with the naked eye does not easily expose what is old or new; only the impression of an impenetrable embodiment of the painting's own history. Roberts inscribed two dates on the painting - 1895 and 1927 - and said he reworked it extensively in 1927 in his current manner. This was at a period when he had become much more a meditative artist than a descriptive one, and thus of profound interest to certain later painters of Australian landscape. And that, in the end, is the telling factor which may distinguish 'Bailed up' from the period of its conception. For although he was no Poussin, nor even a Puvis, he had an astute intuition for the grid. In other words, at his best, he could orchestrate with genius all the aspects of a painting, be they naturalistic or abstract, into the modern values of a flat surface. In this way 'Bailed up' straddles two worlds. It began as an idea for an historical narrative of the nineteenth century, but finished, through Roberts's difficulties, as a scaffolding by which he could be in grand scale a painter for the twentieth.

Note: this text has been condensed and edited by the author from his original essay on 'Bailed up' in 'Tom Roberts, retrospective catalogue', Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 1996.

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Now came still evening on (1941), Julian Ashton (England; Australia, b.1851, d.1942) (Author), Angus & Robertson Ltd (Australia), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

150 years of Australian art (1938), Lionel Lindsay (Australia, b.1874, d.1961) (Author), Trustees of the National Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

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Exhibition history (56)

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.

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.

Exhibition of oil paintings by Tom Roberts (1928), (02 Mar 1928–10 Mar 1928), at Fine Art Society PLC (England, estab. 1876).

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.

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.

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.

Tom Roberts (1996-1997), (05 Oct 1996–17 Nov 1996), at Art Gallery of South Australia (Australia, estab. 1881), North Terrace Adelaide, South Australia, Australia 5000.

Jubilee exhibition of Australian art, (06 Aug 1951–01 Sep 1951), at Queensland Art Gallery (Australia, estab. 1895), Cnr Melbourne & Grey Streets South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

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.

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.

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.

Jubilee exhibition of Australian art, (09 Apr 1951–28 Apr 1951), at Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston (Australia), Wellington Street Launceston, Tasmania, Australia 7250.

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.

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.

Tom Roberts (1996-1997), (11 Jun 1997–27 Jul 1997), at Art Gallery of Western Australia (Australia), 47 James Street Perth, Western Australia, Australia 6000.

Tom Roberts (1996-1997), (12 Feb 1997–06 Apr 1997), at National Gallery of Victoria [St Kilda Road] (Australia, estab. 1968, closed 1999), 180 St Kilda Road Melbourne Victoria Australia 3000.

Jubilee exhibition of Australian art, (12 Mar 1951–31 Mar 1951), at Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (Australia), GPO Box 1434 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 4001.

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.

Jubilee exhibition of Australian art, (12 Nov 1951–10 Dec 1951), at Art Gallery of Western Australia (Australia), 47 James Street Perth, Western Australia, Australia 6000.

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.

Two hundred years of Australian painting : Nature, people and art in the southern continent, (14 Jul 1992–06 Sep 1992), at The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto (Japan), Enshoji-oho, Okasaki Sakyou-ku Kyoto, Japan.

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.

Art of the United Nations, (16 Nov 1944–01 Jan 1945), at The Art Institute of Chicago (United States of America), Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.

Australian Painting: Colonial, Impressionist, Contemporary (1962-63), (17 Mar 1962–31 Mar 1962), at National Gallery of South Australia (Australia), North Terrace Adelaide, South Australia, Australia 5000.

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.

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.

Tom Roberts (1996-1997), (19 Apr 1997–01 Jun 1997), at Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Art Gallery Rd Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2000.

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.

Australian Painting: Colonial, Impressionist, Contemporary (1962-63), (23 Sep 1962–24 Oct 1962), at Art Gallery of Western Australia (Australia), 47 James Street Perth, Western Australia, Australia 6000.

Australian Painting: Colonial, Impressionist, Contemporary (1962-63), (24 Jan 1963–03 Mar 1963), at Tate Britain (England), London, England, United Kingdom.

Jubilee exhibition of Australian art, (24 Sep 1951–20 Oct 1951), at Art Gallery of South Australia (Australia, estab. 1881), North Terrace Adelaide, South Australia, Australia 5000.

Australian Collection Focus: Tom Roberts Bailed Up 1895/1927, (25 Jul 1998–25 Oct 1998), at Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Art Gallery Rd Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2000.

Jubilee exhibition of Australian art, (25 Jun 1951–21 Jul 1951), at Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Art Gallery Rd Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2000.

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.

Two hundred years of Australian painting : Nature, people and art in the southern continent, (28 Apr 1992–28 Jun 1992), at National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo (Japan), Tokyo Japan.

Tom Roberts (1928), (28 Jun 1928–07 Jul 1928), at Macquarie Galleries (Australia, estab. 1925, closed 1993), 204 Clarence St 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.

Society of Artists First Exhibition (1895), (28 Sep 1895–20 Oct 1895), at York Street Skating Rink (Australia, active 1895), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2000.

Tom Roberts: As you've never seen him before (1996), (29 Nov 1996–Unknown), at Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (Australia), GPO Box 1434 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 4001.

Tom Roberts (1996-1997), (30 Nov 1996–27 Jan 1997), at Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (Australia), GPO Box 1434 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 4001.

Australian Impressionism, (31 Mar 2007–08 Jul 2007), at Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia (Australia, estab. 2002), Federation Square Corner of Russell and Flinders Streets Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3000.

Tom Roberts - Retrospective Exhibition, (Nov 1947–Jan 1948), at Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Art Gallery Road Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2000.

Tom Roberts - Retrospective Exhibition, (Nov 1947–Jan 1948), at National Gallery of Victoria [Swanston Street] (Australia, estab. 1869, closed 1968), Swanston Street Melbourne Victoria Australia 3000.

Tom Roberts - Retrospective Exhibition, (Nov 1947–Jan 1948), at Art Gallery of South Australia (Australia, estab. 1881), North Terrace Adelaide, South Australia, Australia 5000.