Sydney Long
Encyclopedia
Sydney Long was an Australian Artist
.
Born on 20 August 1871 at Ifield, Goulburn, New South Wales
, Sydney Long began formal art classes at the New South Wales Art Society in 1890. in 1894 his Heidelberg School
-influenced painting 'By Tranquil Waters' caused a small scandal, but was purchased by the Art Gallery of New South Wales
. The sale brought him to the attention of Julian Ashton
, a Trustee of the Gallery and founder of the influential Julian Ashton Art School (at that time called the Sydney Art School), and in 1907 he became Ashton's second in command in the school. In 1898 he had a short engagement with Thea Proctor. In 1910 he moved to London, where he learned etching and became an associate of the Royal Society
of Painters, Etchers and Engravers. He returned to Australia in 1921 and helped found the Australian Painters, Etchers and Engravers Society, lived in England for the period 1922-1925, then returned once more to Australia, becoming President of the Society. He won the Wynne Prize
twice; in 1938 for The Approaching Storm, and in 1940 for The Lake, Narrabeen. He remained a director of the Society for many years, as well as remaining an active art teacher. In 1952 he returned once again to England.
While influenced by the Heidelberg School, Long's first successful painting, 'By Tranquil Waters,' (1894), shows a markedly different engagement with the Australian scene: where Heidelberg artists such as Arthur Streeton
and Frederick McCubbin
showed the Bush as a place of work and struggle (and occasional sentimentality), Long's painting of young naked bathers is hedonistic and charged with low-key eroticism - the eroticism, rather than the nudity per se, was the cause of the scandal. After 1895 Long moved even further from the Heidelberg School's approach to the Australian landscape (a fusion of Victorian genre painting and a Barbizon
-like plein air informal realism), seeking instead to achieve "soulful and graceful evocations of the spirit of the land, as did the Greeks and their beautiful myths." In practice this resulted in a new school of Australian Paganism, reflected in the literature of the period as much as in the art, and counting among its practitioners Lionel Lindsay
and his brother Norman Lindsay
.
Long's greatest triumph in this style was 'The Spirit of the Plains,', (1897), using the flowing patterns and pastel colours of Art Nouveau
to create a poetic vision of the Australian bush as the incongruous setting for a naked Grecian wood-nymph leading a procession of dancing brolgas. Another example of this style is his work 'Pan', (1898) which was purchased by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
These works painted after 1897 were extremely popular, and provided the money to allow him to fulfill his dream of studying in London after 1910. His post-1910 work retained only the faintest lingerings of the earlier Australian poetic landscapes.
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
.
Born on 20 August 1871 at Ifield, Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
, Sydney Long began formal art classes at the New South Wales Art Society in 1890. in 1894 his Heidelberg School
Heidelberg School
The Heidelberg School was an Australian art movement of the late 19th century. The movement has latterly been described as Australian Impressionism....
-influenced painting 'By Tranquil Waters' caused a small scandal, but was purchased by the Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery of New South Wales
The Art Gallery of New South Wales , located in The Domain in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, was established in 1897 and is the most important public gallery in Sydney and the fourth largest in Australia...
. The sale brought him to the attention of Julian Ashton
Julian Ashton
Julian Rossi Ashton was an Australian artist and teacher, known for his support of the Heidelberg School and for his influential art school in Sydney....
, a Trustee of the Gallery and founder of the influential Julian Ashton Art School (at that time called the Sydney Art School), and in 1907 he became Ashton's second in command in the school. In 1898 he had a short engagement with Thea Proctor. In 1910 he moved to London, where he learned etching and became an associate of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
of Painters, Etchers and Engravers. He returned to Australia in 1921 and helped found the Australian Painters, Etchers and Engravers Society, lived in England for the period 1922-1925, then returned once more to Australia, becoming President of the Society. He won the Wynne Prize
Wynne Prize
The Wynne Prize is an Australian landscape painting or figure sculpture art prize. One of Australia's longest running art prizes, it was established in 1897 from the bequest of Richard Wynne...
twice; in 1938 for The Approaching Storm, and in 1940 for The Lake, Narrabeen. He remained a director of the Society for many years, as well as remaining an active art teacher. In 1952 he returned once again to England.
While influenced by the Heidelberg School, Long's first successful painting, 'By Tranquil Waters,' (1894), shows a markedly different engagement with the Australian scene: where Heidelberg artists such as Arthur Streeton
Arthur Streeton
Sir Arthur Ernest Streeton was an Australian landscape painter.-Early life:Streeton was born in Mount Duneed, near Geelong, and his family moved to Richmond in 1874. In 1882, Streeton commenced art studies with G. F. Folingsby at the National Gallery School.Streeton was influenced by French...
and Frederick McCubbin
Frederick McCubbin
Frederick McCubbin was an Australian painter who was prominent in the Heidelberg School, one of the more important periods in Australia's visual arts history....
showed the Bush as a place of work and struggle (and occasional sentimentality), Long's painting of young naked bathers is hedonistic and charged with low-key eroticism - the eroticism, rather than the nudity per se, was the cause of the scandal. After 1895 Long moved even further from the Heidelberg School's approach to the Australian landscape (a fusion of Victorian genre painting and a Barbizon
Barbizon
Barbizon is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in north-central France. It is located near the Fontainebleau Forest.-Art history:The Barbizon school of painters is named after the village; Théodore Rousseau and Jean-François Millet, leaders of the school, made their homes and died in the...
-like plein air informal realism), seeking instead to achieve "soulful and graceful evocations of the spirit of the land, as did the Greeks and their beautiful myths." In practice this resulted in a new school of Australian Paganism, reflected in the literature of the period as much as in the art, and counting among its practitioners Lionel Lindsay
Lionel Lindsay
Sir Lionel Arthur Lindsay was an Australian artist and brother of artist and illustrator Norman Lindsay.-Early life:...
and his brother Norman Lindsay
Norman Lindsay
Norman Alfred William Lindsay was an Australian artist, sculptor, writer, editorial cartoonist, scale modeler, and boxer. He was born in Creswick, Victoria....
.
Long's greatest triumph in this style was 'The Spirit of the Plains,', (1897), using the flowing patterns and pastel colours of Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
to create a poetic vision of the Australian bush as the incongruous setting for a naked Grecian wood-nymph leading a procession of dancing brolgas. Another example of this style is his work 'Pan', (1898) which was purchased by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
These works painted after 1897 were extremely popular, and provided the money to allow him to fulfill his dream of studying in London after 1910. His post-1910 work retained only the faintest lingerings of the earlier Australian poetic landscapes.
External links
- Sydney Long at the Australian Dictionary of BiographyAustralian Dictionary of BiographyThe Australian Dictionary of Biography is a national, co-operative enterprise, founded and maintained by the Australian National University to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's history....
written by Joanna Mendelssohn 1986.