By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
Celebrated Australian artist Arthur Streeton is renowned for his depictions of the western district, the subject of an exhibition at Geelong Gallery until mid-June.
However, he is less is known of his time spent on the front line during WWI.
Born at Mt Duneed, Streeton was in London when war broke out and at the age of 48 was appointed as an official war artist in May 1918, sent to France and attached to the 2nd Division AIF.
Geelong Gallery director Geoffrey Edwards said Streeton managed to complete a full walk-through of the Somme battlefields and some 60 to 70 kilometres of what was the front line in 1916-17
“It is gorgeous countryside now as it was before the bombing, which turned it into a pit of lunar landscapes,” Mr Edwards said.
Known as a glorious impressionist landscape painter, Streeton chooses to work to his strengths on the battlefields, depicting the wider scenes and panoramas.
“You do see some action, such as bombed out machinery and emplacements, but you are really looking at the extraordinary landscape and its charred ruins,” Mr Edwards said.
“Streeton captured the panorama of the battlefield rather than the battles themselves and you see these great raking dark shadows raking across the scene,” Mr Edwards said.
“In some of his works from the western district after his return from Europe Streeton has included these large shadows, intimation of dread and darkness marauding across pastoral landscapes.
“This has been interpreted that Streeton was pointing towards other significant world events, such as the Great Depression just around the corner.”
Land of the Golden Fleece – Arthur Streeton in the Western District is a major exhibition of exquisite landscape paintings by the Geelong-born artist at the Geelong Gallery until 13 June.
