Tom Roberts

During a trip to Spain in 1883, he met artists like Laureano Barrau, who introduced him to Impressionism and plein air painting, shaping his future artistic direction.¹

Utilizing new railway access to the bush, he established camps to practice 'en plein air' painting, a revolutionary approach in Australia for capturing natural light and atmosphere.¹

In 1885, he co-founded the Box Hill artists' camp with Frederick McCubbin, marking the birth of the Heidelberg School and a new era for Australian landscape painting.¹

Roberts discovered the young Arthur Streeton and mentored him in impressionistic techniques; Streeton became his protégé and a fellow leader of Australian art.¹

He consulted on the design of Melbourne's first purpose-built art studio complex, Grosvenor Chambers, ensuring ideal lighting for his and other artists' work.¹

In the 1889 '9 by 5 Impression Exhibition,' he displayed small, spontaneous works painted on cigar box lids, staging Australia's first self-consciously avant-garde art show.¹

Through works like 'Shearing the Rams,' Roberts captured the essence of Australian national life and labor, encouraging fellow artists to depict the unique light and space of the continent.¹

His wife, Lillie, was an expert frame maker whose work supported the family during periods when Roberts painted less, contributing to the presentation of his art.¹

Completed in 1903, 'The Big Picture' is a monumental work depicting the first sitting of the Australian Parliament, commissioned for the then-enormous sum of 1,000 guineas.¹

After dying of cancer in 1931, his ashes were buried in Longford, Tasmania—one of his favorite painting spots—forever linking him to the landscape he loved.¹