“Dandenongs from Heidelberg” by Charles Conder

“Dandenongs from Heidelberg” by Charles Conder depicts the Dandenong Ranges, commonly just the Dandenongs, which are a set of low mountain ranges, east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The ranges consist mostly of rolling hills, steeply weathered valleys, and gullies covered in Mountain Ash trees and dense ferny undergrowth.

The sketch-like qualities widely associated with Impressionism are evident in this painting. Conder worked en Plein air to produce a sketchy masterpiece, vivid in color and abstract in design.

Charles Edward was a painter, lithographer, and designer. He emigrated to Australia and was a key figure in the Heidelberg School, a distinctively Australian tradition in Western art.

Heidelberg School

The Heidelberg School was an Australian art movement of the late 19th century. The movement has latterly been described as Australian Impressionism. Key figures of the movement include Arthur Streeton, Walter Withers, Tom Roberts, Charles Conder, and Frederick McCubbin.

Dandenongs from Heidelberg

• Title:                Dandenongs from Heidelberg
• Artist:              Charles Conder
• Year:                1889
• Medium:         oil on wood panel
• Dimensions:   Height: 11.5 mm (0.45 in). Width: 23.5 mm (0.93 in).
• Museum:         Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide

Charles Edward Conder

• Artist:           Charles Edward Conder
• Born:           1868 – Tottenham, Middlesex
• Died:            1909 (aged 40)
• Nationality: Australian
• Major Paintings:
  • A Holiday at Mentone
  • Dandenongs from Heidelberg
  • Hot Wind

A Tour of the Art Gallery of South Australia

• • “A break away!” by Tom Roberts
  • “A holiday at Mentone” by Charles Conder
  • “Dandenongs from Heidelberg” by Charles Conder
  • “A Summer Morning” by Rupert Bunny
  • “Circe Invidiosa” by John William Waterhouse
  • “The Favorites of the Emperor Honorius” by John William Waterhouse
  • Melencolia I by Albrecht Dürer

Exploring the Heidelberg School of Art

• “A holiday at Mentone” by Charles Conder
• “Dandenongs from Heidelberg” by Charles Conder
• “Dandenongs from Heidelberg” by Charles Conder
• “The Green Parasol” by E. Phillips Fox
• “Child in The Bush” by Frederick McCubbin
• “Miss Minna Simpson” by Tom Roberts
• “From McMahon’s Point – fare one penny” by Arthur Streeton
• “The Spirit of the Drought” by Arthur Streeton
• “From McMahon’s Point – fare one penny” by Arthur Streeton

A Tour of Museums  in Australia

• Museums in Sydney
  • Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Australian Museum
  • Australian National Maritime Museum
  • Museum of Sydney
  • Powerhouse Museum
  • Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney
  • Nicholson Museum
  • Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum
  • Museum of Fire

• Museums in Melbourne
  • National Gallery of Victoria
  • Melbourne Museum
  • Shrine of Remembrance
  • Hellenic Museum, Melbourne
  • State Library of Victoria
  • National Sports Museum
  • Old Treasury Building, Melbourne
  • Old Melbourne Gaol
  • Chinese Museum, Melbourne
  • Jewish Museum of Australia

• Museums in Canberra
  • National Museum of Australia
  • National Gallery of Australia
  • Australian War Memorial
  • National Portrait Gallery

• Museums in Brisbane
  • Queensland Art Gallery
  • Queensland Museum & Science Centre
  • MacArthur Museum Brisbane
  • RD Milns Antiquities Museum
  • Queensland Maritime Museum
  • Commissariat Store, Brisbane
  • Queensland Police Museum

• Museums in Perth
  • Art Gallery of Western Australia
  • WA Shipwrecks Museum
  • Perth Mint
  • WA Maritime Museum
  • Fremantle Prison

• Museums in Adelaide
  • Art Gallery of South Australia
  • South Australian Museum
  • Migration Museum, Adelaide

• Museums in Hobart
  • Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)
  • Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

• Museums in Darwin
  • Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
  • Darwin Military Museum
  • Australian Aviation Heritage Centre

Reflections

• How does Australian Impressionism differ from European Impressionism?

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“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.”
– Georgia O’Keeffe

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Photo Credits: 1) Charles Conder [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons