“Bridge and Wattle at Warrandyte” by Penleigh Boyd

“Bridge and Wattle at Warrandyte” by Penleigh Boyd depicts bushland outside Melbourne, known for its wattle groves, and it is a quintessential Australian painting in landscape and palette. Wattle became a national floral symbol when it became part of Australia’s coat of arms in 1912.

Penleigh Boyd is a landscape artist with expert handling of evanescent effects of light. He was influenced by E. Phillips Fox, who introduced him to Plein air techniques when they were neighbors in Paris in 1912–3. His obituary at age 33 compared him to Arthur Streeton and praised him as one of the most promising painters of his generation.

Bridge and Wattle at Warrandyte

Title: Bridge and Wattle at Warrandyte
Artist: Penleigh Boyd
Year: 1914
Location: Warrandyte, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 91.5 h x 137.0 w cm
Museum: National Gallery of Australia

Penleigh Boyd

Name: Theodore Penleigh Boyd
Born: 1890 – Westbury, Wiltshire, England
Died: 1923 (aged 33) – Warragul, Victoria, Australia
Nationality: Australian
Major Paintings:
- Ghost Gums at Kangaroo Flat, 1921.
- Bridge and Wattle at Warrandyte