From McMahon's Point - Fare One Penny by Arthur Streeton

From McMahon’s Point – Fare One Penny by Arthur Streeton

“From McMahon’s Point – fare one penny” by Arthur Streeton was painting his 1890 visit to Sydney. While staying with his sister in Summer Hill, Streeton painted views from Coogee and the Harbour. Streeton wrote to Tom Roberts about this painting at McMahon’s Point:

“have a most delightful subject there looking towards Milson’s Pt
with an expanse of water, tops of houses,
and landing stage & station, in the foreground of the picture.”

Arthur Streeton

Arthur Streeton (1867 – 1943) was an Australian landscape painter and leading member of the “Heidelberg School,” also known as Australian Impressionism. Streeton’s works can be found in many Australian galleries and museums, next to the significant impressionist works of Claude Monet and Edouard Manet. Streeton was influenced by French Impressionism and the works of J.M.W. Turner.

Streeton was born in Victoria, Australia, and commenced art studies at the National Gallery School, Victoria. During this time, he began his association with fellow artists Frederick McCubbin and Tom Roberts. Arthur Streeton and his fellow Australian artists who painted “en Plein air” in Heidelberg on the outskirts of Melbourne were labeled members of the “Heidelberg School.” The term has since evolved to cover painters who worked together at other “artists’ camps” around Melbourne and Sydney in the 1880s and 1890s. Along with Streeton, Withers, Tom Roberts, Charles Conder, and Frederick McCubbin are considered vital figures of the movement. The movement has recently been described as “Australian Impressionism.”

Drawing on naturalist and impressionist ideas, the “Australian Impressionists” sought to capture Australian life, the bush, and the harsh sunlight that typifies the country. Their works are today part of Australia’s cultural heritage and include many classic stories of Australian folklore, made famous in the works of Australian bush poets.