Golden summer, Eaglemont

Arthur Streeton painted this shimmering summer scene in 1889, capturing the heat of a long afternoon near Eaglemont, just outside Melbourne. A young shepherd stands among his sheep as they drift through fields of dry, golden grass, all under a wide pale sky. Streeton kept his colours simple, mostly soft yellows and gentle blues, and the effect makes the whole landscape feel warm and still, as if the air itself has slowed down in the heat. A distant line of blue hills marks the horizon, while tall gum trees reach up toward the light.

Streeton belonged to the Heidelberg School, a circle of Australian painters who took their easels outdoors to catch the true light and colour of their homeland. Instead of borrowing from European traditions, they wanted to show Australia as it really was, with its sunburnt paddocks and enormous skies. "Golden Summer, Eaglemont" became one of the movement's best known works, and it brought Streeton early fame when it travelled to London and Paris for exhibition. Turning an everyday rural moment into something calm and lovely, it shows exactly what these artists set out to do.