Lot Essay
In 1921 Arthur Streeton purchased a block of land at Olinda, in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges. He invested considerable energy in replanting and rehabilitating the block, and relished his time in the area. "It's refreshing," wrote Streeton to Tom Roberts in 1923, "to note how the old Dandenong Range takes hold directly you get there & you have some land" (A. Streeton letter 7 May 1923 in A. Galbally, ed., Letters from Smike, Melbourne, 1989, p.170).
Showing the enduring significance of his work during the Heidelberg School era, Streeton's depiction of the back-breaking work of timber-cutting is reminiscent of the 1904 work of his contemporary and friend Frederick McCubbin in The Pioneer. In its glorification of the value of hard work and its almost elegiac depiction of the landscape of the Dandenongs, Streeton's Timber Cutting, Longacres, is a tribute to the enduring love of the artist for his still young, affluent blue and gold homeland.
Showing the enduring significance of his work during the Heidelberg School era, Streeton's depiction of the back-breaking work of timber-cutting is reminiscent of the 1904 work of his contemporary and friend Frederick McCubbin in The Pioneer. In its glorification of the value of hard work and its almost elegiac depiction of the landscape of the Dandenongs, Streeton's Timber Cutting, Longacres, is a tribute to the enduring love of the artist for his still young, affluent blue and gold homeland.