Haymaking, Porlock Vale

Born in Dunedin, New Zealand, Power's career spanned the artistic establishments of both Australia and England. After initially exhibiting at the Melbourne Art Club in 1899 he studied at the Académie Julian in Paris between 1905 and 1907. His first solo exhibition was in Melbourne in 1913, and he was appointed official war artist with the Australian Imperial Force in 1917. In his depictions of rural landscapes, shown at the Royal Academy in the middle years of the 20th Century, critics praised 'his tremendous display of colour' and 'dauntless feeling of optimism'. They particularly noted his 'remarkable knowledge and vigour in his paintings of animals'. Porlock Vale is a particularly beautiful stretch of farmed country on the edge of Exmoor in Somerset.