Visit to the Queensland Art Gallery

I recently visited the Queensland Art Gallery for the first time since I was a child. In my opinion, it was not as impressive as the Art Gallery of New South Wales, but there were still some beautiful paintings worth seeing by artists such as Sir Arthur Streeton and Edgar Degas.

I will walk you through some of the paintings from the gallery for those of you who are unable to make it in person, starting with some stunning works by Streeton:

I always enjoy seeing Streeton’s paintings in person. I particularly love his high-key landscapes, like the one below which depicts a moonlit Magnetic Island.

Here is another high-key painting by Charles Condor which seems to depict the harsh, midday sun. In person, these colors seem to almost shimmer in the light of the gallery.

Tip: Many people think that more light always means more color. But, when there is a very strong, direct light source (like the midday sun), colors tend to appear tinted.

The two paintings below were the first works I have seen from Emanuel Phillips Fox. What a great eye for color he had. Notice how the apple blossoms blend in with the sky. These subtle connections can add a level sophistication to a painting.

The painting below reminds me of Joaquín Sorolla’s work. Notice how the area in shadow is not actually that dark; it is more around the middle-value range. This is known as a compressed value range.

It was pleasing to see one of Edgar Degas’ famous Dancer paintings. It looks like pastel work, but it was actually done in oils. As with much of Degas’ work, there is a strong use of outlining and broken color which gives the painting a very stylistic feel.

Below is a beautiful depiction of the Australian landscape, with the distant mountains basked in light from the sun. It looks as though this was painted late in the afternoon, just before the sun fades. All kinds of wonderful pinks, purples, reds, and yellows come out during this time of day.

Below is a clever display of oil paint, pearl, and stone by Frank Marriott.

The painting below looks like a basic study by the famous Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. That frame is impressive though.

Below is a panoramic view of Brisbane (where I live) when it was far less developed. This painting is very large and the photo does not do it justice. Joseph Clarke was one of Queensland’s first professional artists and teachers.

I mostly paint landscapes, but I do appreciate a great portrait painting like the one below.

In a dark corner of the gallery, I stumbled across a moody, but probably very expensive painting by Pablo Picasso.

Below is a simple composition, featuring a tree with vivid, red flowers amongst the landscape. Richard Rivers, who was president of the Queensland Art Society from 1892 – 1901, used impasto (thick) paint to draw your attention towards the red-flowered tree.

Finally, one of the many grand landscapes by William Charles Piguenit, who was one of the earliest professional painters from Australia. The Art Gallery of New South Wales featured many more of his paintings.

I hope you enjoyed this virtual journey through the Queensland Art Gallery. There were many other paintings which are not featured in this post, so I urge you to visit the gallery for yourself if you get a chance.

Want to Learn More?

You might be interested in my Painting Academy course. I’ll walk you through the time-tested fundamentals of painting. It’s perfect for absolute beginner to intermediate painters.

Thanks for Reading!

I appreciate you taking the time to read this post and I hope you found it helpful. Feel free to share it with friends.

Happy painting!

Dan Scott

Draw Paint Academy

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