Shearing the Rams 1890

Editor: Tom Roberts's "Shearing the Rams," painted in 1890 using oil, offers an interesting glimpse into Australian rural life. The composition feels very horizontal, almost like a stage, drawing my eye across the shearing shed. What catches your eye in this work? Curator: It's fascinating, isn’t it? The way Roberts elevates what might seem like mundane labor to almost heroic status. The light, that warm, golden light bathing the shearers – it's not just illuminating the scene; it’s almost gilding it, wouldn’t you agree? And that very realism coexists with a powerful undercurrent of national pride. It asks the question, what did this landscape and the labour to tame it, really mean to the Australian identity? It's as if Roberts wants us to not just *see* the shearing, but *feel* the sweat, the grit, and the collective effort. Editor: Definitely. I see how that warm lighting almost romanticizes it, and adds depth. Curator: Think about how he’s placed those figures too. They’re individuals, caught in moments of intense action, yet they also form part of this bigger rhythmic pattern, a dance of labour almost. Makes me think of agrarian cycles and timeless, embodied wisdoms. Roberts invites us to think what truly constitutes a nations’ soul and who tells these stories. Editor: It’s interesting to consider this work within the wider context of Australian nationalism, and to think about who writes the story and, more importantly, who gets painted. I am so glad I spotted all that rhythm with you today, the work feels like its truly *humming*. Curator: Absolutely, it’s these multi-layered readings that give a painting its true power!