Gums in sunlight 1923

Editor: Here we have Hans Heysen’s "Gums in Sunlight," painted in 1923. It’s a watercolor that really captures the Australian landscape. I’m struck by the light filtering through the trees; it almost feels like you could reach out and touch the bark. What elements stand out to you when you look at this piece? Curator: The interesting aspect here is the artist’s choice of watercolor for portraying this scene of monumental trees. Consider the labor involved: *plein air* painting requires transporting materials, and the limitations of the medium itself - watercolor resists easy correction and demands a certain predetermination. It challenges traditional assumptions of the time of oil paint as the only vehicle for landscape painting. Editor: I see what you mean. It does seem almost defiant, using such a delicate medium to depict something so imposing. Curator: Exactly. He's foregrounding the *act* of painting, reminding us that even grand landscapes are constructed through human labor and choices of materiality. Also consider the context: 1923. Post-war Australia seeking its own national identity. How do the gums contribute to that sense of national pride, transformed into artistic form through the artist's physical actions? Editor: So it's less about just the beauty of the landscape and more about how Heysen *made* that beauty visible, showcasing the medium and labor itself? Curator: Precisely. And through that process, contributing to a national narrative. Editor: That gives me a completely new perspective. I was so focused on the subject matter, I missed the importance of the watercolor itself and its relation to the artistic project of national expression. Curator: It’s about deconstructing what constitutes 'high art'. Heysen elevates the 'humble' act of watercolour to depict monumental 'national' trees. Editor: Thanks! I’ll definitely look at other landscapes differently now.