Why did Tom Roberts became famous?

Answer 1

Tom Roberts became famous for his contributions to Australian Impressionism, also known as the Heidelberg School. He was a prominent artist who played a key role in capturing the Australian landscape and rural life in the late 19th century. His use of bright colors, loose brushwork, and en plein air painting techniques helped to define the Australian art scene and establish a unique national identity in art.

Answer 2

Tom Roberts was a major member of the Heidelberg School, a group of Australian artists influenced by the impressionists of the day. The Heidelberg School is important not merely for being excellent art but also in a historical sense as paintings showing the Australia of the time. These artists produced the first western art to realistically depict the Australian landscape as it actually is rather than show it in a Europeanized version. Roberts is particularly well known for two paintings, "The Big Picture", a painting of the 1901 opening of the Australian Parliament, and "Shearing The Rams", a painting of men shearing sheep. This painting was criticized for its impressionistic touches but was popular because wool exporting was such a huge part of the Australian economy. Many ordinary Australians could easily relate to the image shown. Roberts enjoyed painting on the theme of ordinary people at work.