Years ago, before we all got to be fat fucks, Ozzie men were considered very, very sexy. Laconic, manly, tough, muscular, slim -- none of your effete Europeans. Bit like cowboys in America, perhaps. But imagine a whole nation of cowboys. Of course, even in the 20s this was an ideal, not reality. A majority of Ozzies lived in cities then, and now more than 90% do. But I thought this painting incredibly romantic, and wanted to share it with you. It part of an exhibition of Hilda Rix Nicholas' paintings at Bendigo's art gallery. They often have special exhibitions which do not make it to the capital. The trip there (two and a half hours by car or two by high-speed train) is worth it, though. Apart from the grotesquely modern head office of the Bendigo Bank, it is a Victorian and Edwardian city of elegant stone official buildings and charming wooden houses, with old fashioned parks and museums.
Anyway, enjoy. From the colours (the blue of the shadows, the brown of the grass), I'd say it was a winter landscape. Notice the nice touch of the gum tree, its bark peeled off to show the beautiful white underneath.
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