RODNEY POPLE
St Mary's Cathedral at 4am
oil on wooden board 113 x 89.5 cm
© the artist
Allens Arthur Robinson's sponsorship of the New South Wales Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize reflects our commitment to Australian art.
The term 'en plein air' refers to the practice of painting outdoors, engaging with nature and recording the transitory effects of light. Although it has a long history in Europe, Australian artists have also established a strong tradition of painting 'en plein air', with the climate and landscape proving conducive to this style. The Impressionists of the late 19th century, including Arthur Streeton and Tom Roberts, spent much of their time painting outdoors, while Fred Williams was a great master of landscape painting in the 20th century.
The New South Wales Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize, set up in 2008, aims to recognise this great and often overlooked aspect of Australian painting. The exhibition is held in the NSW Parliament building, with the winning work entering the NSW Parliament's permanent collection and the winning artist receiving $20,000.
Allens' sponsorship of the award continues the firm's commitment to supporting Australian artists and encouraging the development of Australian cultural expression. Allens has a significant art collection, developed since the mid-1970s, which contains more than 1000 unique and challenging works by Australian artists and is a significant survey of Australian painting over the past three decades.
Previous winners of the NSW plein art painting prize are Isabel Gomez (Newcastle Ports), Rodney Pople (St Mary's Cathedral at 4am) and Euan Macleod (Murwillumbah X 5).
For more information on The New South Wales Parliament Plein Air Prize, please visit http://www.pleinair.com.au.
To learn more about the Allens art collection, go to http://www.aar.com.au/art/index.htm.
