Tom Roberts is considered a legend in Australia:I was born and bred in Australian, I was unaware of this magnificent painting. My 2020 Summit submission should be about reinstating our unique Australian culture and national identity.
Then, in 1900, upon the federation of the Australian states, Roberts was approached and asked to build upon this symbol of nation identity by painting Opening of the First Parliament (1903) (Shore 21). Although it would not be outside or of his beloved Australian bush, Roberts was tempted by the fame and money it promised, so he accepted. He spent over two years on this massive (eighteen feet by twelve feet) canvas, traveling around the world in order to portray accurately each of the two-hundred and fifty people present (Shore 22). Upon its completion, when he received no offers of work and little hint of fame, the artist became very depressed, entering into what his son referred to as his “black period” (qtd Shore 25).
The Tom Roberts Festival is held every five years in Inverell, New South Wales, where Roberts created many of his sheep industry paintings, including The Golden Fleece and Shearing Shed, Newstead (“About Tom Roberts”).
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