Yesterday, as part of a small group, I had the pleasure of touring the home and studio of the wonderful Australian landscape artist, Sir Hans Heysen OBE (1877-1968). The home and studio is still maintained by members of his family today and it is a delightful environment.
He was born in Hamburg, Germany and migrated to Adelaide (South Australia) with his family at the age of 7. His artistic talent was extraordinary, covering a wide range of media, and he won the Wynne Prize for landscape painting a record 9 times!
If you are not familiar with his work, may I encourage you to "Google" his name and explore his beautiful paintings - you will not be disappointed.
Sadly (but understandably) we were unable to take photographs inside, but were given a free run outside..... this imaginative creation caught my eye after the tour was complete, so don't know it's background but thought it a clever piece of work anyway! (To avoid confusion, this is not representative of his painting style, which covered sweeping Australian landscapes, portraits, still life, etc. and his contemporaries included Frederick McCubbin and Tom Roberts)
Below is Sir Hans' studio - at the opposite end of the building were enormous windows covering the width and almost the height of the far wall. Light was a dominant feature of his paintings.
I can thoroughly recommend a visit to "The Cedars" (Sir Hans' home and studio) located at Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills - whether you live in South Australila or are just passing through - your day will be all the richer for this glimpse into the life and talents of an amazing artist.
2 comments:
Thanks for sharing this Valerie. Painting is one of the beautiful arts.
Woody is very unique, artistic. The studio look inviting, lots of windows a bonus.
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