Title

By tranquil waters

1894

Artist

Sydney Long

Australia, England

20 Aug 1871 – 23 Jan 1955

Artist profile

Alternate image of By tranquil waters by Sydney Long

Date

1894

Media category

Painting

Materials used

oil on canvas on hardboard

Dimensions

111.3 x 185.4 cm stretcher; 156.5 x 225.8 x 13.2 cm frame :
0 - Whole, 111.6 x 181 cm, SIGHT DIMENSION

Signature & date

Signed and dated l.r., red oil "SID LONG 94".
Signed l.r. corner, red oil "SID (illeg.)".

Credit

Purchased 1894

Location

Naala Nura, ground level, Grand Courts

Accession number

689

Copyright

© Estate of Sydney Long. Courtesy Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia
Reproduction requests

Artist information

Sydney Long
Artist profile

Works in the collection

143

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Sydney Long came to prominence as a symbolist painter during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was known for forging an Arcadian vision of Australia through allegorical landscape works.

'By tranquil waters' was painted early in Long's career and represents one of his first forays into symbolism. In this idyllic scene swathed in light, Long presents a group of male youths bathing in Cook's River in Sydney. One figure playing a pipe possibly alludes to Pan, the Greek god of music, nature and male sexuality.

'By tranquil waters' was acquired by the Gallery shortly after it was first exhibited at the Art Society of New South Wales’ annual exhibition in 1894. The trustees purchased the work on the condition that its scale be altered – to help improve the picture's 'definition' – which Long agreed to do.
Shown in 13 exhibitions
- Fifteenth Annual Exhibition of the Art Society of New South Wales (1894), York Street Skating Rink, Sydney, 27 Sep 1894 -
- Exhibition of Australian art in London (1898), Grafton Galleries, London, 02 Apr 1898–31 Jul 1898
- The Sydney Art School retrospective exhibition, 1890-1933, Vickery's Galleries, Sydney, 01 Mar 1933–28 Mar 1933
- Sydney Long, A.R.E.: loan exhibition, National Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 09 Apr 1941–31 May 1941
- A retrospective exhibition of Australian painting, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 25 Sep 1953–25 Oct 1953
- A memorial exhibition of a selection of paintings by Sydney Long 1878-1955, National Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Oct 1955 -
- Sydney Long (1979), S.H. Ervin Gallery, The Rocks, 22 Aug 1979–07 Nov 1979
- 1890s: aspects of the gallery, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 01 Feb 1986–20 Jun 1986
- Stampede of the Lower Gods: Classical Mythology in Australian Art 1890's-1930's, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 19 Oct 1989–26 Nov 1989
- Australian Collection Focus: Sydney Long: Pan, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 06 Jun 2009–30 Aug 2009
- Sydney Long: the spirit of the land, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, 17 Aug 2012–11 Nov 2012
- Shaded, Dubbo Regional Art Gallery, Dubbo, 28 Aug 2017–03 Dec 2017
- Grand Courts collection rehang, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Nov 2021–2023
Referenced in 37 publications
- Julian Ashton., Daily telegraph, ‘National Art Gallery: The Australian Court’, Sydney, 27 Sep 1905. page unknown
- Julian Ashton, Now came still evening on, Sydney, 1941, 117.
- Herbert Badham, A gallery of Australian art, Sydney, 1954, (illus.). plate no. 24
- Deborah Edwards, Stampede of the Lower Gods: Classical Mythology in Australian Art, 'The Antipodean Arcady / 'When Pan purloined Apollo's lyre'', pg. 8-31, Sydney, Sep 1989, 11, 20 (colour illus.), 31, 63.
- James Gleeson, Impressionist painters 1881-1930, St Kilda, 1971, 26 (illus.).
- Anne Gray, Sydney Long: the spirit of the land, 'The spirit of the land', pg. 45-70, Canberra, 2012, 44 (colour illus., detail), 45, 46, 51, 69, 82 (colour illus.), 83, 98, 127, 135. cat.no. 3
- Mervyn Horton (Editor), Art and Australia, Sydney, Dec 1977, 176 (illus.).
- Joclyn Howell, Danie Ondinea and Virginia Bear, Missing jigsaw pieces: the bushplants of the Cooks River Valley, Sydney, 1999, front cover (colour illus.).
- Robert Hughes, The art of Australia, Melbourne, 1970, 79.
- Bruce James, Art Gallery of New South Wales handbook, 'Australian Collection: Painting and Sculpture', pg. 102-181, Sydney, 1999, 117 (colour illus.).
- James Green de Libra, Australasian Art Review, 'The poetry of our painting', Sydney, May 1899, 25.
- Lionel Lindsay., 150 years of Australian art, 'Foreword', Sydney, 1938. cat.no. 78
- Mark Matheson., Heritage, 'By Tranquil Waters', Sydney, 1995, back cover.
- Joanna Mendelssohn, The life and work of Sydney Long, Sydney, 1979, 23, 24 (illus.), 25, 27-28, 36 (colour illus.), 49, 85, 225-226. cat.no. 10; colour plate no. 4
- Denise Mimmocchi, Australian Symbolism: the art of dreams, ‘Sydney Long: Arcadian myth and the decorative landscape’, pg. 110-122, Sydney, 2012, 110, 111 (colour illus.), 126.
- Denise Mimmocchi, Australian Collection Focus: Sydney Long - Pan, 'Sydney Long: Pan', pg. 1-12, Sydney, 2009, 3 (colour illus.), 5, 6, 7,.
- Hal Missingham, A retrospective exhibition of Australian painting, Sydney, 1953. cat.no. 51
- Joanna Mrendelssohn, Brought to Light: Australian Art 1850–1965 from the Queensland Art Gallery collection, 'Dancing across the Landscap. Sydney Long Spirit of the Plains', pg. 76-80, Brisbane, 1998, 76.
- National Art Gallery of New South Wales, Catalogue of the National Art Gallery of New South Wales 1899, Sydney, 1899, 47 (sepia illus.). cat.no. 252
- National Art Gallery of New South Wales, Catalogue of the National Art Gallery of New South Wales 1893, Sydney, 1893. cat.no. 432; Australian Court-Supplement; titled 'By Tranquil Waters'
- Royal Art Society of New South Wales, Art Society of New South Wales Fifteenth Annual Exhibition Catalogue, 1894, 26 (illus.).
- Bernard William Smith, Australian painting 1788-1970, South Melbourne, 1971, 102, 103, 176 (illus.).
- Bernard William Smith, A catalogue of Australian oil paintings in the National Art Gallery of New South Wales 1875-1952, Sydney, 1953, 125.
- Jill Sykes (Editor), Look, ‘Contents’, pg. 9, Sydney, Sep 2012, cover (colour illus.), 9 (colour illus. detail), 11, 24 (colour illus. detail), 25 (colour illus. detail), 26 (colour illus.), 27, 28. Illustrations on pg. 24 & 25 are of conservation treatment.
- Jill Sykes (Editor), Look, 'Members events: November 11', pg. 47-49, Sydney, Nov 2011, 47 (colour illus.).
- Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales: Minutes 1.9.1891-4.5.1898, Sydney, 1891-1898, 128. 26 September 1894 - A meeting of the Trustees was held at the Art Society's Exhibition rooms, York Street, at 11am. The purchase of 'By Tranquil Waters' was decided upon at this meeting.
- Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales: Minutes 1.9.1891-4.5.1898, Sydney, 1891-1898, 144. 20 November 1894
- Kenneth Wilkinson (Editor), Art in Australia [series 3, no. 70], Sydney, Mar 1938.
- John Young and Henry Gibbons, The Sydney Art School retrospective exhibition 1890-1933, Sydney, 1933. cat.no. 227
- Editor Unknown (Editor), Daily telegraph, Sydney, 29 Sep 1894, page unknown.
- Editor Unknown (Editor), The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 28 Sep 1894, page unknown.
- Editor Unknown (Editor), The Sydney Morning Herald, 'Art Society's exhibition', pg. 3, Sydney, 28 Sep 1894, 3.
- Editor Unknown (Editor), Art and architecture, Sydney, Mar 1905, 63 (illus.).
- Editor Unknown (Editor), 1890s: aspects of the gallery, 'The purchase of Sydney Long's 'By Tranquil Waters'', Sydney, 1986, 4 (illus.), 5.
- Editor Unknown (Editor), Sydney mail and New South Wales advertiser, Sydney, 06 Oct 1894, (illus.). page unknown
- Editor Unknown (Editor), Bulletin, Sydney, 06 Oct 1894, page unknown.
- Editor Unknown (Editor), The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 29 Sep 1894, page unknown.