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Shearing the Rams single work   art work  
Issue Details: First known date: 1888... 1888 Shearing the Rams
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Tom Roberts’s Shearing the rams is a response to the nationalistic sentiment that developed in Australia during the late nineteenth century. It reflects the emergence of a national identity defined through heroic rural activity and the economic importance of the wool industry. The iconic painting is based on a number of preliminary sketches Roberts completed on the spot at Brocklesby Station, Corowa, New South Wales, in the late spring of 1888. He returned during the following two spring periods (shearing season) to work on the painting. Once completed, Shearing the rams was exhibited in the artist’s studio in Collins Street, Melbourne.' (Source : National Gallery of Victoria)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

First known date: 1888
  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon True Blue? : On Being Australian Peter Goldsworthy (editor), Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2008 Z1455140 2008 anthology single work prose extract poetry short story (taught in 3 units)

    'What makes us Australian? Fifty years ago, the laconic bush worker was indisputably the typical Australian, and any Australian schoolchild could have quoted at least the first verse of Banjo Patterson's Man from Snowy River. Now at the beginning of the 21st century, waves of immigration and a highly cosmopolitan urban culture make it more difficult to see what it is that unites us on this dry brown land. This collection of some of the best Australian writing old and new, from across the continent, reminds us of our heritage and shows we have much to be proud of.' (Publisher's blurb)

    Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2008
    pg. 109

Works about this Work

Shearing the Rams Mural Unveiled in Region Where Tom Roberts Painted It 130 Years Ago Allison Jess , 2020 single work column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , October 2020;

'It is not every day an artist is asked to create a mural from one of the most famous paintings in Australian history — in this case, Shearing the Rams by Tom Roberts.' (Introduction)

"The Bare Belled Ewe" : The Origin of "click Go the Shears" Mark Gregory , 2016 single work criticism
— Appears in: Quadrant , September vol. 60 no. 9 2016; (p. 98-100)
'Abstract: The shearers' song "Click Go the Shears" and the 1890 Tom Roberts painting Shearing the Rams have much in common. Despite their present-day acceptance as cultural icons it was not always the case, particularly for the Roberts painting.' (Publication abstract)
"The Bare Belled Ewe" : The Origin of "click Go the Shears" Mark Gregory , 2016 single work criticism
— Appears in: Quadrant , September vol. 60 no. 9 2016; (p. 98-100)
'Abstract: The shearers' song "Click Go the Shears" and the 1890 Tom Roberts painting Shearing the Rams have much in common. Despite their present-day acceptance as cultural icons it was not always the case, particularly for the Roberts painting.' (Publication abstract)
Shearing the Rams Mural Unveiled in Region Where Tom Roberts Painted It 130 Years Ago Allison Jess , 2020 single work column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , October 2020;

'It is not every day an artist is asked to create a mural from one of the most famous paintings in Australian history — in this case, Shearing the Rams by Tom Roberts.' (Introduction)

Last amended 19 Oct 2016 10:00:17
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