Frederick McCubbin

Frederick McCubbin
Australian 1855–1917

A bush burial 1890
oil on canvas
Geelong Gallery
Purchased by public subscription, 1900

This painting holds a significant position in the history of Geelong Gallery as one of ten works acquired in its first year of collecting: made possible through the support of community donations.

At the time of the acquisition, Frederick McCubbin had established his reputation as one of the founding members of what came to be known as the Heidelberg School of Australian Impressionism. Throughout the 1890s and into the early 1900s he created a series of large scale paintings focusing on pioneering history.

Here, Frederick McCubbin translates the melancholy subject of graveside or funeral scenes into the local landscape, referring to the history and achievements of the pioneers in Australia whilst acknowledging the loneliness and hardship they experienced.