Tom Roberts

"Tom Roberts" by Ron Radford (Art Gallery of South Australia, 1996) is a richly illustrated 224-page hardcover monograph published to accompany a major national retrospective exhibition of the artist. Radford—then Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia—curated the show, and the book serves as a comprehensive exhibition catalogue. It features numerous colour and black‑and‑white plates of Roberts’s paintings and etchings, alongside scholarly essays that explore his stylistic evolution, thematic range, and enduring contribution to Australian art . Radford positions Tom Roberts (1856–1931) as the "father of Australian Impressionism," a pivotal figure who understood and captured the unique Australian light and landscape. The volume includes insightful commentary on signature works such as Shearing the Rams (1888–90) and The Golden Fleece (1894), as well as analyses of his plein air practice, portraiture, and depictions of everyday life. Contributors also consider how Roberts shaped national identity through his art, with essays on masculinity, modernity, and colonial heritage. The book remains a key reference for understanding both Roberts’s oeuvre and the broader development of Australian colonial art.