GRUNER, ELIOTH (1882-1939)

**PRICE ON APPLICATION**
 
"Study For Happy Valley, Araluen" (1922) 
oil on card laid on board
34 x 44cm
unsigned
*study for "Happy Valley, Araluen" (owned by the Union Club, Sydney)
*gift of the artist
*private collection, Mittagong
*thence by descent
 
A successor of the plein air Heidelberg School tradition in Australian art, Gruner is known for his high-key impressionist landscapes & his ability to capture the ephemeral effects of light. According to Norman Lindsay, he "painted the purest light that ever has been seen on a bit of canvas". Gruner began attending art classes with Julian Ashton from around the age of twelve. He exhibited for the first time, with the Society of Artists, in 1901, with a still-life painting. He preferred to paint landscapes when he was able to paint outdoors en plein air, in the manner of the Impressionists he so admired. In 1916 Gruner finally achieved critical success with the painting ‘Morning Light’ which was awarded the Wynne Prize, and purchased by the AGNSW. The painting was popularly proclaimed to be the artist’s masterpiece. He won the Wynne Prize seven times, ‘Spring Frost’ won in 1919, & his preference for painting green, rolling pastures & farmyard animals made him one of the most popular artists of his day. While he was to become an important figure in the Society of Artists, and the Australian painting scene generally, towards the end of his life, Gruner suffered from depression and alcohol dependency. He has been the subject of numerous retrospectives & is represented in all major National Galleries!
 
"Happy Valley, Araluen" (1922) (Image 2) is regarded as one of Gruner's most important paintings, commissioned by the Union Club, Sydney, exhibited at the Society Of Artists Exhibition of 1922, & received significant national praise in contemporary print media. It remains at the Union Club to this day.

"The Happy Valley, Araluen"... is Gruner's final attempt to give spacious treatment to our wide landscape. In the treatment of light, he has a subtle touch, and no one knows better how to picture the luminous quality that is even in our shadows on a brilliant summer day." - Sydney Mail