Wynne Prize 2023

Established following a bequest by Richard Wynne, the annual Wynne Prize was first awarded in 1897 in honour of the official opening of the Art Gallery of New South Wales at its present site. Judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery, it is awarded to the best landscape painting of Australian scenery or for the best example of figure sculpture by an Australian artist.    

The Wynne Prize reflects the diversity of figurative sculptural practice, while the paintings are a dynamic reflection of Australian artists’ response to the land, reflecting contemporary aesthetics, environmental and stewardship concerns, and conceptions of Country.  

Look at past winners of the Wynne Prize to see examples of how artists have experimented with figurative sculpture and depicted the land. How does the inaugural winning artwork differ to the most recent one? How do they reflect some of the trends in the Prize’s history, or tastes at the time? In what ways do they demonstrate some of the diverse approaches to landscape painting in Australia?

• How would you describe the genre of landscape art? 

• What landscapes or natural scenery do you like and why? 

• How and why have artistic styles and approaches to landscape painting changed over time? 

• What are some of the techniques artists have used to create the illusion of being in a landscape? 

• What can a landscape tell us about the artist who created it and the place it depicts? 

• What are some of the ways Australian artists have depicted their environments? 

• What landscape would you paint and why? 

Landscape, landscape art or landscape painting is generally defined in Western art traditions as the depiction of natural scenery in art, whether real, idealised or imagined. The term ‘landscape’ derives from the Dutch word landschap, meaning ‘region, tract of land’, which was later adapted to ‘a picture depicting scenery on land’ in the 1500s. Landscape art might include mountains, valleys, fields, the bush, bodies of water, coastlines and, since the 20th century, urban or industrial environments. Flora and fauna, the sky and weather are also typical features. People and man-made structures or objects might also be included, but not as the main subject.  

As a genre in art, landscape was an established tradition in Chinese art by the fourth century. In Europe, ancient Greek and Roman civilisations created wall paintings of landscapes and gardens, but it wasn’t until the Renaissance period in the 16th century that it became a subject in its own right. In the 17th century it was ranked fourth in the hierarchy of genres established by the French Royal Academy after history painting, portraiture and genre painting.

Over time, artistic developments, industrialisation and the now urgent attention to the natural world have expanded the way artists depict landscapes and express the relationships we have to the places we live in. In Australia, the tradition of visually representing the natural world is embedded in the country’s history and identity, with artists expressing what is it to be in and of the landscape. The Wynne Prize helps to record some of these stories, places and artistic approaches to Australia’s landscapes.  

Atmospheric or aerial perspective A method of creating the illusion of depth in an artwork by modulating detail and colour contrast as objects recede from the foreground to the background. To create an effect of looking into the distance, objects in the foreground are detailed and brightly coloured and then fade as they recess to the background, adopting the blue and grey hues of the atmosphere. 

Background A term in visual arts that describes the part of a composition that appears to be furthest from the viewer.  

Bird’s-eye view A view or perspective from above or at an elevated distance. 

Foreground A term in visual arts that describes the part of a composition that appears closest to the viewer. 

Horizon line The division line between earth and sky in a picture. 

Linear perspective A method of creating the illusion of depth on a flat surface by converging all parallel lines in a single vanishing point on the composition’s horizon line. Objects are rendered increasingly smaller as they near the vanishing point so as to appear further from the viewer.  

Middle ground A term in visual arts that describes the part of a composition between the foreground and background.  

Panorama A continuous narrative scene or landscape painted to conform to a flat or curved background that surrounds the viewer. 

Picturesque An artistic concept developed by British artist William Gilpin in the late 18th century that refers to the idea of discovering the landscape in its natural state. Picturesque landscape paintings depict views that have artistic appeal, but also contain elements of wildness or irregularity. 

Plein air A French term for ‘open air’ that refers to the practice of painting landscape pictures outdoors rather than in the studio, or to describe paintings that convey a strong impression of the open air.  

Repoussoir A method used in art to increase the sense of depth in a two-dimensional image by placing a figure or object in the foreground or at the side to direct the viewer’s eye into the composition. The term derives from the French word repousser, meaning ‘to push back’.  

Sublime A concept developed by British philosopher Edmund Burke in the mid 18th century to describe art that evokes awe, wonder and terror. A sublime landscape depicts untamed nature and the experience of its overwhelming forces.  

Topographical landscape An impression of a landscape that accurately and objectively describes its features rather than one invented for purely aesthetic reasons. 

Vantage point or point of view A position from which an object is observed. 

Worm’s-eye view A view or perspective from below or ground level. 

Zones of recession A term that refers to the three categories of distance from the viewer in an image that attempts to represent spatial depth: foreground, middle ground and background.   

These definitions are adapted from sources including britannica.com, The J. Paul Getty Museum curricula and teaching guides and Tate art terms.