Artwork
The national game
The national game is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Arthur Streeton. It dates from 1895 and is held in the collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
About this work
Overview
Arthur Streeton’s 1895 oil painting titled The National Game portrays a bustling outdoor pastime set in an expansive green field. Figures in informal dress, some wearing hats, engage in a lively activity under a cloudy sky, while scattered trees frame the scene and distant buildings punctuate the background. The composition conveys a sense of communal energy and movement.
Subject & Meaning
The work captures a popular recreational activity, reflecting the social customs of late‑19th‑century Australia. By focusing on ordinary participants rather than heroic figures, the painting emphasizes collective enjoyment and the everyday landscape as a venue for national leisure, suggesting a cultural identity rooted in open, communal spaces.
Technique & Style
Streeton employs a loose, expressive brushwork that allows the colors to pulse across the canvas. Vivid greens and earth tones dominate, while the sky’s muted palette provides contrast. The visible strokes and dynamic handling of paint create a sense of motion, echoing the immediacy of the game and the atmospheric conditions of the day.
History & Provenance
Created in 1895, The National Game entered the collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, where it remains on display. The painting’s acquisition reflects the gallery’s commitment to preserving works that document Australian social life and the development of landscape painting during the period.
Artist & collection
Artist
Arthur Streeton painted sunlit Australian landscapes and harbor scenes. He rendered *Cremorne Pastoral* in 1895 with soft green fields under wide skies, and *The National Game* in 1889 shows a football match on a golden…
