| Shearing the Rams | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Tom Roberts |
| Year | 1890 |
| Medium | oil on canvas on composition board |
| Dimensions | 122.4 cm × 183.3 cm (48.2 in × 72.2 in) |
| Location | National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne |
Shearing the Rams is an 1890 painting by Australian artist Tom Roberts. It depicts sheep shearers plying their trade in a timber shearing shed. Distinctly Australian in character, the painting is a celebration of pastoral life and work, especially "strong, masculine labour", and recognises the role that the wool industry played in the development of the country.
One of the best-known and most-loved paintings in Australia, Shearing the Rams has been described as a "masterpiece of Australian impressionism" and "the great icon of Australian popular art history".[1][2] It forms part of the National Gallery of Victoria's Australian art collection, held at the Ian Potter Centre in Federation Square, Melbourne.
- ^ "Tom Roberts' masterpiece ~ Shearing the Rams 1890". Art Knowledge News. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
- ^ Nelson, Robert S, Robert S; Shiff, Richard (2003). Critical terms for art history. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. pp. 370–371. ISBN 978-0-226-57168-3.