Sydney Long (1871-1955)

'One of the most popular of Long's images, and the one most often repeated, is that of a group of flamingoes. Long first depicted flamingoes in 1902 when seeking a subject in which he could use a burning red against green. He repeated the theme in oil and watercolour at least 30 times, in a variety of arrangements and colours, over the next 40 years.

The sinuous, serpentine necks of these birds with their curved bills, and their ability to bend and bow, provided ideal forms for Long's Art Nouveau approach. Likewise, their flamboyance, their rotund bodies mostly perched on one long thin leg, were characteristics well suited to Long's decorative compositions.' (A. Gray, Sydney Long The Spirit of the Land, Canberra, 2012, p.56)