LONDON.- Taking in deep varicoloured mines, broad rolling plains, vast imposing landforms and exquisite calm bays, the landscape paintings of Philip Hughes comprise a love letter to Australia. Australia has some of the most spectacular ancient geological forms in the world. At a time when international travel is severely restricted, Philip Hughes: Painting the Ancient Land of Australia takes readers on a journey to some of the most beautiful and remote parts of the country. The book follows painter Philip Hughes, palette in hand, across the length and breadth of Australia, from Karinjini in the west to Fraser Island in the east, via the northern Kimberley and far southwest of Tasmania.

Hughes's work is defined by his breathtaking portrayals of natural landscapes, often informed by maps and aerial photographs. With a bold graphic style complemented by expressive blocks of colour, his practice seems particularly suited to the Australian landscape, as notable for its ecological nuances as it is for its stark extremes.

The effects of climate change and human impact on the environment are increasingly being felt around the world, particularly in Australia. As well as celebrating Australia’s natural beauty, Hughes’s paintings highlight the impact of human intervention on the land – including mining in the Pilbara, excavating for opals in Lighting Ridge and the effects of the 2019–20 bushfires. His deep appreciation of the environment is reflected not only in his choice of subjects but also in his ability to find the beauty in each locale, whether untouched or altered.

Featuring work created over a span of three decades, a foreword by Glenn Murcutt and a mixture of elegant sketches alongside larger painted artworks, Philip Hughes: Painting the Ancient Land of Australia is a timely, completely transporting and deeply personal exploration of a continent.

London-born Philip Hughes’s work focuses on the natural environment, its structure and nuance, and on the effects of human intervention and activity. The subject of two published monographs, Hughes has been exhibiting work in group and solo exhibitions since the late 1960s and his work is held in the public collections of the National Gallery of Australia, The British Library, The British Museum, The Victoria and Albert Museum and the New York Public Library, among others.