A dappled vision of Australia
I recently heard that an
exhibition of French Impressionist paintings from the Carnavalet Museum in
Paris will be heading to Bendigo Victoria next year. That news sounded
impressive, but it made me think about the many Australian painters, (not just
of the Impressionist era), who magnificently captured the light that is so
unique to this country. I then had time to muse on the number of painters who
lie in Rookwood, many in unmarked graves, who are somewhat forgotten.
Over the next few months, I
will be "resurrecting" them, so to speak, and putting them in the
spotlight.
The subject of today's blog
(who actually has a marked grave) was a watercolourist of some note. His works
were many over a very small time.
JESSE JEWHURST HILDER
Jesse was born in Toowoomba,
Queensland in July 1881, the fourth son of Henry Hilder, an engineer originally from Sussex
England and his wife, Elizabeth. He attended Toowoomba North Station School
until 1890 when his family moved to Brisbane continuing his education at
Fortitude Valley State School. Winning a scholarship when 13 years of age,
Jesse spent three years at the Brisbane Grammar School and passed the junior
public examination in 1897.
In 1898 Jesse joined the
Brisbane branch of the Bank of NSW. In 1901, he was transferred to Goulburn,
and the following year to Bega on the south coast of NSW, where having
expressed an interest in art, joined some friends in weekend sketching. While
in Bega it is believed he contracted tuberculosis.
In 1904, the Bank moved him
to the Waverley Branch in Sydney, and he began to frequent the National Art
Gallery of NSW, admiring the work of Sir Arthur Streeton and other contemporary
Australian artists. He met Fred Leist, artist, who advised him to show some of
his watercolours to Julian Ashton, who was impressed. Jesse began to study at
Ashton's late afternoon classes, giving the name of "Joyce" for fear
that the Bank would disapprove of his artistic interests and in 1905 he signed
as "Anthony Hood" for the same reason. Fellow students included
Sydney Ure Smith and Harry Julius.
Late in 1906, Jesse became increasingly sick, and his chronic illness was finally confirmed as tuberculosis. The remainder of Jesse's life was a constant search for a dry, congenial climate.
In early 1907 the Bank gave him three months leave to seek a cure and he travelled to Stanthorpe in Queensland. After his medical leave Jesse was transferred to Wyalong, in the Central west of NSW where the climate was considered more suitable for his condition.
Later that year he sent 21 watercolours to an exhibition of the Society of
Artists, Sydney (SOA) where 19 were sold, albeit at relatively low prices but
they created a sensation in the arts world. Jesse's health did not improve, and
he kept moving around seeking an area where it might improve. He was however
able to do some painting and at the Spring Exhibition of the SOA his 14
watercolours were all sold.
Early in 1909 Jesse married Phyllis Medamore, a probationer nurse. He told
her frankly about the state of his health, but it was decided to take the risk.
Later that year the Bank of NSW accepted his resignation and paid him nine
months leaving salary. The Hilders firstly lived in Lawson in the Blue
Mountains but moved to Parramatta in September where their first son, Vernon,
was born.
The 1909 SOA exhibition
brought disappointment: only 5 paintings sold but a Sydney dealer Adolf
Albers took charge of his unsold paintings and by the end of the year sales
totalled £200.
In 1909 Dorothea MacKellar
wrote her famous poem "My Country" which was first published in 1911.
Jesse was commissioned to illustrate the poem as well as produce the hand
lettering when it was republished in 1915, probably his most famous illustrative
commission.
Early in 1910 the art dealer
Adolf Albers, became Jesse's agent and during the following 6 years Albers sold
273 of his paintings. Jesse's health improved and he was able to travel to
painting spots. The family fortunes improved once the National Art Gallery of
NSW bought "Dry Lagoon" for 50 guineas, the highest price achieved
during his lifetime.
The family moved to Ryde,
and then to "Inglewood" near Hornsby. Between increasing bouts of illness
Jesse continued to paint and made many sketching trips, to Valley Heights,
Berowra and Lake Macquarie and in 1915 to Dora Creek on the central coast area
of NSW.
Some of these images were
exhibited at Jesse's first and only one-man show at W.H Gill's Gallery in
Melbourne. Jesse exhibited 53 works in the April 1914 show. He travelled by
ship to Melbourne for the opening but became ill and was unable to sketch
whilst in Victoria.
His illness worsened and on
23rd March 1916 Jesse painted Dora Creek, his final work. He died at his
Hornsby home, aged 35, on 10th April 1916 and was buried at Rookwood the next
day. He was survived by Phyllis and his two sons, Vernon and Brett. His simple
stone slab in the Anglican area of the cemetery states
J J Hilder
Watercolourist
Born Toowoomba 1881
Died Hornsby 1916
The Sydney art community was
in shock after Hilder’s death, and in July 1916 a memorial exhibition of 205
loaned works was held at the SOA rooms in Sydney. A book serving as a catalogue
was sold with the profits going to Phyllis. The publication encouraged the
publication of the Art in Australia magazine later that year.
The publication of Hilder’s
work in that magazine encouraged other artists to follow his example by taking
up watercolour painting. This interest in watercolour saw the establishment of
the Australian Watercolour Institute in 1923. In 1966, Jesse’s son Brett
published The Heritage of J.J. Hilder, a work which addressed errors in the
first book and included a list of known artworks, including three hundred and
ninety-four watercolours, fourteen oils and six monotypes.
The best of Jesse’s
collection is held at the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney but none, I believe, are
currently on display. He is also represented at the Melbourne, Adelaide and other
galleries.
After Jesse’s death Phyllis
and her sons moved to Castlecrag, a suburb that was known for its homes
designed by Walter Burley Griffin and his wife, Marion. Vernon, the elder son, a
sculptor, was at one time a carpenter for Burley Griffin and the family became
immersed in life in the lower North Shore Sydney suburb. Brett became a ships
master with Burns Philp & Company, later a Senior Captain and during WW2
taught navigation to Australian air crews.
For this blog I have used a
number of references – ancestry.com, Australian Dictionary of Biography,
Wikipedia, Design and Art Australian online, various state art galleries and other Google
references.
Jesse Jewhurst Hilder’s art
career was short but fruitful. He created an interest in watercolour and paved
the way for other Australian artists to explore this genre.
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Until next week………….
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