Tom Roberts
(England, Australia 08 Mar 1856–14 Sep 1931)
- Title
- Louis Buvelot
- Year
- 1886
- Media category
- Drawing
- Materials used
- pen and black ink on paper
- Dimensions
-
28.1 x 22.2cm sheet
- Signature & date
- Signed and dated l.l. [diagonal], pencil "Tom Roberts/ 86".
- Credit
- Gift of Miss Helen Lempriere 1960
- Accession number
- DA1.1960
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
One of the most celebrated artists of his generation, Tom Roberts was responsible for a number of memorable masterpieces of Australian art of the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. Among his best known works in the Gallery's collection are 'Holiday sketch at Coogee' 1888, 'An autumn morning, Milson's Point, Sydney' 1888, his portrait of Arthur Streeton – 'Smike Streeton at 24' 1891, 'The golden fleece' 1894, and 'Bailed up' 1895/1927. There is an etching of Buvelot by Roberts in the collection, showing Buvelot in a similar pose to this drawing. Buvelot, who was greatly admired by Roberts and his friends, influenced a younger generation of Australian landscape painters through the example of his work. A number of them, including Frederick McCubbin, John Ford Paterson and John Mather, accompanied Buvelot on his sketching tours of Victoria, when they drew and painted en plein air. Buvelot reminded Julian Ashton of 'Jean-Françios Millet as I saw him walking along with a large sketchbook under his arm' (Julian Ashton, 'Now came still evening on', Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1941, pg. 98), thereby evoking the Barbizon school of painters, with whose work Buvelot has often been linked.
Helen Lempriere (1907-91), who gave this drawing to the Gallery, was a painter and great grand-daughter of the colonial artist T J Lempriere (1796-1852) and Dora née Mitchell, sister of the internationally famous Australian opera singer Dame Nellie Melba.
excerpt from Hendrik Kolenberg, Anne Ryan and Patricia James, '19th century Australian watercolours, drawings & pastels in the Gallery's collection', Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2005
- Bibliography (20)
-
Rodney James (Author), Louis Buvelot on the Mornington Pennsula, Mornington, 2010, opposite pg. 1 (colour illus.).
John McDonald (Australia, b.1961) (Author), Art of Australia. Vol. 1: Exploration to Federation, Sydney, 2008, 349 (colour illus.).
'Australian images from the past: whether rarely seen or familiar, these works move and delight us' by Hendrik Kolenberg, pg. 24-27., Look Apr 2005, Apr 2005, 25 (colour illus.).
Hendrik Kolenberg (Netherlands; Australia) (Author), Anne Ryan (Australia) (Author), Patricia James (Author), 19th century Australian watercolours, drawing and pastels from the Gallery's collection, Domain, 2005, 10, 74, 75 (colour illus.).
Bodyline: 100 years of Australian drawing - Education kit 2001, 2001, (illus.). not paginated
Bruce James (Australia) (Author), Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940) (Director), Art Gallery of New South Wales handbook, Domain, 1999, 186 (colour illus.).
Okko Boer (Author), Masters of the Heidelberg School, Leichhardt, 1998, 8 (illus.). illus.no. 5
Hendrik Kolenberg (Netherlands; Australia) (Author), Australian drawings from the Gallery's collection, Domain, 1997, 12, 25 (illus.). cat.no. 9
Fifth international art fair: works on paper, Sydney, 1995, (illus.). AGNSW Stand no. 20
Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Swiss artists in Australia 1777-1991, Domain, 1991, 2 (illus.), 37 (illus.).
Hendrik Kolenberg (Netherlands; Australia) (Author), The portrait and the nude: Australian drawings from the collection, Sydney, 1990, (illus.). cat.no. 65
Andrew Sayers (Australia, b.1957) (Author), 100 years of Australian drawing, Sydney, 1985, 41 (illus.). cat.no. 18
Helen Topliss (Australia) (Author), Tom Roberts 1856-1931: a catalogue raisonné. Volume 1 - Text, Melbourne, 1985, 96. cat.no. 77; plate no. 29
Jane Clark (Australia) (Author), Bridget Whitelaw (Author), Golden summers: Heidelberg and beyond, Melbourne, 1985, 14 (illus.).
Images in opposition: Australian landscape painting 1801-1890 1985, 1985, 15 (illus.).
Félix Ansermoz-Dubois (Switzerland) (Author), Violette Ansermoz-Dubois (Switzerland) (Author), Jocelyn Gray (Author), Louis Buvelot, 1814-1888: Morges, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, la Chaux-de-Fonds, Melbourne, Lausanne, 1985?.
'Tom Roberts' by Daniel Thomas, pg. 466-487., Art Gallery of New South Wales Quarterly (Vol. 10, No. 4) Jul 1969, Jul 1969, 466, 467 (illus.).
'Acquisitions for 1960', pg. 58-67., Art Gallery of New South Wales Quarterly Apr 1961, Apr 1961, 64 (illus.).
William Moore (Australia, b.1868, d.1937) (Author), The story of Australian art from the earliest known art of the continent to the art of today (Vol. 1), Sydney, 1934, opposite pg. 82 (illus.).
Athenaeum Gallery (Australia, estab. 1839, closed 1977) (Author), Exhibition of paintings by Tom Roberts, Melbourne, 1920. cat.no. 68
- Exhibition history (8)
-
Exhibition of paintings by Tom Roberts (1920), Athenaeum Gallery, 30 Mar 1920–17 Apr 1920.
Purchases and Acquisitions for 1960, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 22 Mar 1961–23 Apr 1961.
Some Australian drawings 1880-1980, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 16 May 1981–18 Jun 1981.
The portrait and the nude: Australian drawings from the collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 18 Aug 1990–28 Oct 1990.
International Works on Paper Fair Sydney 1995, Mitchell Library, 14 Jul 1995–16 Jul 1995.
Australian drawings from the Gallery's collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 13 Dec 1997–15 Mar 1998.
Australian icons: twenty artists from the collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 04 Aug 2000–03 Dec 2000.
Bodyline, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre, 03 Feb 2001–08 Apr 2001.
