- Julian Ashton
Julian Rossi Ashton (27 January 1851 – 27 April 1942) was an
Australia n artist and teacher, known for his support of theHeidelberg School and for his influential art school inSydney .Ashton was born in
Addlestone ,Surrey ,England and arrived in Australia in 1878 with a background in the contemporary French realism of theBarbizon School , which emphasised painting "en plein air " (i.e. direct from nature, as opposed to studio-based painting), and which laid the basis for theImpressionist movement. As a trustee of theArt Gallery of New South Wales he championed emerging Australian artists of the Australian Impressionist or Heidelberg School, and the Gallery's decision to collect these works owes much to his influence.According to
James Gleeson , Ashton's oil paintings, much-admired in his own lifetime, "now seem to be so mannered and limited that is is difficult to understand the enthusiasm they once aroused," and his reputation as an artist rests instead on a number of "charming and unaffected" watercolours.Julian Ashton Art School
The Sydney Art School (today the Julian Ashton Art School), which Ashton established in 1890, has been one of the most influential in Australia.
Julian Ashton students have included Elioth Gruner, George Lambert,
Thea Proctor , Adrian Feint,Sydney Long , Howard Ashton (Julian's son),Dorrit Black ,J J Hilder ,William Dobell , Eric Wilson,Jean Bellette , Douglas Dundas, Arthur Freeman, William Dadswell,John Passmore , Joshua Smith,Max Dupain , John Olsen,Michael Johnston ,Brett Whiteley ,Nigel Thomson andSalvatore Zofrea .Howard Ashton's son, J. Richard Ashton, and his wife Wenda ran the School from 1960, when, among many gifted artists,
Ian Chapman andArchibald Prize winnerFrancis Giacco attended, until 1977 when Phillip Ashton (Richard's son) became Principal, this being the time ofHaydn Wilson , political cartoonistBill Leak and artistPaul Newton .In 1998 the school was incorporated and Paul Ashton Delprat, Julian Ashton's great-grandson, himself an ex-student took over the running of the school, becoming the current Principal. In 1989 the school's antique casts and easels, which date back to 1890, were classified by the
National Trust . The school's main campus is inThe Rocks , Sydney, located opposite heMuseum of Contemporary Art .The School currently offers: The Sir William Dobell, Brett Whiteley, John Olsen, Thea Proctor, Portrait Artists Australia, Sydney Mechanic's School of Arts and The Art Express scholarships to encourage fine drawing and painting. Samuel Wade, a Brett Whiteley Scholarship winner at the school, went on to win the
Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship at theArt Gallery of New South Wales .ee also
Art of Australia References
*Dictionary of Australian Biography|First=Julian Rossi|Last=Ashton|Link=http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/0-dict-biogA.html#ashton2
External links
* [http://www.julianashtonartschool.com.au/ Website for Julian Ashton Art School]
* [http://www.australianart.com.au/artists.php?ID=88 Julian Ashton at Australian Art]
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