Ernest Buckmaster

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Ernest Buckmaster
Born3 July 1897
Hawthorn, Melbourne
Died18 October 1968
Warrandyte, Melbourne (71 years)
Resting placeLilydale, cemetery
NationalityAustralian
StyleRealist
Spouse(s)Dorothy Laura Cook (1936–38);
Florence Botting (1939–68)
AwardsThe Archibald Prize (1932);
the National Gallery of Victoria award (1941);
the Albury prize (1950, 1963)
Patron(s)Cyril Steele

Ernest William Buckmaster (1897–1968) was an Australian artist born in Victoria. He won the Archibald Prize in 1932 with a portrait of Sir William Irvine. He also served as an Australian war artist during World War II.

Although an accomplished painter of portraits and still life subjects, he is best known for his landscapes; a follower of the Heidelberg School.[1] Those he generally painted en plein air rather than from photographs.

Early life[edit]

Buckmaster was born in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn on 3 July 1897.[2] He was the first son of five boys and three girls of Harry Amos Buckmaster (d. 26 June 1938),[3] straw-hat manufacturer, and his wife Letitia Martha née Chandler (c. 1873–19 October 1953).[4][1][5][6] He attended a state primary school at Box Hill where he showed drawing skills at an early age.

His life was challenged on enough occasions, having nearly drowned as a child, attacked by a cow, chased by a bull, almost fell from a roof, and motor vehicle incidents.[1]

Leaving school at 14 he first started employment as a messenger boy.[1] Buckmaster was apprenticed to a signwriter in 1913. His poor physique made him unsuitable for service in World War I. His employer, an amateur painter, suggested he undertake art training.[4]

Career[edit]

"Rhododendrons", 1930, by Ernest Buckmaster. (New England Regional Art Museum)
Still life, 1945, by E. Buckmaster. (New England Regional Art Museum)
"Evening, Olinda", 1939, by E. Buckmaster. (New England Regional Art Museum)

Buckmaster studied at the National Gallery School in Melbourne from 1918 to 1924. There his teachers included Lindsay Bernard Hall and W. B. McInnes.[7] He emerged as an accomplished painter of traditional portraits, still lifes and landscapes with a substantial work-rate and output. Large commissioned oil paintings work took longer; although known as a rapid painter,[7] for sittings, for a head, two hours to two weeks, a three-quarter portrait on average, 15 to 20 hours.[8]

His first solo exhibition took place at the Athenaeum Gallery in Melbourne in February 1926.[9] His financial position was such that he had to ask the framer to prepare them for hanging on credit. The paintings sold well, with one bought by the director of the National Gallery of Victoria for its collection.[10]

His work is popular in Australia and New Zealand where public art galleries and private collectors hold examples of his paintings. Buckmaster disliked modern art, criticising it in his book and in letters to newspapers,[11] saying 'This kind of art must not be seen, it seems, in case young students are tempted to try it themselves'.[12] A member of the Victorian Artists Society, he sold nineteen paintings exhibited with them between 1919 and 1924. He continued to be associated with the VAS as a councillor (1929–30) and exhibitor (till 1943); Buckmaster resigned at one stage from VAS, a difference of judgements and values of art juries.[1] In 1930 he left Australia on a year-long study tour to Europe.[13][1] He visited Europe again in 1938.[7]

His portrait of the lieutenant-governor of Victoria, Sir William Irvine, won the Archibald Prize for 1932.[14] The prize was worth £528 (equivalent to A$57,770 in 2022).[15] His Archibald prize-winning portrait took fourteen sittings with the subject before it was finished, about 15 hours.[8] Buckmaster had been a competitor for the Prize several times previous,[14] including a self-portrait submitted for 1927.[16]

The following year he held solo exhibits in Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide. He was a foundation member of the Australian Academy of Art. In 1936 he was commissioned to paint a portrait of Sir James Mitchell,[17][18] the lieutenant-governor of Western Australia and his portrait of Miss Jessica Harcourt, known as "Australia's loveliest girl" was a finalist in the 1936 Archibald Prize.[19]

Standing 5 ft 8.5 in (1.74 m) height and 10 stone 1 pound (64 kg) weight and now living at Bailey Road, Mount Evelyn with his second wife and three young children,[20] Buckmaster became a Second World War official war artist for the Australian military's Military History Section.[21] This took him directly to Singapore to paint the Japanese surrender.[22][20] Fourteen days saw fourteen 34 by 24 inches (860 mm × 610 mm) canvases.[1] These paintings are held by the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.

Buckmaster made two extended trips to New Zealand in the 1940s and 1950s at the invitation of Henry Kelliher, Managing Director of Dominion Breweries in Auckland, who had seen Buckmaster's 1944 exhibition at the David Jones Gallery, Sydney. On the latter visit he wrote that he had driven 6,000 miles (9,700 km) throughout the country to paint landscapes.

Later life[edit]

Aged 38, Buckmaster married Dorothy Laura Cook on Wednesday 12 February 1936 at the chapel of the Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne.[23] Now living at Riddell Parade, Elsternwick, Melbourne, after two years, Buckmaster was divorced by his wife on Monday 14 November 1938 on the grounds of repeated acts of misconduct.[24] They had no children. He then married Florence Botting in Melbourne in February 1939.[citation needed]

He died on Friday 18 October 1968 at his home at Warrandyte.[12] He was survived by his wife Florence and their five children. His grave is in the Lilydale cemetery.[12]

Recognition and legacies[edit]

Ernest Buckmaster showing students how to paint c. 1950. One of the students is James Mollison (State Library of Victoria)

Buckmaster's self-portrait, which was a finalist in the 1936 Archibald Prize,[19] is in the Art Gallery of New South Wales. As well as the 1932 Archibald Prize he received the 1941 National Gallery of Victoria Award, and twice won the Albury Art Prize (in 1950 and 1963).[12]

His portraits included etcher John Shirlow (1869–1936), in oil.[25]

Buckmaster's autobiography So far: The art of Ernest Buckmaster was published in 1951.[1]

Some of Buckmaster's work is on extended loan from his family to the 1883 Hotel Windsor in Melbourne.[26]

One of his paintings sold for A$27,025 in 2003.[27] The average price of 1,185 of his paintings recently sold at auction prior to May 2021 was A$5,147.[28]

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

  • Archibald Prize winners
  • Self Portrait of Ernest Buckmaster, finalist in 1936 Archibald Prize
  • Ernest Buckmaster interviewed by Hazel de Berg, 1965 (sound recording in 2 parts) available online
  • Ernest Buckmaster (1951), The art of Ernest Buckmaster, Melbourne, Lothian
  • Barry Ellam & Norman Buckmaster (1993), Art by Ernest Buckmaster, Box Hill, Melbourne, Evelyn Fine Arts. ISBN 0646150944
Awards
Preceded by Archibald Prize
1932
for Sir William Irvine 		Succeeded by

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "In the World of Art". The Age. No. 30262. Victoria, Australia. 26 April 1952. p. 10. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ "Japanese civil internment camp at Jurong, Singapore". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Family notices". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 28, 659. Victoria, Australia. 30 June 1938. p. 8. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ a b McGrath, Joyce, "Buckmaster, Ernest (1897–1968)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 27 March 2022
  5. ^ "Family notices". The Age. No. 30725. Victoria, Australia. 21 October 1953. p. 13. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Family notices". The Age. No. 20, 745. Victoria, Australia. 24 September 1921. p. 5. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ a b c McCulloch, Alan; Nodrum, Charles (1984). Encyclopedia of Australian art. Hawthorn, Vic: Hutchinson of Australia. pp. 158–159. ISBN 978-0-09-148240-4.
  8. ^ a b "To paint portraits". The West Australian. Vol. 52, no. 15, 626. Western Australia. 25 July 1936. p. 18. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "Art notes". The Age. No. 22, 111. Victoria, Australia. 15 February 1926. p. 11. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Cream and silver (c. 1926) Ernest BUCKMASTER". National Gallery of Victoria. The State of Victoria. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Advertising". Western Mail. Vol. XLVI, no. 2, 364. Western Australia. 4 June 1931. p. 7. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ a b c d "Ernest Buckmaster buried privately". The Canberra Times. Vol. 43, no. 12, 139. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 24 October 1968. p. 3. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ "City man to pay for artist's tour". The Herald. No. 16, 688. Victoria, Australia. 10 November 1930. p. 5. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ a b "Archibald Art Prize". The Herald. No. 17, 369. Victoria, Australia. 13 January 1933. p. 1. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ "Buckmaster work wins Archibald Prize". News. Vol. XX, no. 2, 966. South Australia. 19 January 1933. p. 8. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ "The Archibald Prize: Portraits for the Year 1927". Sydney Mail. Vol. XXXII, no. 826. New South Wales, Australia. 25 January 1928. p. 10. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ "Prominent people". The West Australian. Vol. 52, no. 15, 661. Western Australia. 4 September 1936. p. 28. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ "W. Australia's Lieut.-Governor can go to sleep without effort". Smith's Weekly. Vol. XVIII, no. 36. New South Wales, Australia. 7 November 1936. p. 9. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ a b "Archibald Prize finalists 1936 : Art Gallery NSW". www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  20. ^ a b "Record search: Buckmaster, Ernest, War Correspondent, 225 [contains 2 photos]". National Archives of Australia. Melbourne, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia. 23 August 1945. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  21. ^ "Australian official war artists [Australian War Memorial]". www.awm.gov.au. Archived from the original on 3 November 2002.
  22. ^ "Art Gallery No.2". www.diggerhistory2.info. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  23. ^ "Melbourne artist wed today". The Herald. No. 18, 329. Victoria, Australia. 12 February 1936. p. 3. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  24. ^ "Artist divorced". The Sun News-pictorial. No. 5039. Victoria, Australia. 15 November 1938. p. 17. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  25. ^ "Pictures of the Week". The Australasian. Vol. CXXIX, no. 4, 263. Victoria, Australia. 20 September 1930. p. 17 (Metropolitan edition). Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  26. ^ "Ernest Buckmaster at The Hotel Windsor". Melbourne, Victoria: Evelyn Fine Arts Pty Ltd. 1993. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Ernest William BUCKMASTER (1897–1968): Morning along the Goulburn Thornton towards Eildon, Victoria". Live auction 1038 Australian, international and contemporary paintings. Christie's. 7 May 2003. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Australian Art Auction Records". artrecord.com. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
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