The Artists’ Trail En Plein Air – In The Open The Artists’ Camp Moving On Artist Biographies Further Reading Contacting Council The City of Whitehorse Artists’ Trail celebrates a significant During the late nineteenth century, a small number of European Almost every Saturday, for some four years (1885–1888), a group of A country house at Eaglemont was an attractive alternative Auty, G. and P. Corbally Stourton, Galbally, A. and A. Gray (eds), Phone: 9262 6333 Tom Roberts John Llewelyn Jones: Australia’s Letters from Smike: The Letters Fax: 9262 6490 phase in the municipality’s artistic heritage. This brochure and master painters were teaching new painting techniques to young Melbourne artists raced to the Lilydale line to catch a steam train, to a tent at Box Hill, and by early 1889 the artists’ camp had Forgotten Painter (exh. cat.), Corbally of Arthur Streeton 1890–1943, 1856 Born Dorchester, England Email: [email protected] the interpretative panels located at various points along the trail artists in Melbourne. leaving behind the bustling metropolis for an idyllic weekend of been disbanded. Stourton Contemporary Art, Edgecliff, Oxford University Press, South 1869 Arrived in Melbourne New South Wales [1999]. Melbourne, 1989. NRS: 133 677 acknowledge the artists who painted regularly at the Box Hill camping and painting. (service for hearing impaired people) Tom Roberts (1856–1931) and became a member of the group, where the majority of the 9 by 5 1874 Enrolled at National Gallery City of Whitehorse, Heritage McCulloch, A., The Encyclopedia artists’ camp. Frederick McCubbin (1855–1917) following a chance encounter Alighting at Box Hill, now part of paintings were created. On the day Art School, Melbourne Telephone Interpreter Service: 131 450 Trails in the City of Whitehorse: of Australian Art, 3rd edn, rev. S. were students of the Swiss painter with McCubbin on the beach at the City of Whitehorse, the artists of the exhibition’s opening, James 1881-85 Lived in London and The Artists’ Trail begins in Main Street, near Box Hill Station, and finishes Frederick McCubbin Box Hill, Blackburn, Mont Albert/ McCulloch, Allen and Unwin, St at Blackburn Lake. The trail is best undertaken by car, although there are Louis Buvelot (1814–1888) at Beaumaris or Mentone. Charles tramped south for two kilometres Smith, an influential critic writing travelled to Europe Surrey Hills, Mitcham/Nunawading, Leonards, New South Wales, 1994. Acknowledgement of Country the Carlton School of Design in Conder (1868–1909) first stayed for the Argus newspaper, labelled 1885 Established Box Hill artists’ Vermont/Forest Hill and Surrounds, sections – Gardiners Creek and Blackburn Lake in particular – that are to their camp at the farm of local 1855 Born West Melbourne camp, with Frederick Burwood and Burwood East, City of Mackenzie, A., Frederick McCubbin In the spirit of reconciliation, Whitehorse City Council acknowledges the pleasant to walk. 1869. Roberts and McCubbin later at the artists’ camp in 1888, resident David Houston. the works ‘too ephemeral for 1872 Enrolled at National Gallery McCubbin and Whitehorse, Nunawading, 2001. 1855–1917: ‘The Proff’ and His Art, Wurundjeri people as the traditional custodians of the land. We pay our studied together at the National after meeting Roberts in Sydney. consideration’ but the public eagerly Art School, Melbourne You will notice that the landscape around Box Hill and Blackburn has Wasting no time, they secured Louis Abrahams Australian Art Manuscript Series, respects to their Elders past and present. Gallery Art School. Buvelot, who Among casual visitors to the camp snapped up the inexpensive art, and Clark, J. and B. Whitelaw, Golden Mannagum Press, Lilydale, Victoria, 1990. changed dramatically since the 1880s, when Tom Roberts and his their blank canvases against trees 1885 Established Box Hill artists’ c.1889–90 Painted with contemporaries had arrived in Australia in 1865, is were Jane Sutherland (1855– the paintings were all sold. Summers: Heidelberg and Beyond companions set up camp at Gardiners Creek. or on portable easels and set to camp with Tom Roberts at Eaglemont probably the unidentified painter 1928) and local artist Theo Brooke and Louis Abrahams (exh. cat.), National Gallery of Topliss, H., The Artists’ Camps: work making paintings that were During 1890, the artists who had 1889 Exhibited at the 9 by 5 Victoria, Melbourne, 1985. ‘Plein Air’ Painting in Australia, Hedley Sustainable and Proud of It Take care, whether following the trail by car or on foot, and remember remembered by McCubbin in an Hansen (1870–1945). 1889 Exhibited at the 9 by 5 rendered spontaneously, capturing been working at Eaglemont went Impression Exhibition Australia, Alphington, Victoria, 1992. to observe parking restrictions. The trail also takes you along a number unpublished memoir for having Impression Exhibition This publication is printed At the camp, the friends explored the changing effects of light on their own way. Sidney Dickinson, in 1903–19 Lived in London and Finlay, E. and M. Morgan, Prelude to of residential streets, so please respect the privacy of residents. taught him and his peers to ‘see 1893 Lived in Wolseley Heidelberg: The Artists’ Camp at Box on 100% recycled paper. the possibilities of painting en the landscape. travelled to Europe a review for the Australasian Critic, Crescent, Blackburn Hill, Victoria College Press, Burwood, the paintable qualities of that plein air, rendering nature quite 1921–23 Lived again in London Native trees and grasses thrived Frederick McCubbin dubbed them ‘the Heidelberg 1917 Died South Yarra Victoria, 1991. which lay immediately around us’. differently from the way in The property to which the artist and travelled to Italy Publication no. 270616158 on the banks of Gardiners Creek Bush Idyll School’ in 1891 – negating the Painting en plein air (in the open) which it had been represented friends relocated belonged to the 1931 Died Kallista (known at the time as Damper signed and dated 'F. McCubbin 1893' fact the artists had painted in the – rather than making paintings in by their predecessors. Instead of brother-in-law of the painter David Arthur Streeton Creek). The artists took full (lower right) Box Hill area for some four years the studio, working from sketches painting proud mansions sitting Davies (1864–1939) and was sited Theo Brooke Hansen advantage of their bushland oil on canvas and in the Heidelberg area for just 1867 Born Duneed, Victoria Acknowledgements or studies made out of doors – amid tamed landscapes, this new 47 x 87in. (119.5 x 221.5cm.) on Eaglemont’s Mount Eagle Estate, surroundings, painting the 18 months. The artists who first 1882 Enrolled at National Gallery 1870 Born Carlton was a novel way of capturing generation of artists captured Private collection. close to the township of Heidelberg. Inspiration for the Whitehorse Heritage Artists’ Trail was drawn from a appealing scenes available to them. camped at Box Hill in 1885, then Art School, Melbourne the landscape. The young Tom the bush in intimate studies. The ©2013 Christies Images Limited The undulating landscape of the 1888 Enrolled at National Gallery brochure written by the Box Hill Historical Society Inc. and published by Many of the compositions included briefly moved to Heidelberg and 1887–88 Painted at Box Hill Art School, Melbourne Roberts sought to discover ‘broken brushstrokes’, intense Eaglemont–Heidelberg area, and the artists’ camp the former City of Box Hill in 1987. Council updated the brochure in 1998. local settlers or itinerant workers beyond in the late 1880s, c. 1890 Painted at Box Hill plein-air painting for himself and colour and a generally lighter respected art teacher who was magnificent Yarra River, provided a clearing the land, farm animals are now referred to as the c.1889-90 Lived at Eaglemont and Blackburn Biography image credits. travelled throughout Britain, palette in these works reflected also a fine tenor. Streeton was host of new creative opportunities and rudimentary settler huts, or Australian Impressionists. 1889 Exhibited at the 9 by 5 1893–97 Lived in Paris Frederick McCubbin image courtesy National Library of Australia, Canberra Spain, Italy and France between the practices associated with renamed ‘Smike’ at the camp and and challenges. Impression Exhibition children on their way to school. Even though much of the native and London Jane Sutherland image courtesy State Library of Victoria 1881 and 1885. After returning French Impressionism. Abrahams became known as ‘the The year 1889 was a climactic one 1897–1919 Lived in London, travelling bush has long since vanished 1898–1945 Lived in Surrey Hills home, Roberts was brimming with At the end of a busy day’s Don’. These nicknames were never for the artist friends. Tom Roberts to Egypt, Italy and France A portion of the uncredited images in this brochure were sourced Bestowing a distinctly Australian from Box Hill and Blackburn, there 1945 Died Surrey Hills enthusiasm for what he had seen. painting, the artists would return forgotten and for years were used organised an exhibition of their with trips home 1906–07 from the State Library of Victoria, private collections, Council's art flavour on their work, the artists are still pockets of native foliage and 1913–14 to their camp, on the rise above affectionately among the friends, work – the 9 by 5 Impression collection and local historical societies in Whitehorse. For more information During the week, Roberts worked took popular local narratives such that enable us to envisage the the creek, and would boil a especially when they reminisced Exhibition – at Buxton’s Gallery 1943 Died Olinda about artworks by Australian Impressionists in the City of Whitehorse Art for Barrie and Brown Photographers, as ‘the prospector down on his area as it was during the years billy for tea and cook local farm about their camp at Box Hill, and in Swanston Street, Melbourne.