Frederick William Leist (21 August 1873,
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
– 18 February 1945,
Mosman
Mosman is a suburb on the Lower North Shore region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mosman is located 8 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local governm ...
) was an Australian artist. During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he was an official war artist with Australian forces in Europe.
[Rutledge, Martha. (1986)]
"Leist, Frederick William (Fred) (1873–1945),"
''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' Online.
Biography
His father, Edward, was a builder; originally from London. He began as a furniture designer for
David Jones Limited
David Jones Pty Limited, trading as David Jones (colloquially DJs), is an Australian High-End department store, owned since 2014 by South African retail group Woolworths Holdings Limited.
David Jones was founded in 1838 by David Jones, a Welsh ...
, but decided on a career in art: studying at
Sydney Technical College
The Sydney Technical College, now known as the TAFE New South Wales Sydney Institute, is a technical school established in 1878, that superseded the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts. The college is one of Australia's oldest technical education i ...
before entering the
Julian Ashton Art School
The Julian Ashton Art School was established by Julian Ashton in 1890 as the "Academy Julian", (perhaps a reference to the Académie Julian in Paris) has been an influential art school in Australia. For a long time it was known as the Sydney Art ...
, where he studied directly under
Julian Ashton
Julian Rossi Ashton (27 January 185127 April 1942) was an English-born Australian artist and teacher. He is best known for founding the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney and encouraging Australian painters to capture local life and scenery '' ...
,
[Reid, John B. (1977). ''Australian Artists at War,'' Vol. 1, pp. 14–15.] from whom he learned ''
plein air
''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or ''plein air'' painting, is the act of painting outdoors.
This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting ...
'' techniques.
In the 1890s, he began working as a
black-and-white
Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey.
Media
The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
artist for ''
The Bulletin'' and became staff artist for ''
The Sydney Mail
''The Sydney Mail'' was an Australian magazine published weekly in Sydney. It was the weekly edition of ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' newspaper and ran from 1860 to 1938.
History
''The Sydney Mail'' was first published on 17 July 1860 by Joh ...
''. After 1900, he was also the Sydney representative for ''
The Graphic
''The Graphic'' was a British weekly illustrated newspaper, first published on 4 December 1869 by William Luson Thomas's company Illustrated Newspapers Ltd. Thomas's brother Lewis Samuel Thomas was a co-founder. The premature death of the latt ...
'' magazine of London.
Leist's illustrations also were included in books such as the 1902 ''Commonwealth Annual''. He was one of the original members of the
Society of Artists.
In 1907, he and his wife Ada went to London, so he could work directly with ''The Graphic'', but was too overwhelmed with work to paint, so he quit. Three years later, he began exhibiting with the
Royal Academy of Arts
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...
. At the start of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he obtained a job designing posters for the
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...
. In 1917, Leist was appointed as an official war artist to serve with the
Australian Imperial Force in France.
Leist completed over 150 paintings and sketches during the war and, after his war service, contributed two large
mural
A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...
s for the Australian Exhibition at the
British Empire Exhibition
The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley Park, London England from 23 April to 1 November 1924 and from 9 May to 31 October 1925.
Background
In 1920 the British Government decided to site the British Empire Exhibit ...
held at
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
in 1924.
That same year, he was elected a member of the
Royal Institute of Oil Painters
The Royal Institute of Oil Painters, also known as ROI, is an association of painters in London, England, and is the only major art society which features work done only in oil. It is a member society of the Federation of British Artists.
Histor ...
. As a result of these works, Leist's popularity increased and he gained several commissions from the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
; producing similar murals in
St. Augustine
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afri ...
and
Tampa
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...
. He also toured the American Southwest, visiting Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.
Returning to Australia in 1926, Leist took up a position as the Head of Painting at the
East Sydney Technical College
The National Art School (NAS) is a tertiary level art school, located in , an inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The school is an independent accredited higher education provider offering specialised study in studio arts p ...
.
He exhibited widely and was a member of numerous art associations, and n 1937 became a foundation member of, and exhibited with,
Robert Menzies
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...
' anti-modernist organisation, the
Australian Academy of Art
The Australian Academy of Art was a conservative Australian government-authorised art organisation which operated for ten years between 1937 and 1946 and staged annual exhibitions. Its demise resulted from opposition by Modernist artists, especiall ...
.
Leist died at Mosman, outside Sydney, in February 1945, of a
cerebral thrombosis
A thrombus (plural thrombi), colloquially called a blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. There are two components to a thrombus: aggregated platelets and red blood cells that form a plug, and a mesh of c ...
. He was survived by his wife Ada and a married daughter.
Leist is represented in the
Art Gallery of New South Wales
The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most importa ...
with ten works as well a representations in several private collections. Many of his paintings as a war artist are in the collection of the
Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia and some conflicts involving pe ...
in
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
. Some of his portraits are in
Parliament House, Canberra
Parliament House, also referred to as Capital Hill or simply Parliament, is the meeting place of the Parliament of Australia, and the seat of the legislative branch of the Australian Government. Located in Canberra, the Parliament building is ...
.
Gallery
File:Leist-Shoemaker.jpg, The Shoemaker
Image:The taking of Lone Pine (Fred Leist).jpg, ''The Taking of Lone Pine,'' 1921. Attack of the Australian 1st Brigade
1st Brigade is a combined arms formation of the Australian Army. Formed in 1903 as a militia formation based in New South Wales, it was reconstituted as part of the Australian Imperial Force in 1914 for service during World War I, the brigade f ...
during the Battle of Lone Pine
The Battle of Lone Pine (also known as the Battle of Kanlı Sırt) was fought between Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and Ottoman Empire forces during the Gallipoli Campaign of the First World War, between 6 and 10 August 1915. The ...
, 6 August 1915
File:Mouquet Farm Pozieres.jpg, Mouquet farm, Pozières, by Fred Leist
File:Leist-Guitar.jpg, The Guitar Player
File:Earle Page, 1940-1941 (Fred Leist).png, Portrait of Earle Page
Sir Earle Christmas Grafton Page (8 August 188020 December 1961) was an Australian surgeon and politician who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Australia, holding office for 19 days after the death of Joseph Lyons in 1939. He was the leade ...
File:Leist-Dip.jpg, The Morning Dip
See also
*
Australian official war artists
Australian official war artists are those who have been expressly employed by either the Australian War Memorial (AWM) or the Army Military History Section (or its antecedents). These artist soldiers depicted some aspect of war through art; this ...
*
War artist
*
1916 Pioneer Exhibition Game
On Saturday 28 October 1916, the former Olympic champion swimmer and the later Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Lieutenant Frank Beaurepaire, organised an Australian Rules football match in aid of the British and the French Red Cross.
Promoted as the ...
References
Further reading
*
OCLC 4035199*
External links
More works by Leist@ ArtNet
Lieutenant Fred Leist, ''Australian War Memorial''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leist, Fred
1878 births
1945 deaths
20th-century Australian painters
20th-century Australian male artists
Australian war artists
Julian Ashton Art School alumni
Australian male painters