James Ashton (4 April 1859 – 2 August 1935) was an artist and arts educator in South Australia.

Early life

Ashton was born on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

, grew up in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

and was educated at the Blue Coat School, London. After being apprenticed to a pharmacist, he studied art at the

South Kensington School of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...

, London and at Paris. He married Mary Elizabeth Rawlings Turnbull on 27 December 1880.

Career

Ashton emigrated to

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, arriving 11 January 1884 deciding to become a professional artist. He established the Norwood art school in 1886. He visited England in 1894, studied under

Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi- abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. As well as sculpture, Moore produced ...

, R.A. for three months, and was elected a member of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

. Returning to Adelaide in 1895 he founded the Academy of Arts in Victoria Buildings, Victoria Square, and for over 30 years was the best known teacher of painting in South Australia. Among his pupils were

Ivor Hele Sir Ivor Henry Thomas Hele, CBE (13 June 1912 – 1 December 1993) was an Australian artist noted for portraiture. He was Australia's longest serving war artist and completed more commissioned works than any other in the history of Austra ...

Hans Heysen Sir Hans Heysen (8 October 18772 July 1968) was a German-born Australian artist. He became a household name for his watercolours of monumental Australian gum trees. He is one of Australia's best known landscape painters. Heysen also produced ...

Hayley Lever Richard Hayley Lever (28 September 1876 – 6 December 1958) was an Australian-American painter, etcher, lecturer and art teacher. His work was part of the art competitions at the 1928 Summer Olympics and the 1932 Summer Olympics. Life and wor ...

, Frank White,

Arthur Baker-Clack Arthur Baker–Clack was an Australian-born painter in the impressionist school. He was at the art colony at Étaples, Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France from 1910, and continued to live in the region during World War I and after. Caree ...

, his son

Will Ashton Sir John William Ashton, OBE, ROI (20 September 1881 – 1 September 1963) was a prolific Australian Impressionist artist and director of the National Art Gallery of New South Wales from 1937 to 1943. Early life Ashton was born in Clifton, ...

, and others who have since done distinguished work. He was an art teacher at

Prince Alfred College , motto_translation = Do Brave Deeds and Endure , established = 1869 , type = Independent, single-sex, day & boarding , headmaster = David Roberts , chaplain = Reverend ...

for nearly 40 years, and donated his art collection and library to the school.Allan Sierp
"Ashton, James (1859–1935)"
''

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

'', Volume 7, Melbourne University Press, 1979, pp 109–110. He was president of the

South Australian Society of Arts The South Australian Society of Arts was a society for artists in South Australia, later with a royal warrant renamed The Royal South Australian Society of Arts in 1935. History A meeting of persons interested in the formation of a society for the ...

for four years and a founding member and longtime president of the Adelaide Easel Club.

Personal life

He died at Adelaide on 2 August 1935 of intestinal obstruction due to hernia. He was survived by his wife and a son and a daughter. His son, Sir John William Ashton, became a well-known artist and was appointed director of the

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney 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 import ...

in 1936.

Works

Ashton is represented by five pictures in the

Art Gallery of South Australia The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), established as the National Gallery of South Australia in 1881, is located in Adelaide. It is the most significant visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of ...

, of which ''The Moon Enchanted Sea'' is the best known. Paintings by him are also in the

Broken Hill Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

, and other galleries. Works held by the Art Gallery of South Australia are:
''Where reeds and rushes grow'' c.1899''Sunset on the gulf'' 1900''The moon enchanted sea'' 1910''Sand dunes'' c.1916

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashton, James 1859 births 1935 deaths Alumni of the Royal College of Art English emigrants to colonial Australia 19th-century Australian painters 19th-century Australian male artists 20th-century Australian painters 20th-century Australian male artists Australian male painters