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John Mather (1848 – 18 February 1916) was a Scottish-Australian
Mather, John (1848? - 1916)
, '' Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 10, MUP, 1986, pp 438-439. Retrieved 2010-04-01
Written just thirteen years after his death, "The war claimed his only son and his daughter who was well known in Melbourne music circles, lives now in the United States. It is as if "the place thereof knoweth him no more " But how can an artist ever be forgotten as long as human eyes are irresistibly drawn to the quiet beauty of his pictures on the wall?"
Catalogue of Exhibition of Australian Landscapes by John MatherFriends of Cheltenham and Regional Cemeteries Inc.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mather, John Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia 1848 births 1916 deaths 19th-century Australian painters 19th-century Australian male artists 20th-century Australian painters 20th-century Australian male artists Australian male painters People from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire 19th-century Scottish male artists 19th-century Scottish painters Artists from Melbourne
John Mather (1848 – 18 February 1916) was a Scottish-Australian 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 ...
painter and etcher.Judy Blyth,Mather, John (1848? - 1916)
, '' Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 10, MUP, 1986, pp 438-439. Retrieved 2010-04-01
Early life
Mather was born inHamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton ( sco, Hamiltoun; gd, Baile Hamaltan ) is a large town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It sits south-east of Glasgow, south-west of Edinburgh and no ...
, Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
, son of John Mather, a surveyor, and his wife Margaret, ''née'' Allan. Mather worked as a house decorator.
Mather studied art at the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts
The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts (RGI) is an independent organisation in Glasgow, founded in 1861, which promotes contemporary art and artists in Scotland. The institute organizes the largest and most prestigious annual art exhibitio ...
and migrated to Australia in 1878. He was married in 1882 to Miss Jessie Pines Best, a daughter of Captain James Best, a pilot of Hobson's Bay. Together they had one daughter and three sons, Margaret Playfair, John Allan, Louis Melville (died in infancy), and Leslie Frank Strand (died in 1919).
Career
In 1880, Mather was partly responsible for the decoration of the dome of theRoyal Exhibition Building
The Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage-listed building in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, built in 1879–1880 as part of the international exhibition movement, which presented over 50 exhibitions between 1851 and 1915 around the glo ...
, Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. He was appointed to the board of trustees of the Public Library, Museums and National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum.
The NGV houses an encyclopedic art collection across two ...
in 1892. and was a founding member of the Victorian Artists' Society
The Victorian Artists Society, which can trace its establishment to 1856 in Melbourne, promotes artistic education, art classes and gallery hire exhibition in Australia. It was formed in March 1888 when the Victorian Academy of Arts (previously V ...
, president in 1893–1900, 1906–1908 and 1911. Mather was a member of the Felton Bequest
Alfred Felton (8 November 1831 – 8 January 1904) was an Australian entrepreneur, art collector and philanthropist.
Biography
Alfred Felton was born at Maldon, Essex, England, the fifth child of six sons and three daughters of William Felton, ...
Committee from 1905–1916 and as trustee, strongly supported Australian art.
As a painter, Mather was also involved in the bohemian Artists' Camps of Sydney. In 1912 along with Frederick McCubbin
Frederick McCubbin (25 February 1855 – 20 December 1917) was an Australian artist, art teacher and prominent member of the Heidelberg School art movement, also known as Australian impressionism.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria, McCubb ...
, Max Meldrum
Duncan Max Meldrum (3 December 1875 – 6 June 1955) was a Scottish-born Australian artist and art teacher, best known as the founder of Australian tonalism, a representational painting style that became popular in Melbourne during the interwa ...
, Walter Withers
Walter Herbert Withers (22 October 1854 – 13 October 1914) was an English-born Australian landscape artist and a member of the Heidelberg School of Australian impressionists.
Biography
Withers was born at Handsworth, Staffordshire, the so ...
Mather formed the breakaway Australian Art Association.
Three of Mather's own paintings, ''Autumn in the Fitzroy Gardens'' in oils, and ''Morning, Lake Omeo'' and ''Wintry Weather, Yarra Glen'', both watercolours, were purchased by the National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum.
The NGV houses an encyclopedic art collection across two ...
.
Death
Mather died ofdiabetes
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...
at his home, ''Cadzow'', South Yarra, Victoria
South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the Cities of City of Melbourne, Melbourne and City of Sto ...
on 18 February 1916; he was buried in the Cheltenham Pioneer Cemeteryand now lies in a grave with no memorial.
Written just thirteen years after his death, "The war claimed his only son and his daughter who was well known in Melbourne music circles, lives now in the United States. It is as if "the place thereof knoweth him no more " But how can an artist ever be forgotten as long as human eyes are irresistibly drawn to the quiet beauty of his pictures on the wall?"References
External links
Catalogue of Exhibition of Australian Landscapes by John Mather
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mather, John Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia 1848 births 1916 deaths 19th-century Australian painters 19th-century Australian male artists 20th-century Australian painters 20th-century Australian male artists Australian male painters People from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire 19th-century Scottish male artists 19th-century Scottish painters Artists from Melbourne