Eugene Charles Fr. Guerard Paintings

Eugene von Guérard was an Austrian-born artist who became one of the most prominent landscape painters in Australia during the 19th century. Born on November 17, 1811, in Vienna, Austria, he was the son of a painter at the court of Francis I of Austria. Guérard's early life was influenced by the artistic environment of his father, and he was exposed to the arts from a young age.

In 1826, Guérard enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna where he received a traditional education in the arts. Seeking to further his artistic development, he traveled extensively throughout Italy, studying the work of the masters and immersing himself in the Italian landscape. He particularly spent time in Rome, which was a magnet for artists at that time, and his work during this period showed a strong influence of Italian scenery and the Italianate style.

In 1852, at the age of 41, Guérard moved to Australia, attracted by the gold rush in Victoria. He tried his luck as a gold digger but soon returned to painting, realizing that the Australian landscape offered a wealth of inspiration for his work. Guérard traveled extensively throughout Victoria, Tasmania, and New South Wales, capturing the grandeur and peculiarity of the Australian bush. His works from this period reflect a meticulous attention to botanical and geological detail, combined with a romantic sensibility.

Guérard's paintings such as 'North-east View from the Northern Top of Mount Kosciusko' (1863) and 'Tower Hill' (1855) are celebrated for their precise rendering and their evocative portrayal of the Australian environment. His work was instrumental in shaping European perceptions of the Australian landscape and had a significant impact on the development of Australian landscape painting.

In 1866, Guérard was appointed the first Master of the School of Painting at the National Gallery of Victoria, a position he held for 11 years. During his tenure, he influenced a generation of Australian artists, including Tom Roberts and Frederick McCubbin, who would go on to become key figures in the Australian Impressionist movement.

By the late 1880s, however, Guérard's style of painting had fallen out of fashion, and he struggled to sell his work. He spent his later years in poverty and obscurity. Eugene von Guérard died on April 17, 1901, in Chelsea, London, England, at the age of 89. Despite the decline in his fortunes later in life, Guérard's legacy endured, and he is now recognized as one of Australia's foremost landscape artists of the 19th century.