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Eugène von Guérard / Austria/Australia 1811–1901 / A view from Mt Franklin towards Mt Kooroocheang and the Pyrenees c.1864 / Oil on canvas / 35.5 x 63.8cm / Purchased 2008 with funds from Philip Bacon AM through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art
Eugène von GuérardA view from Mt Franklin towards Mount Kooroocheang and the Pyrenees c.1864
On Display: QAG, Gallery 10
In the mid nineteenth century, the area we now know as western Victoria offered limitless potential and prosperity. This painting depicts the westward thrust into the wilderness, represented by two diminutive figures in the foreground, one of whom, presumably, is Eugène von Guérard.
In 1864, von Guérard set out on an eight-week sketching trip heading north-west from Melbourne. It was on this journey that he sketched the study for this painting. In this picturesque golden panorama, with the morning sun striking the slopes of Hepburn Hill, von Guérard suggests a land of opportunity for energetic settlers, and a life of wealth and ease that would reward their efforts. The painting is a fine example of the adaptation of European landscape painting to the new continent.
Born in Vienna, Eugène von Guérard trained in Rome and Düsseldorf. He painted in the tradition of German romantic landscape painters, such as Caspar David Friedrich, whose aim was to link man and God by depicting the grandiose aspects of nature.
Von Guérard came to Australia in 1852 and stayed for almost 30 years. In that time, he became Australia’s most important artist. He travelled widely throughout southern Australia and New Zealand, and, like many of his contemporaries, painted in his studio using extensive preparatory drawings made in the field.
In 1870, he was appointed Master of Painting and Curator of the National Gallery of Victoria, where he remained until 1881 when he returned to Europe.
Discussion Questions
1. Imagine you had never visited Australia and this painting was all you knew about this ‘new’ country. What ideas would you have from von Guérard’s depiction of the landscape?
2. Identify the viewpoint presented to viewers in this painting. Consider the influence of the Romantic tradition on the artist’s practice, and how this perspective affects the way we see the landscape.
Classroom Activities
Compare and contrast von Guérard’s painting with landscapes by other artists such as Albert Namatjira, Arthur Streeton and Frederick McCubbin. Discuss the similarities and differences in subject matter, composition and technique.