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LINDSAY BERNARD HALL (1859-1935)
Andante circa 1887-1888
oil on canvas
signed 'B. Hall' lower left
30.5 x 69cm
PROVENANCE
Purchased in 1890 from the artist by Elsinore Mary Shuter (who later became the artist's wife)
Remained in Bernard Hall's collection until he died.
Private collection, Melbourne
EXHIBITED
Royal Institute of Oil Painters, London 1888
Royal Art Society of New South Wales, Sydney 1906, no. 73
Exhibition of Paintings by the Late Bernard Hall, Athenaeum Galleries, Melbourne, 27 May- 8 June 1935, no. 35, 30gns, referred to as Andante (original sketch)
Exhibition of Paintings and Antiques: The Works and Collection of the late Bernard Hall, Esq., Illawara, Melbourne, 2-13 June 1936, no. 45, 15gns, referred to as Andante Sketch
LITERATURE
'Institute of Painters in Oil Colours', The Graphic, London, 10 November 1888, p. 491
The Times, London, 3 November 1888, page number missing*
The Globe, London, 5 November 1888, page number missing*
Probably The London Magazine, London, 9th February 1889, page number missing*
'Royal Art Society: A Strong Exhibition', The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 25 August, 1906, p. 13
* References sourced from Bernard Hall Papers, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
RELATED WORK:
Andante, oil on canvas, 62 x 138cm, Sotheby's Australia, Fine Australian Paintings, Melbourne, 30/04/1995, lot no. 50
OTHER NOTES
Leonard Joel is grateful to Gwen Rankin for her assistance in cataloguing and researching this work.
English-born Lindsay Bernard Hall came to Australia in 1892 following his appointment as the Director of the National Gallery of Victoria and Head of the Art School. Through the Felton Bequest, Hall was responsible for important purchases of art which are amongst the great treasures of the NGV today, such as Pissarro's 'Boulevard Montmartre' and 'Rembrandt's 'Two Philosophers'.
Painted while Hall was still living in London and working as a black and white artist for the illustrated press, Andante depicts an Arcadian scene with a nude nymph classically reclined under a tree playing the double pipe. When exhibited at the Institute of Painters in Oil Colours in London in 1888, it was praised for its beauty of form and accurate draughtsmanship with one critic noting 'to say that it is far and away the best nude in the exhibition is to give a meagre idea of its merit'.[i]
Photographs of the artist's Melbourne studios from 1906 and 1930 show Andante proudly displayed in the background, suggesting that Hall treasured this early work. As noted by Gwen Rankin, Hall produced later versions of at least seven or eight early paintings, most painted originally in England and remaining in the artist's pocession, and Andante is one such example.[ii] In a larger scale version of the work painted in the 1920s, Hall captures the same graceful nymph at the foot of a tree, however with this later work he has added figures to the clearing in the landscape in the upper left corner. In justifying this practice to a disgruntled purchaser of the painting The Quest, Hall explains 'you are mistaken in thinking I am acting entirely contrary to the etiquette of the artist's profession in repeating myself occasionally in this way....there is absolutely nothing to prevent an artist doing this- varying or bettering his results- I suppose I have done so in about half [a] doz[en] cases out of my own many pictures'.[iii]
[i]The Times, The Globe and probably The London Magazine, sourced from Bernard Hall Papers, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
[ii] Correspondence with Gwen Rankin, 8 February 2013
[iii] Bernard Hall, Draft Letter, recipient unknown, 8 October 1919, Bernard Hall Papers, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Sold for $15,500
Lot 30
Andante circa 1887-1888
oil on canvas
signed 'B. Hall' lower left
30.5 x 69cm
PROVENANCE
Purchased in 1890 from the artist by Elsinore Mary Shuter (who later became the artist's wife)
Remained in Bernard Hall's collection until he died.
Private collection, Melbourne
EXHIBITED
Royal Institute of Oil Painters, London 1888
Royal Art Society of New South Wales, Sydney 1906, no. 73
Exhibition of Paintings by the Late Bernard Hall, Athenaeum Galleries, Melbourne, 27 May- 8 June 1935, no. 35, 30gns, referred to as Andante (original sketch)
Exhibition of Paintings and Antiques: The Works and Collection of the late Bernard Hall, Esq., Illawara, Melbourne, 2-13 June 1936, no. 45, 15gns, referred to as Andante Sketch
LITERATURE
'Institute of Painters in Oil Colours', The Graphic, London, 10 November 1888, p. 491
The Times, London, 3 November 1888, page number missing*
The Globe, London, 5 November 1888, page number missing*
Probably The London Magazine, London, 9th February 1889, page number missing*
'Royal Art Society: A Strong Exhibition', The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, 25 August, 1906, p. 13
* References sourced from Bernard Hall Papers, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
RELATED WORK:
Andante, oil on canvas, 62 x 138cm, Sotheby's Australia, Fine Australian Paintings, Melbourne, 30/04/1995, lot no. 50
OTHER NOTES
Leonard Joel is grateful to Gwen Rankin for her assistance in cataloguing and researching this work.
English-born Lindsay Bernard Hall came to Australia in 1892 following his appointment as the Director of the National Gallery of Victoria and Head of the Art School. Through the Felton Bequest, Hall was responsible for important purchases of art which are amongst the great treasures of the NGV today, such as Pissarro's 'Boulevard Montmartre' and 'Rembrandt's 'Two Philosophers'.
Painted while Hall was still living in London and working as a black and white artist for the illustrated press, Andante depicts an Arcadian scene with a nude nymph classically reclined under a tree playing the double pipe. When exhibited at the Institute of Painters in Oil Colours in London in 1888, it was praised for its beauty of form and accurate draughtsmanship with one critic noting 'to say that it is far and away the best nude in the exhibition is to give a meagre idea of its merit'.[i]
Photographs of the artist's Melbourne studios from 1906 and 1930 show Andante proudly displayed in the background, suggesting that Hall treasured this early work. As noted by Gwen Rankin, Hall produced later versions of at least seven or eight early paintings, most painted originally in England and remaining in the artist's pocession, and Andante is one such example.[ii] In a larger scale version of the work painted in the 1920s, Hall captures the same graceful nymph at the foot of a tree, however with this later work he has added figures to the clearing in the landscape in the upper left corner. In justifying this practice to a disgruntled purchaser of the painting The Quest, Hall explains 'you are mistaken in thinking I am acting entirely contrary to the etiquette of the artist's profession in repeating myself occasionally in this way....there is absolutely nothing to prevent an artist doing this- varying or bettering his results- I suppose I have done so in about half [a] doz[en] cases out of my own many pictures'.[iii]
[i]The Times, The Globe and probably The London Magazine, sourced from Bernard Hall Papers, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
[ii] Correspondence with Gwen Rankin, 8 February 2013
[iii] Bernard Hall, Draft Letter, recipient unknown, 8 October 1919, Bernard Hall Papers, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Estimate $8,000 - $12,000
Fine Art Auction
AUCTION
Sale: LJ5712
6:30pm - 19 March 2013
333 Malvern Rd, South Yarra 3141
VIEWING
Wednesday 13th March 2013 10am - 8pm
Thursday 14th March 2013 10am - 4pm
Friday 15th March 2013 10am - 4pm
Saturday 16th March 2013 10am - 5pm
Sunday 17th March 2013 10am - 5pm
Monday 18th March 2013 10am - 4pm
CONTACT
Caroline Rook
caroline.rook@leonardjoel.com.au
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