Ernest William Christmas

Ernest William Christmas (28 January 1863 – 29 July 1918) was an Australian painter, known primarily for his landscapes. Much of his later, most familiar work was done outside of Australia; in Europe, South America and, finally, Hawaii.

Biography

He was born near Adelaide, South Australia in 1863, to English immigrant parents. His father, John, plied several trades and served as mayor of Kadina. He took his first art lessons in Adelaide and Sydney. The details are unknown, but he seems to have been greatly influenced by the realistic works of Henry James Johnstone. From 1894 to 1900, he lived in Kalgoorlie, where the cultural historian, Tim Bonyhady, says he was a minor artist who painted "Aborigines and dead trees". During that time, he paid his first extended visit to New Zealand. From 1900 to 1902, he was in Europe, where he was appointed a government representative; selecting works for inclusion at the Australian Federal International Exhibition, to be held at the Royal Exhibition Building. He eventually sent about 270 paintings to Australia. Upon his return, his own works were described as "greatly improved".

From about 1905 to 1907, he lived in New Zealand, working for the Tourist Department and painting in several locations. He also exhibited at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. He was elected a member of the Royal Society and exhibited with them in 1909 and 1910, as well as at the Royal Academy, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, and the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts.

In his later life, he became an even more avid traveler. From 1911 to 1913, he visited Argentina and Chile and roamed throughout the Andes. Many of the works he created there were included in the 1914 edition of ''Argentina Past and Present'' by William Henry Koebel. He crossed North America to San Francisco in 1915, exhibiting with the Society of Californian Artists. In 1916, while on his way back to Australia, he stopped in Hawaii and decided to stay. Already in poor health when he arrived, he died there of heart failure, two years later.

Selected paintings

File:Christmas-Murray.jpg, On the Murray River
File:Christmas-Sundowner.jpg, The Sundowner
File:Christmas-Hut.jpg, A Peasant's Hut in the Cordillera
File:'Kilauea Caldera', oil on canvas painting by Ernst William Christmas, 1916-1918.jpg, Kilauea Caldera

Sources

* ''The Encyclopedia of Australian Art'', Volume One A-K, by Alan and Susan McCulloch, Hutchinson of Australia, 1984
* ''Dictionary of British Artists Working 1900-1950'' by Grant M. Waters, Eastbourne Fine Art Publications, 1975
* ''The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940'' by J. Johnson & A. Greutzner, Antique Collectors' Club, 1976)
* Severson, Don R., ''Finding Paradise, Island Art in Private Collections'', University of Hawaii Press, 2002, pgs. 114-115.

Further reading

The life and work of Ernest William Christmas
official website

Biography
@ Design and Art Australia Online

External links

Works by Christmas
@ the Australian Art Sales Digest

More works by Christmas
@ ArtNet


@ Meisterdrücke

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christmas, Ernest William
Hawaii artists
Australian painters
1863 births
1918 deaths
Volcano School painters
Landscape artists
19th-century American painters
American male painters
20th-century American painters
19th-century American male artists
20th-century American male artists