Augustus Joseph Nicholas Burke (28 July 1838 – 1891) was an Irish artist and an Academician of the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA).

Early life

Burke was born into the

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

Burkes of Glinsk and was the sixth son of William Burke of Knocknagur,

Tuam Tuam (; , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midland Region, Ireland, midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. The town is in a civil parishe ...

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

. He was born at Waterslade House in the town. One of his brothers was Theobald Hubert Burke, 13th Baronet of Glinsk, while another brother was Thomas Henry Burke, Permanent Under Secretary at the Irish Office.

Career

He showed an early interest in drawing, displaying a love for depicting the people and land of

Connemara Connemara ( ; ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...

. His career in the arts was initiated at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He would exhibit at the Royal Academy and the Royal Hibernian Academy, from 1863 until his death, where he was also Professor of Painting. From 1870 to 1872 he resided in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

where he illustrated a handful of Dutch scenes. One of the earliest Irish artists to travel to

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

, Burke exhibited fifteen Breton scenes at the Royal Hibernian Academy between 1876 and 1878. He painted further in his native Ireland, as well as Scotland and England. The 1880s brought Burke to Walberswick in

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

to an artist's colony created by Philip Wilson Steer. A student of Burke, Walter Osborne, painted with him here.

Later life

Augustus, overcome with grief by his brother Thomas' murder during the

Phoenix Park Murders The Phoenix Park Murders were the fatal stabbings of Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Henry Burke in Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland, on 6 May 1882. Cavendish was the newly appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland and Burke was the Permane ...

in 1882, left his post at the Royal Hibernian Academy where he was Professor of Painting. He then moved with the remaining members of his family England and then later to Italy.

Paintings

Two of his most famous paintings, '' Connemara Girl'' and ''A Connemara Landscape'' hang at the National Gallery of Ireland. His work is relatively rare, mainly because the contents of his studio were destroyed during the fire that engulfed the Abbey Street buildings of the RHA in 1916. Furthermore, many of the paintings lay hidden in a cellar for over ninety years until their recent discovery.

Gallery

File:Augustus Burke - Study of Trees, Viceregal Lodge (1870).jpg, ''Study of Trees, Viceregal Lodge'' (1870), Dublin City Gallery File:Augustus Burke - Ponte de Vecchio, Florence.jpg , ''Ponte de Vecchio, Florence'' File:Augustus Burke - On the Banks of the Liffey, Kildare.jpg, ''On the Banks of the Liffey, Kildare, August'' File:Augustus Burke - A misty morning, Holland (1874).jpg, ''A misty morning, Holland'' (1874) File:Augustus Burke (circle) - Crossing the bridg.jpg, ''Crossing the bridge'' File:Augustus Burke - Head of old woman.jpg , ''Head of old woman'' File:1975 walter osborne.jpg, ''Portrait of Walter Frederick Osborne'' (1875)

References

Citations

External links

mpfa.ie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Augustus Nicholas 1838 births 1891 deaths 19th-century Irish painters Irish male painters Augustus Nicholas People from Tuam Pont-Aven painters Artists from County Galway 19th-century Irish male artists