Untitled
Dublin Core
Title
Untitled
Subject
Study of two horses
Description
Power’s expressive marks bring his cropped study of two horses to life. The movement of the artist’s hand flows through his free and loose brush strokes. The lack of detail and tonal variation of the background buildings contrast the layers of vibrant colour used on the horses in the foreground, separating the vitality of the animals from the man-made structure.
Over Power's career, he came to be regarded as the leading Australian artist in equine subjects (Holden, 1988). At the age of 24, he was commissioned by the National Gallery of South Australia for an animal painting, the first time the Gallery had ever commissioned an Australian artist (Middleton, 1974, p. 3). He later relocated to London where he secured a steady flow of commissions - including a painting for the Duke of York - as well as regular features in the Royal Academy exhibitions (Middleton, 1974, p. 4). After returning to Australia, Power was invited to become one of Australia’s first official war artists in 1915 (Middleton, 1974, p. 4). Assigned to the Western front, he worked at great personal risk, placing himself in the same battle conditions as the soldiers and animals he depicted (Middleton, 1974, p. 4).
Following the war, Power travelled back and forth between England and Australia, feeling a pull between artistic loyalties (Middleton, 1974, p. 6). Living in London, with its close proximity to Paris, was strategic for any artist of his generation as both cities were considered centres of the art world (Middleton, 1974, p. 6). Although Power’s growing reputation saw his election to the Royal Society of Oil Painters and the Royal Institute of Watercolour Painters, he simultaneously yearned for the people, landscape and lifestyle of Australia (Middleton, 1974, p. 6). By making frequent trips to Australia, Power was able to find success at home as well as in England, forging a unique position for himself (Middleton, 1974, p. 6).
References
Holden, 1988: Robert Holden, ‘Power, Harold Septimus (1877-1951)’ in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1988. Accessed online 21 December 2017, URL: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/power-harold-septimus-8089.
Middleton, 1974: Max Middleton, ‘Introduction’ in The Art of H. Septimus Power, Adelaide: Rigby, 1973, pp. 1-12.
Over Power's career, he came to be regarded as the leading Australian artist in equine subjects (Holden, 1988). At the age of 24, he was commissioned by the National Gallery of South Australia for an animal painting, the first time the Gallery had ever commissioned an Australian artist (Middleton, 1974, p. 3). He later relocated to London where he secured a steady flow of commissions - including a painting for the Duke of York - as well as regular features in the Royal Academy exhibitions (Middleton, 1974, p. 4). After returning to Australia, Power was invited to become one of Australia’s first official war artists in 1915 (Middleton, 1974, p. 4). Assigned to the Western front, he worked at great personal risk, placing himself in the same battle conditions as the soldiers and animals he depicted (Middleton, 1974, p. 4).
Following the war, Power travelled back and forth between England and Australia, feeling a pull between artistic loyalties (Middleton, 1974, p. 6). Living in London, with its close proximity to Paris, was strategic for any artist of his generation as both cities were considered centres of the art world (Middleton, 1974, p. 6). Although Power’s growing reputation saw his election to the Royal Society of Oil Painters and the Royal Institute of Watercolour Painters, he simultaneously yearned for the people, landscape and lifestyle of Australia (Middleton, 1974, p. 6). By making frequent trips to Australia, Power was able to find success at home as well as in England, forging a unique position for himself (Middleton, 1974, p. 6).
References
Holden, 1988: Robert Holden, ‘Power, Harold Septimus (1877-1951)’ in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1988. Accessed online 21 December 2017, URL: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/power-harold-septimus-8089.
Middleton, 1974: Max Middleton, ‘Introduction’ in The Art of H. Septimus Power, Adelaide: Rigby, 1973, pp. 1-12.
Creator
Harold Septimus Power (1877 - 1951)
Source
Book of autographs of visitors to Louise-Hanson Dyer, manuscript, The University of Melbourne
Date
Unknown
Contributor
Reetika Khanna
Format
Watercolour, 280 x 230 mm
Type
Image
Citation
Harold Septimus Power (1877 - 1951), “Untitled,” Special Collections and Grainger Museum, accessed April 26, 2024, https://spcgm.omeka.net/items/show/13.