Eglise St Nicholas du Chardonnet, Paris

Dublin Core

Title

Eglise St Nicholas du Chardonnet, Paris

Subject

Landscape

Description

Ashton’s watercolour is a harlequin scene of the Roman Catholic church, Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet, in Paris. The vibrant colours bleed into one another, while Ashton’s control of line maintains a sense of structure and perspective. Complete with a bright blue sky, Ashton portrays Paris as an idyllic setting, brimming with colour. The imprecise edges, loose detailing and vibrant palette are evocative of French impressionism.

In comparison to current photographs of Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet, Ashton’s composition bears many differences. Although the bell tower remains the same, a new facade was built in 1934 after the demolition of houses along the southern side of the church (Paris Avant, 2007). However, Ashton’s image perfectly resembles photographs from the late 19th and early 20th century.

Throughout his oeuvre, Ashton’s landscapes employ a free and vigorous treatment of paint, while maintaining strong design and draughtsmanship skills (Harper, 1979). Fellow artist and friend, Lionel Lindsay, wrote that Ashton had captured the changing Paris landscape “with such a fine truth and vision, that you will go far in Europe today to find so able a painter” (Harper 1979).

Though Ashton found success abroad, exhibiting at both the Royal Academy in London and the Salon in Paris, he returned to Adelaide in 1905 (Harper, 1979). Following successful exhibitions in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, Ashton won the Wynne prize for landscape painting in 1908, and again in 1930 and 1939 (Harper, 1979). Like many artists of his time, he was enticed by the chance of better prospects overseas, making frequent trips to Paris and London (Harper, 1979). In his later years, Ashton was a pivotal member of the Australian art world. He became director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 1937, and chaired the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board from 1953-62 (Harper, 1979). These leadership roles and artistic success culminated in his knighthood in 1960 (Harper, 1979).

References

Harper, 1979: Katherine Harper, ‘Ashton, Sir John William (Will) (1881-1963)’ in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1979. Accessed online 21 December 2017, URL: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ashton-sir-john-william-will-5071.

Paris Avant: Paris Avant. This website presents over 2500 pairs of photos to compare the Paris of the past to the present. URL: http://parisavant.com/index.php?showimage=243.

Creator

Will Ashton (1881 - 1963)

Source

Book of autographs of visitors to Louise Hanson-Dyer, manuscript, The University of Melbourne

Date

Unknown

Contributor

Reetika Khanna

Format

Watercolour, 265 x 200 mm

Type

Image

Citation

Will Ashton (1881 - 1963), “Eglise St Nicholas du Chardonnet, Paris,” Special Collections and Grainger Museum, accessed March 28, 2024, https://spcgm.omeka.net/items/show/8.

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