The Australian artist Tom Roberts (actually Thomas William Roberts) owes his career not only to his undoubtedly great talent. His stepfather also played a significant part in it, albeit unconsciously. His mother had remarried, but young Roberts did not get along with the new man in the house. So he fled Melbourne and returned to his native England, where he began studying painting at the Royal Academy Schools. The choice of this field of study was not by chance - he loved art. Already in Australia, he had worked as a photographer's assistant during the day and studied art history at night.
In the 1880s, he set off on a trip to Spain with fellow student John Russell. During this trip he also met two Spanish colleagues, Laureano Barrau and Ramon Casa, who introduced him to the principles of Impressionism. This encounter had a lasting influence on his work. From then on he painted numerous landscapes and portraits in the Impressionist style. But he also produced group portraits in oil, many of which show rural people at work, such as shearing sheep. When the latter were first exhibited in Australia, voices were immediately raised demanding that the paintings be purchased by public collections. After all, the continent had become rich not least through the exports of the wool industry. As esteemed as Roberts was for his art, when he married Elisabeth Williamson in 1896 and son Caleb was born a short time later, money became tight from time to time. Fortunately, Tom was not only a gifted artist, but also an accomplished frame builder. With this extra income, he was able to keep the small family well afloat. During World War I, he also earned some extra money as an assistant in the hospital; as a pacifist, he could not warm to military service itself.
Tom Roberts, as one of the most important representatives of the Heidelberg School, had an eventful artistic life. So moved that it was even filmed in 1985. So if you want to know a little more about the artist, you can watch the Australian mini-series "One Summer again". Even this well-made documentary will not solve one mystery: that of Robert's birthday. While his birth certificate says March 8, his tombstone says March 9. But this was not Tom Roberts' only television appearance. In 2017, he appeared on screen once again. Not in person, of course; after all, the artist has been deceased for more than 90 years. But a self-portrait of him that had been thought lost had a big TV moment. It appeared in the BBC series "Fake or Fortune?" which is comparable to the German shows "Kunst & Krempel" or "Bares für Rares." Experts classified the featured flea market find as a genuine Roberts, and the artist's granddaughter confirmed that it was the lost painting.
The Australian artist Tom Roberts (actually Thomas William Roberts) owes his career not only to his undoubtedly great talent. His stepfather also played a significant part in it, albeit unconsciously. His mother had remarried, but young Roberts did not get along with the new man in the house. So he fled Melbourne and returned to his native England, where he began studying painting at the Royal Academy Schools. The choice of this field of study was not by chance - he loved art. Already in Australia, he had worked as a photographer's assistant during the day and studied art history at night.
In the 1880s, he set off on a trip to Spain with fellow student John Russell. During this trip he also met two Spanish colleagues, Laureano Barrau and Ramon Casa, who introduced him to the principles of Impressionism. This encounter had a lasting influence on his work. From then on he painted numerous landscapes and portraits in the Impressionist style. But he also produced group portraits in oil, many of which show rural people at work, such as shearing sheep. When the latter were first exhibited in Australia, voices were immediately raised demanding that the paintings be purchased by public collections. After all, the continent had become rich not least through the exports of the wool industry. As esteemed as Roberts was for his art, when he married Elisabeth Williamson in 1896 and son Caleb was born a short time later, money became tight from time to time. Fortunately, Tom was not only a gifted artist, but also an accomplished frame builder. With this extra income, he was able to keep the small family well afloat. During World War I, he also earned some extra money as an assistant in the hospital; as a pacifist, he could not warm to military service itself.
Tom Roberts, as one of the most important representatives of the Heidelberg School, had an eventful artistic life. So moved that it was even filmed in 1985. So if you want to know a little more about the artist, you can watch the Australian mini-series "One Summer again". Even this well-made documentary will not solve one mystery: that of Robert's birthday. While his birth certificate says March 8, his tombstone says March 9. But this was not Tom Roberts' only television appearance. In 2017, he appeared on screen once again. Not in person, of course; after all, the artist has been deceased for more than 90 years. But a self-portrait of him that had been thought lost had a big TV moment. It appeared in the BBC series "Fake or Fortune?" which is comparable to the German shows "Kunst & Krempel" or "Bares für Rares." Experts classified the featured flea market find as a genuine Roberts, and the artist's granddaughter confirmed that it was the lost painting.
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