DEATH OF AN ARTIST

Taranaki Daily News, 19 September 1931, Page 14

DEATH OF AN ARTIST

MR TOM ROBERTS. The death has occurred at Melbourne *of . Mr. Tom Roberts, a leading artist and pioneer of the modern school of Australian open-air landscape painting, aged 75. He was a native of Dorchester, England. Mr. Roberts, who was born on March 9, (1850, went to Australia from England in 1809 and studied at the Melbourne Gallery Schools. He returned to London and was admitted to the Royal Academy Schools. Going back to Melbourne in ;1885 he formed an artists’ camp at Box Hill. Later he established a similar camp at Eaglemont, Heidelberg, Victoria. In 3903 he returned to London for sittings from the Prince of Wales (now King George) and the Princess and suite for the painting "The First Commonwealth Parliament,” now in St. James’ Palace. Mr. Roberts served with the Royal Army Medical Corps, at the 3rd L.G. Hospital, Wandsworth, until after the declaration of peace. He visited Australia for a year, painting and exhibiting, find returned there from England in 1923 to settle in the country. His Australian pictures include “The Golden Fleece ’ (Sydney gallery) and “The Breakaway and “In the Shadow of the Hills” and a portrait of Sir Henry Parkes (Adelaide gallery). Also he was comynisHioncd by the Commonwealth Govirnment to paiMt lor the Canberra galery a portrait H«nry Kendall, Australian poet.