George Frederick Folingsby
Encyclopedia
George Frederick Folingsby (23 August 1828 – 4 January 1891) was an Irish
/Australia
n painter and art educator.
Folingsby was born in the County of Wicklow
, Ireland. At the age of 18 he emigrated to Canada
. Later he went to New York
, studied drawing and contributed illustrations to magazines of the day. In 1852 he went to Munich
and spent two years at the drawing school of the Royal Academy. He then went to Paris and for a few months was a pupil of Thomas Couture
. Returning to Munich he worked for five years under Carl von Piloty.
In 1864, Folingsby's picture “Bunyan in Prison”, was purchased by the National Gallery of Victoria
. He continued to live in Munich but occasionally exhibited in Ireland and England; his “The First Lesson” was hung in the Royal Academy in 1869 and “Lady Jane’s Victory Over Bishop Gardener” in 1871. He was awarded medals for historical paintings at the exhibitions held at Vienna in 1871 and Philadelphia in 1873.
Folingsby arrived in Melbourne, Australia with his ten year old daughter, on 1 July, 1879. His reputation as a figure painter preceded him and he was quickly sought after as a portraitist, making a living from commissions of eminent members of Melbourne society. Folingsby was offered the position of Master in the School of Painting at the gallery and was appointed on 1 June 1882.
In September of that year, he was appointed as the first Director of the National Gallery of Victoria and reorganized the painting school. The practice of making copies of pictures ceased and every encouragement was given to working from life.
Among his pupils were John Longstaff
and Aby Altson, the winners of the first and second travelling scholarships.
After the death of Folingsby, Lindsay Bernard Hall
was appointed Director of the National Gallery of Victoria.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
/Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n painter and art educator.
Folingsby was born in the County of Wicklow
Wicklow
Wicklow) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. Located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island, it has a population of 10,070 according to the 2006 census. The town is situated to the east of the N11 route between Dublin and Wexford. Wicklow is also connected to the rail...
, Ireland. At the age of 18 he emigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Later he went to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, studied drawing and contributed illustrations to magazines of the day. In 1852 he went to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and spent two years at the drawing school of the Royal Academy. He then went to Paris and for a few months was a pupil of Thomas Couture
Thomas Couture
Thomas Couture was an influential French history painter and teacher. Couture taught such later luminaries of the art world as Édouard Manet, Henri Fantin-Latour, John La Farge, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, Karel Javůrek, and J-N Sylvestre.-Life:He was born at Senlis, Oise, France...
. Returning to Munich he worked for five years under Carl von Piloty.
In 1864, Folingsby's picture “Bunyan in Prison”, was purchased by the National Gallery of Victoria
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. Since December 2003, NGV has operated across two sites...
. He continued to live in Munich but occasionally exhibited in Ireland and England; his “The First Lesson” was hung in the Royal Academy in 1869 and “Lady Jane’s Victory Over Bishop Gardener” in 1871. He was awarded medals for historical paintings at the exhibitions held at Vienna in 1871 and Philadelphia in 1873.
Folingsby arrived in Melbourne, Australia with his ten year old daughter, on 1 July, 1879. His reputation as a figure painter preceded him and he was quickly sought after as a portraitist, making a living from commissions of eminent members of Melbourne society. Folingsby was offered the position of Master in the School of Painting at the gallery and was appointed on 1 June 1882.
In September of that year, he was appointed as the first Director of the National Gallery of Victoria and reorganized the painting school. The practice of making copies of pictures ceased and every encouragement was given to working from life.
Among his pupils were John Longstaff
John Longstaff
Sir John Campbell Longstaff was an Australian painter, war artist and a five-time winner of the Archibald Prize. He was a cousin of Will Longstaff, also a painter....
and Aby Altson, the winners of the first and second travelling scholarships.
After the death of Folingsby, Lindsay Bernard Hall
Lindsay Bernard Hall
Lindsay Bernard Hall was an English-born Australian artist and art gallery director.Hall was born at Garston, Liverpool, England, the son of a broker of the same family as Captain Basil Hall, writer of books of travel. Hall was well educated and grew up in an atmosphere of culture...
was appointed Director of the National Gallery of Victoria.