H. Septimus Power
Encyclopedia
Harold Septimus Power was a New-Zealand born Australian artist, who was an official war artist for Australia in World War I.
, New Zealand
to Peter Power, an English-born hatter, and his Scottish wife Jane. His family migrated to Australia whilst he was young. In his early teens he left the family home to pursue a life as an artist.
where he began his art studies. He exhibited in 1899 with the Melbourne Art Club and soon after moved to Adelaide where he worked as an illustrator and political cartoonist for the Adelaide Observer, South Australian Register
and the Adelaide Critic. In 1904, he was commissioned by the trustees of the Art Gallery of South Australia
to paint an animal scene. On 17 September, of the same year, he married his first wife Isabel Laura Butterworth.
Between 1905 and 1907 Power studied at the Académie Julian
in Paris, later settling in London. He became a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters
and the Society of Animal Painters. During this time, he also exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts. His first one-man exhibition took place at the Guild Hall in Melbourne, Australia in June 1913. During this exhibition he displayed oils and watercolours of rural landscapes that were used as backdrops for equine scenes and hunting.
in the European theater of war. Power was appointed in 1917 and was attached to the 1st Division, A.I.F. from September to December of that year and then again in August the following year. Official War Artist
during the First World War and was renowned for his depiction of animal
s, in particular horse
s, on the field of battle
. After the war, Power was contracted by the Australian War Records Section
for the next two decades.
Early life
Harold Septimus Power was born on 31 December 1877, in DunedinDunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
to Peter Power, an English-born hatter, and his Scottish wife Jane. His family migrated to Australia whilst he was young. In his early teens he left the family home to pursue a life as an artist.
Early paintings
After varied occupations, Power moved to AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
where he began his art studies. He exhibited in 1899 with the Melbourne Art Club and soon after moved to Adelaide where he worked as an illustrator and political cartoonist for the Adelaide Observer, South Australian Register
South Australian Register
The Register, originally the South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register, was the first South Australian newspaper. It was first published in London in June 1836 and folded almost a century later in February 1931....
and the Adelaide Critic. In 1904, he was commissioned by the trustees of the Art Gallery of South Australia
Art Gallery of South Australia
The Art Gallery of South Australia , located on the cultural boulevard of North Terrace in Adelaide, is the premier visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of over 35,000 works of art, making it, after the National Gallery of Victoria, the largest state...
to paint an animal scene. On 17 September, of the same year, he married his first wife Isabel Laura Butterworth.
Between 1905 and 1907 Power studied at the Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
in Paris, later settling in London. He became a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters
Royal Institute of Oil Painters
The Royal Institute of Oil Painters, also known as ROI, is an association of painters in London and is the only major art society which features work done only in oil. It is a member society of the Federation of British Artists.-History:...
and the Society of Animal Painters. During this time, he also exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts. His first one-man exhibition took place at the Guild Hall in Melbourne, Australia in June 1913. During this exhibition he displayed oils and watercolours of rural landscapes that were used as backdrops for equine scenes and hunting.
World War I
After war broke out in the summer of 1914, the Australian government appointed official war artists to depict the activities of the Australian Imperial ForceAustralian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
in the European theater of war. Power was appointed in 1917 and was attached to the 1st Division, A.I.F. from September to December of that year and then again in August the following year. Official War Artist
War artist
A war artist depicts some aspect of war through art; this might be a pictorial record or it might commemorate how "war shapes lives." War artists have explored a visual and sensory dimension of war which is often absent in written histories or other accounts of warfare.- Definition and context:A...
during the First World War and was renowned for his depiction of animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s, in particular horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s, on the field of battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
. After the war, Power was contracted by the Australian War Records Section
Australian War Records Section
The Australian War Records Section was an Australian military unit of World War I responsible for collecting and preserving records and artifacts relating to Australia's experiences in the war. The section was formed on 16 May 1917 under the command of Captain John Treloar and eventually grew to a...
for the next two decades.
External links
- Dictionary of Australian Artists Online, Harold Septimus Power
- H. (Harold) Septimus Power (1879-1951) Gravesite at Brighton General Cemetery (Vic)